
/>^^^^^^^%?z^^r^ 



BOk:; FKBRrARY 



Thi'pprlrait is from a r/mtn/rapli -It rqiresenf.i the Aiilhov with pencil a)ifl pivi t'cho i/t hand 

in thr act of skefeluiip frmi Nature - Hie likeness will he reroijiiized by mttny m various purt/i of 

our Country, who saw liiiii while on las tour through the West . collecting materials cmdtakino 

SIfctchfs ti>rtheEii(/rofUi(fsiii /his work. 



All the Western States 

AND 

^^^ Territories, 



From the ALLEGHANIES to the PACIFIC, 

AND 

From the LAKES to the GULF, 

CONTAINING 

Tlieir Mistory from the Earliest Times, ivith Local 
History, Incidents of JPioneer Life, Jlilitary Events, 
JBiograpJiical Sketches; combined with full Geograph- 
ical I>escriptions of the different States, Territories, 
Cities, and Toivns; the ivhole being illustrated by 

presenting vieivs of the Cities and Principal Toivns, 
Public Buildings and 3Ionunients, Battle Fields, his- 
toric Localities, Natural Curiosities, etc, principally 
from drawings taken on the sjyot by the Authors* 



John W. Barber, 

AT7TH0B OF HISTOBICAL COLLECTIONS OF CONNECTICUT, MASSACHUSETTS, *C., 

Henry Howe, 

AT7TH0B OF HIST. COL'S OF VIRGINIA, OHIO, THE GBEAT WEST, AC. 



CIJN'CINT^ATI, 0. 

T^o. Ill nviain Street, 

Howe's subscription book concern, 

ESTABLISHED BY HENKY HOWE IN 1847. 
F. A. HOWE, Proprietop. HENRY HOWE, Manager. 

1867. 







Entered according to Act of Congress in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-sevm, 

By F. A. HOWE, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 

District of Ohio. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



oJO{o 



DURING the sad, tragic years of the Rebellion, a large two- 
volume work, by the authors of this, was published under the 
title of "Our "Whole Country." It was modeled on the same 
general plan with the Historical Collections of Massachusetts and 
of Connecticut, by John W. Barber, and the Historical Collections 
of Virginia and of Ohio, by Henry Howe. That work was issued 
at great expense, consequent upon years of labor, extensive 
travel, and the drawing and engraving of many hundred original 
views of objects of interest in all parts of our land. This ex- 
pense was full fifteen thousand dollars before the first sheet of 
paper was bought upon which it was printed, and was an undi- 
vided enterprise of our own. 

The changed condition of a part of our country, united to the 
double expense of book publishing, compels us to alter the plan, 
and to issue the original work in two independent, separate 
books, with such changes in the materials as are demanded by 
the lapse of time and events. By this means a choice of either 
will be given to such limited finances as can not grasp both. 

The one book will comprise "The Atlantic States, Xortli 
and South;" the other is the present volume, "The IVhoIe 
■ff^est." The first-named will be preceded by an introduction 
giving the general history of the country, when will follow, in 
order, all the sea-board States, originally British colonies, and 
the old Spanish colony of Florida, the most ancient of them all, 
but of feeble nursing and of trivial growth. The book you hold 
comprises all of that immense territory comprehended under the 
term " The Great West." 

The six States of the South-west are herein grouped by them- 
selves; and the articles upon them, and the views of places 

(3) 



4 IN'lUGDLCTOr.Y. 

therein, are especially interesting, as showing their condition 
and appearance at the outbreak of the late terrible struggle. 
From chaos may new and more graceful forms arise, and that 
unhappy people, whose valor and endurance have been so extra- 
ordinary, be soon lifted into clearer skies and to more pleasing 
visions. 

For obvious reasons, the events of the late intestine war have 
no place here. Their introduction would swell the work to 
too extensive proportions. Besides, it is to be expected that 
every family will possess volumes solely devoted to that topic 
which has entered so largely and thrillingly into the general 
experience of us all. 

Our frontispiece is a life-like portrait of Mr. John W. Barber. 
He is the principal author of this work, our part having been 
mainly to add to the materials collected by him through years 
of labor and travel. The picture is faithful, photographed from 
the original, and true to every article of costume, even to the 
antique carpet-bag on the sward at his feet. He is represented 
with pencil and portfolio in hand, in the act of sketching from 
nature. For the information of those unfamiliar with book pub- 
lishing, we here describe the process by which the pictures in 
this work were produced. 

1st. They were drawn on the spot by the eye, in outline with 
pencil on paper, on a large scale. 

2d. Reduced in outline on paper to the smaller scale of the 
engraving. 

3d. These outlines again traced on wood, and shaded by an 
artist. 

4th. Engraved ; a labor of several years, had only one engraver 
been employed. 

5th. Stereotyped on the page with the type, ready for the 
printer. 

Owing to the position of many places, only a partial view 
could be given. To recognize any scene, the reader must be 
familiar with it from the point from whence the drawing was 
taken. As a general thing, they have been rendered with that 
care that any one with book in hand can readily place himself 
within a yard or two of the precise spot on which Mr. Barber 
stood. In our rapid growth and Aladdin-like changes, these 
views will soon pass into history, and be of even higher value 
than now as showing our country at the era of the great rebellion. 



INTRODUCTORY. 5 

Mr. Barber, whom we have thus introduced to the reader, 
deserves so to be. He is a plain, unobtrusive old £e:itleman, 
who began life with only xLe solid education Connecticut gives 
all her sons — born at the close of the administration of George 
Washington, in the century that is past— with no especial pride, 
except in being a descendant of the Pilgrims, of whom he is a 
genuine, honest, and most unmistakable offshoot. His life has 
been one of untiring and useful industry, chiefly passed in com- 
piling books, every page of which has been created with a view 
to benefit the public. No man living in the Union has taken so 
many views of places in it as he, in making drawings for this 
and his various State work?. His books have gratified cU classes; 
the learned and unlearned, tne old and young. A personal anec- 
dote is proper here. On a time, in the years now gone, we were 
rattled over the paving-stones of Broadway in an omnibus, and 
holding the first bound volume of a State work, the result of the 
joint labor of Mr. Barber and ourself. An elderly gentleman, in 
neat, and, as we thought, somewhat humble attire, leaned over 
to look at our book: then putting an inquiry, which we an- 
swered, he rejoined: "I have Mr. Barber's Connecticut and Mas- 
sachusetts, and I shall want that." A moment later, the vehiela 
stopped, and our questioner left us. "Do you know who that 
old gentleman is that spoke to you?" asked a fellow-passenger, 
also a stranger. "No sir." "That," added he, "is Chancellor 
Kent!" 

It is now thirty years since Mr. Bai'ber published his first State 
work, that on Connecticut. It was the m(Jdel on which others 
were formed, and a surprise to the public, for its plan was 
original and quaint. The venerable Koah Webftter, a towns- 
man of Mr. Barber, was especially gratified. The venerable, 
slender form of Webster, in the garb of a gentleman of the old 
school, with broad-brimmed hat, shading a benignant, scholarly 
face, with Quaker-like cut coat, short breeches, and buckle 
shoes, was, at that period, a pleasant and daily object to be met 
moving modestly along under the proudly arching elms of New 
Haven. 

We then knew them both "as a boy knows a man." Mrs. 
Barter, as Miss Ruth Greene, had, only a few years before, 
pointed out to us the mysteries of A B C from Webster's spell- 
ing-book. It was in the printing-oflB.ce at the time, or, perhaps, 
a little later, owned by our father, Hezekiah Howe, and attached 



6 INTRODUCTORY. 

to his book-store, that the first edition of Webster's great quarto 
dictionary was printed. It was several years in going through 
the press, for it was a day of slow coaches ; when, as we recol- 
lect, ovir geographies told us the American people had no 
" particular character ! " The nation was then too young. 

The issue of this dictionary was a great event. When fin- 
ished, Mr. Webster gave a generous supper at his house to the 
compositors and pressmen— some twenty in number— who had 
labored upon it. He took the occasion to bless the young 
men in good, fatherly talk upon the practical matters of life. 
Among the topics introduced was that of runaway horses. He 
had for years kept a record of accidents. Almost all fatal 
results to life and limb had arisen from parties endeavoring to 
save themselves by springing from the whirling vehicle. His 
advice was to those present, whenever placed in such peril, 
to stick to the wagon. The word "stick," though in that con- 
nection, Webster did not probably use; for he, in common 
with those Yale men generally, spoke English so "pure and 
undeflled," that a slang word, or a coarse one, gave a greater 
shock to his delicate sensibilities than a full, round, swelling 
oath gives to common ears. This anecdote, living until now 
only in memory, is fastened in here, as a pleasing reminis- 
cence of the calm, wise man who caused us all to drop the 
U from that brightest of words— Honor. 

Many years— perhaps an entire generation— must elapse before 
another book will be issued upon the West involving so much 
of labor and expens^as this. More of both were given before 
the first sheet was printed than to most volumes of the same 
size and price completed for the market. We design this as a 
standard work upon the West, and, in successive editions, to 
enhance its value by such modifications and additions as may 
seem desirable. We trust it will become a lEousetaold book for 
the Western people; and not only this, but to add to the evi- 
dence, if it were necessary, what a mighty empire, under the 
influence of our good government, has grown up here on the 
sunset side of the AUeghanies since many among us first looked 
upon the beautiful things of life in the simple, trusting faith of 
childhood. 



CINCINNATI, 111 Main Street, 



i/jem/L^ c^avc/C 



engravings; 



THE WESTERN STATES, PACIFIC STATES, AND 
UNITED STATES TERRITORIES. 

[j|@°For List of Engravings in the States of the Southwest, see p. 12.'| 



Portrait of J. W. Barber, Frontis- 
piece. 

Map, All the West, March 4, 1803, 
Frontispiece. 

WEST VIRGINIA. 

Arms of West Virginia, 33 

Wheeling, 40 

Tray Run "Viaduct, 43 

KENTUCKY. 

Arm's of Kentucky, 45 

Frankfort, 48 

State House, Frankfort, 49 

Military Monument, 49 

Grave of Daniel Boone, 51 

Louisville, 53 

Medical and Law Colleges, 54 

Green River Bridge, 56 

View in the Mammoth Cave, 56 

United States Barracks and Sus- 
pension Bridge, Newport,... 58 

Public Square, Lexington, 64 

Ashland, Seat of Henry Clay,... 65 

Monument of Henry Clay, 67 

Old Fort at Boonesboro' 68 

Landing at Paducah, 70 

A Tobacco Plantation, 71 

A Religious Encampment, 77 

Signature of Daniel Boone, 78 

Signature of Geo. Rogers Clark, 79 

Signature of Isaac Shelby, 82 

Signature of Henry Clay, 82 



"^ OHIO. 

Arms of Ohio, 85 

Ancient Mound, Marietta, 90 

Campus Martins, Marietta, 91 

A Pioneer Dwelling, 93 

Gallipolis, in 1791, 95 

Outline View of Cincinnati, 98 

First Church in Cincinnati, 100 

Cincinnati in 1802, 101 

View in Fourth St., Cincinnati, 103 

Pike's Building, 105 

Longworth's Vineyard, 107 

Harrison House, North Bend,.. 109 

Old Block House, near N. Bend, 110 

Monument of J. C. Symmes,... 110 

Court House, Chillicothe, Ill 

Old State Capitol, 112 

Portsmouth, 115 

State Capitol, Columbus, 116 

Ohio White Sulphur Springs,.. 117 

Court House, Zanesville, 119 

Market Street, Steubenville,.... 125 

Superior Street, Cleveland, 127 

Ancient Map, Cleveland, 128 

Toledo, 130 

Wayne's Battle-ground, 133 

Public Square, Sandusky, 138 

Ancient Map, Sandusky, 138 

Fort Sandusky, 139 

Wyandot Mission Church, 141 

View ift Dayton, 142 

Old Court House in Greene Co.. 143 

Plan of St. Clair's Battlefield,.. 145 



*The engravings original to this work can not be copied by other publishers with- 
ont infringement of copyright. 

(Vii) 



VUl 



ENGRAVINGS. 



Birth-place of Tecumseh, 148 

Sifrnature of Presid't Harrison, 149 

Swiss Eini^rant's Cottage, 149 

Grave of Simon Kenton, 151 

Brady's Pond, 152 

Statue of Com. Perry, Cleveland, 153 

- — -INDIANA. 

Arms of Indiana, 155 

The Harrison House, Vincennes, 159 

State Capitol, Indianapolis, 164 

Union Depot, 105 

View in Terre Haute, 108 

Friends' Board. Sch., Riehm'd, 16S 

Evans vi He, 171 

Rapp's Church, New Harmony, 172 

Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne,... 175 

Old Fort Wayne, 177 

Lafayette, ISO 

Tippecanoe Battle-ground, , 181 

Map of do 185 

Madison, 186 

New Albany, 188 

Military Monument, 189 

University of Indiana, 191 

Old State' Capitol. Corydon,,... 191 

The Jug Hock,...' 192 

The Mill Stream Cave, 192 

ILLINOIS. 

Arms of Illinois, 195 

Chicago in 1831, 200 

Court House Square, Chicago,.. 202 

Block Raising, Chicago, 204 

Grain Houses, etc., Cliicago,... 205 

State House Square, Spririgfi'd, 211 

Lincoln Residence, Springfield, 213 

Illinois College, Jacksonville,., 218 

Bloomington, 221 

Peoria,.." 222 

Quincy, 226 

Alton, 228 

Map of Levee at Cairo, 232 

June. Oliio and Miss., Cairo,... 232 

GaletKi, 233 

The Le;id Region, 235 

Rock Ishmd ijity, 236 

Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, 237 

Nauvoo, .• 239 

Mt. Jolict, 243 

Cave-in-the-Ruck, 249 



^ MICHIGAN. 

Arms of Michigan, 251 

Detroit, 257 

Woodward Avenue, Detroit, ... 259 

State House, Lansing, 265 

State Penitentiary, Jackson, 267 

State University, Ann x\rbor,... 268 
Winchester's Head-q's, Monroe, 269 
Site of Stockade on the Raisin, 272 
Deaf and Dumb Assylum, Flint, 277 
Monroe Street, Grand Rapids,.. 279 

Lumberman's Camp, 281 

Mackinaw Island 285 

The Arched Rock, 286 

Ruins of Old Fort Mackinaw,.. 287 
Map of Mackinaw and Vicinity, 290 

Falls of St. Mary, 292 

Map of Copper & Iron Region, 294 
The Minnesota Mine, 296 

WISCONSIN. 

Arms of Wisconsin, 305 

Harbor of Milwaukie, 311 

The Portage, 321 

Voyageurs' Camp, 322 

Madis^on, 323 

Map of the Four Lakes, 327 

Ft. Crawford, Prairie du Chien, 329 

Racine 334 

The Maidens Rock, 338 

Fort Winnebago, in 1831, 341 

MINNESOTA. 

Arms of Minnesota, 349 

St. Paul, 354 

Fort Snelling, 356 

Minne-ha-ha Falls, 357 

Lake Itasca, 361 

Dacotah Dog Dance (music),... 363 
Ojibway Scalp Dance (music),. 363 

IOWA. 

Arms of Iowa, 367 

Dubuque, 372 

Ruins of Camanche, 379 

Davenport, 383 

Attack on Bellevue Hotel, 387 

Burlington, 391 

Judge Rorer's House, 392 

Keokuk, , 393 

Prairie Scenery, 395 



ENGRAVINGS. 



IX 



State Capitol, Des Moines, 398 

Muscatine, , 399 

State Uaiversity, Iowa City,.... 401 

MISSOURI. 

Arms of Missouri, 405 

Levee at St. Louis, 409 

Court House, St. Louis, 411 

Biddle Monument, 417 

Jefferson City, 418 

Lexington Landing, 423 

Kansas City, 424 

A Santa Fe Train, 426 

St. Joseph, 428 

Hannibal, 429 

Pilot Knob, 438 

KANSAS. 

Arms of Kansas, 441 

Fort Leavenworth, 446 

Leavenworth, 447 

Lawrence 449 

Lecom p ton , , 451 

Topeka Bridge, 453 

Kansas Indian Village, 455 

CALIFORNIA. 

Arms of California, 459 

Harbor of San Francisco, 469 

Execution by Vigilance Com... 474 
Sutter's Mill, 479 



Washing Gold with Long Tom, 480 

Hydraulic Mining, 482 

E'remont's Ranch, 483 

Mammoth Tree Grove, ••... 485 

OREGON. 

Arms of Oregon, 501 

Valley of the Willamette, 506 

Giant Pines, 507 

COLORADO. 

View in Denver, 516 

Street in Denver, 517 

UTAH. 

View in Salt Lake City, 538 

Mammon Harem, 540 

NEW MEXICO. 

Giant Cactus, 551 

Pueblo, or town of Zuni, 553 

Ancient Pueblo, 537 

do. Plan, 537 

Canon of Chilly, 559 

do. Pueblo in, 559 

Inscription Rock, 561 

ARIZONA. 

Church at Tucson, 565 

Silver Mine Works, 566 



STATES. 

California, 459 ^Kentucky, 45 

>Illinois, 195 -Michigan, 271' 

"^Indiana, 155 Minnesota, 349 

Iowa, 367 Missouri, 405 

Kansas, 441 Nebraska, 509 



Nevada, 489 

Ohio, 85 

Oregon, 501 

West Virginia, .... 33 
Wisconsin, 305 



Arizona, 563 

Colorado, 515 

Dacotuh, 531 



U. S. TERRITORIES. 

Idaho, 529 

Indian, 532 

Montana, 525 



New Mexico 545 

Utah, .' 535 

Washington, 533 



CITIES AND TOWNS. 



Abingdon, 245 
Acoiiia, 555 

Adrian, 268 

Albnrquerque, 555 
Allegan, 284 

Aliiiont, 284 

Acton, 227 

Ann Arbor, 268 
Asli tabula, 147 
Astoria, 508 

Atchison, 448 

Aurora, 193-495 
Austin, 495 

Bannock City, 526 
Bardstown, 70 

Batavia, 245 

Battle Creek, 283 
Beloit, 335 

Bellelbntaine, 147 
Bellville, 245 

Bellvue, 386, 559 
Belvidere, 245 

Benicia, 488 

Bloomington, 

191, 221 
Boonville, 433 
Bowling Green, 68 
Bucyrus, 147 

Burlington, 390 
Cairo, 231 

Cambridge, 148 
Cambridge City, 

*456 
Cannelton, 148 
Canton, 147 

Carrolton, 70 

Carson City, 492 
Cedar Falls, 403 
Cedar Rapids, 403 
Charleston, 42 
Chicngo, 199 

Chillicothe, 111 
Cincinnati, 99 

Circleville, 104 
Clarksburg, 43 
Cievt-land, 127 
Coldwater, 283 
Colorado City, 518 
Colonia, 478 

Col mil bus, 

70,116,193 
Conneaut, 125 

(x) 



Connersville, 193 

Corvdon, 191 

Coulterville, 489 
Council Biufls, 399 

Covington, 58 
Crawfordsville,191 
Crescent City, 488 

Cyntliiana, 70 

Daven port, 382 

Danville, 69 

Dayton, 141 

Decatur, 245 

Delaware, 147 

Delplii, 193 

Denver, 516 

Des Moines, 398 

Detroit, 257 

Dixon, 244 

Dubuque, 372 

Dunleith, 244 

Eaton, 148 

Elgin, 245 

Eiyria, 147 

Evansville, 170 
Fillmore City, 544 

Flint, 277 

Fond du Lac, 339 

Fort Dodge, 402 

Fort Snelling, 356 

Fort Wayne, 175 

Fort Yuma, 488 

Frankfort, 48 

Franklin, 193 

Fremont, 139 

Free port, 233 

Galena, 233 

Galesburg, 233 

Gallipolis, 94 

Georgetown, 70 

Germantown, 148 

Golden City, 518 

Goshen, 193 
Grand Haven, 284 
Grand Rapids, 278 
Grasshopper 

Falls, 454 

Green Bay, 316 

Greencastle, 191 

Greenfield, 148 

Greensburg, 193 

Grinnell, 403 

Guyandotte, 51 



Hamilton, 110 
Hannibal, 429 
Harrodsburg. 51 
Hastings, 359 

Henderson, 70 

Hermann, 434 
Hickman, 70 

Hillsdale, 283 

Hillsboro, 148 
Hopkinsville, 70 
Hudson, 338 

Humboldt Citv, 

'488 
Huntington, 193 
Independence, 429 
Indianapolis, 163 
Iowa City, 401 
Ironton, 148, 433 
Janesville, 335 
Jackson, 267 

Jacksonville, 217 
Jefferson City, 417 
JefFersonville, 190 
Joliet, 243 

Kalamazoo, 283 
Kankakee City, 

244 
Kansas City, 424 
Kaskaskia, 213 
Kenosha, 334 

Keokuk, 393 

Keosaugua, 403 
Klamath, 488 

La Crosse, 337 
La Fayette, 179 
Lake City, 359 
Laguana, 555 

Lancaster, 148 
Lansing, 265 

La Pointe, 348 
La Porte, 190 

La !<alle, 344 

Lawrence, 448 
Lawrenceburg 190 
Leavenworth 

City, 447 

Lebanon, 148 

Lecompton, 451 
Le Sueur, 359 

Louisburg, 42 

Lewistown, 529 
Lexington, 64, 422 



Lima, 147 

Logan, 148 

Logansport, 189 

Los Angelos, 488 

Louisville, 52 
M'Connelsvillel48 

Mackinaw, 284 

Macombe, 245 
Madison, 186, 323 

Manliattan, 454 

Manitowoc, 348 

Mansfield, 147 

Marietta, 89 

Mari posa, 487 

Marshal], 283 

Marquette, 299 

Marysville, 483 

Massillon, 147 

Maysville, 57 

Mendota, 359 
Michigan City, 190 

Milwaukie, 311 

Mineapolis, 358 
Mineral Point, 335 

Mishawaka, 193 

Moline, 245 

Monroe, 268 

Monterey, 488 

Morgantown, 43 

Mt. Clemens, 284 

Mt. Pleasant, 403 
Mt. Vernon, 

147, 193 

Muncie, 193 

Muscatine, 399 

Napierville, 245 

Nauvoo, 239 
Nebraska City,511 

Nemaha City, 511 

New Albany, 189 

Newark, 118 
New Harmony, 172 

New Lisbon, 148 

New Madrid, 419 

Newport, 58 

Nicolet, 359 

Niles, 283 

Newark, 147 

Oberlin, 147 

Qlympia, 535 

Omaha City, 511 

Ontonagon, 299 



CITIES — TOWNS. 



XI 



Oregon City, 508 
Oskaloosa, 403 
Ossawatomie, 454 
Ottawa, 245 

Owensboro, 70 
Ozaukee, 348 

Paducah. 70 

Painesville, 147 
Paris, 70 

Parkersburg, 39 
Pembina, 531 

Peoria, 222 

Peru, 193 

Piqua, 147 

Plattesmouth, 511 
Pomeroy, 148 

Pontiac, 282 

Portage City, 340 
Portland, 588 

Port Huron, 282 
Portsmouth, 113 
Potosi, 433 

Prairie du Chien, 

328 
Prescott, 338, 563 
Princeton, 193 

Quincy, 226 

Racine, 333 

Ravenna, 147 



Red Wing, 359 
Richmond, 169 
Ripley, 148 

Rising Sun, 193 
Rocklbrd, 233 
Rock Island 

City, 286 

Rockville, 193 
Romeo, 284 

Russelville, 70 
Sacram. City, 478 
Saginaw, 282 

Salem, 508 

St. Anne, 402 

St. Anthony, 357 
St. Charles,245,432 
St. Genevieve, 434 
St. Joseph,435,427 
St. Paul, 409 

Salt Lake City, 538 
San Diego, 488 
Sandoval, 245 

Sandusky, 137 
San Francisco, 468 
San Jose, 488 

Santa Barbara,488 
Santa Fe, 552 

Sault de Ste. 

Marie, 291 



Shakopee, 359 

Sheboygan, 348 
Shelbyville, 

70,193 

Sidney, 147 

Silver City, 491 

Sioux City, 403 

Smithland, 70 

Sonora, 484 

South Bend, 190 
Springfield, 

142,211 

Sterling, 245 

Steubenville, 124 

Stillwater, 359 

Stockton, 483 

Superior City, 348 

Sycamore, 245 

Tabs, 554 

Tecumseh, 283 

Terre Haute, 167 

Tiffin, 147 

Toledo, 130 

Topeka, 452 

Trinidad, 488 

Troy, 147 

Tubac, 565 

Tucson, 565 

Two Rivers, 348 



Upper Sandusky, 

139 
Urbana, 147, 245 
Vallejo, 488 

Vandalia, 245 

Versailles, 70 

Vevay, 191 

Vincennes, 158 
Virginia City, 491 
Wabashaw, ' 359 
Warren, 147 

Watertown, 328 
Waubonsee, 454 
Waukegan, 245 
Wellsburg, 41 

Wellsville, 148 
Weston, 43, 428 
Wheeling, 39 

White Sulphur 

Springs, 43 

Wilmington, 148 
Winona, 350 

Wooster, 147 

Wyandot, 448 

Xenia, 143 

Youngstown, 147 
Ypsilanti, 283 

Zanesville. 119 
Zuni. 555 



STATES OF THE SOUTHWEST, 



ALABAMA. 

Arms of Alabama, 571 

St. Louis Wharf, Mobile, 
575 

Fort Morgan, Mobile 
Point, 576 

Central V^iew in Mont- 
gomery, 576 

Landing at Selma, 580 

University of Alabama, 
Tuscaloosa, 582 

Public Square, Hunts- 
ville, 583 

MISSISSIPPL 

Arms of Mississippi, 585 
Centi'al View of Jack- 
son, 588 
Natchez, 588 
Vicksburg, 593 
Observatory of the State 

University, 594 

Harvesting Cotton-, 597 

LOUISIAN'A. 
Arms of Louisiana, 599 
Jackson Square, New 

Orleans, 602 

Levee in New Orleans, 602 
St. Charles street in 

New Orleans, 603 



ENGRAVINGS. 

Lafayette Square, New 
Orleans, 605 

Outline View of New 
Orleans, 605 

Battle-field, New Orleans, 
607 

French Cemetery, in 
New Orleans, 613 

Baton Rouge, 674 

Gen. Taylor's Residence, 
674 

Gathering Sugar Cane,61 7 

TENNESSEE. 
Arms of Tennessee, 623 
Nashville, 627 

State House, Nashville, 

628 
President Polk's Resi- 
dence, 529 
Memphis, 6.'^0 
Knoxville, 632 
Signature of Andrew 

Jackson, 635 

Residence of Andrew 

Jackson, 636 

Tomb of Andrew Jack- 
son, 638 
David Crockett's Cabin, 

640 
Brainerd, Missionary 
Station, 642 



ARKANSAS. 

Arms of Arkansas, 645 
Little Rock, 648 

Helena, 549 

Napoleon, 649 

Scene on the Arkansas, 

650 

TEXAS. 

Arms of Texas, 653 

Galveston, 661 

View of the Main Plaza, 
San Antonio, 662 

Church of the Alamo, 

663 
Mission of San Jose, 666 
The Alamo, 667 

Plan of the Alamo, 669 
Landing at Houston, 673 
Ancient Capitol, Houston, 
674 
Ruins at Goliad, 675 

State Capitol, Austin, 678 
Tiie Alamo Monument, 

679 
San Jacinto Battle- 
ground, 685 
Soldiers' Grave, San Ja- 
cinto Battle-ground, 687 
A night Scene on the 
Buffalo Bayou, 691 









STATES. 








Alabama, 




571 Louisiana, 


699 


Tennessee, 


523 


Arkansas 




645 Mississi 


PPi» 


585 


Texas, 




653 






CITIES— TOWNS. 








Aberdeen, 


593 


Fort Smith, 


6.50 


Marion, 


581 


Paris, 


695 


Alexandria, 


621 


Galveston, 


661 


Marshall, 


695 


Pine Bluff, 


660 


Arkansas Post, 


649 


Goliad, 


674 


Matagorda, 


695 


Port Lavacca, 


695 


Athens, 


633 


Gallatin, 


533 


Memphis, 


630 


San Antonio, 


661 


Austin, 


678 


Gonzales, 


505 


Mobile, 


575 


San Augustine, 


695 


Batesvillc, 


648 


Greenville, 


633 


Montgomery, 


676 


Selma, 


580 


Baton Rouge, 


674 


Helena, 


649 


Murfreesboro, 


632 


Shclbyville, 


633 


Brownsville, 


691 


Holly Springs, 


599 


Nacogdoches, 


694 


Shreveport, 


621 


Canton, 


693 


Hot Springs, 


650 


Napoleon, 


649 


Tuscaloosa, 


683 


Gastorville, 


683 


Houston, 


673 


Natchez, 


587 


Tuscurabia, 


583 


Olarksville, 


633 


Huntsville, 


683 


Natchetoches, 


621 


Van Buren, 


650 


Cleveland, 


633 


Jackson, 58/ 


', 633 


Nashville, 


627 


Vicksburg, 


593 


Columbia, 


633 


Jonesboro, 


632 


New Braunfels 


1, 680 


Victoria, 


695 


Columbus, 


693 


Knoxville, 


631 


New Orleans, 


602 


Wetumpka, 


583 


Chattanooga, 


632 


Lebanon, 


633 


Opelousa3> 


621 


AV inch ester. 


633 


Payetteville,633,651 


Little Rock, 


648 


Oxford. 


593 


Yazioo City, 


593 


Plorence, 


583 


McMinnville, 


633 











HISTORICAL SKETCH 



T 



T. 



Twenty years after the great event occurred, which has immor- 
talized the name of Christopher Columbus, Florida was discovered 
by Juan Ponce de Leon, ex-governor of Forto Rico. Sailing from 
that island in March, 1512, he discovered an unknown country, 
which he named Florida, from the abundance of its flowers, the 
trees being covered with blossoms, and its first being seen on 
Easter Sunday, a day called by the Spaniards Pascua Florida; 
the name imports the country of flowers. Other explorers soon 
visited the same coast. In May, 1539, Ferdinand de Soto, the 
Governor of Cuba, landed at Tampa Bay, with six hundred fol- 
lowers. He marched into the interior; and on the 1st of May, 
1541, discovered the Mississippi; being the first European who 
had ever beheld that mighty river. 

Spain for many years claimed the whole of the country — bounded 
by the Atlantic to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the north, all of 
which bore the name of Florida. About twenty years after the 
discovery of the Mississippi, some Catholic missionaries attempted 
to form settlements at St. Augustine, and its vicinity ; and a few 
years later a colony of French Calvinists had been established on 
the St. Mary's, near the coast. In 1565, this settlement was anni- 
hilated by an expedition from Spain, under Pedro Melendez de 
Aviles; and about nine hundred French, men, women and children, 
cruelly massacred. The bodies of many of the slain were hung 
from trees, with the inscription, '''•Not as Frenchmen^ hut as 
heretics.'''' Having accomplished his bloody errand, Melendez 
founded St. Augustine, the oldest town by half a century of any 
now in the Union. Four years after, Dominic de Gourges, burn- 
ing to avenge his countrymen, fitted out an expedition at his own 
expense, and surprised the Spanish colonists on the St. Mary's; 
destroying the ports, burning the houses, and ravaging the settle- 
ments with fire and sword ; finishing the work by also suspending 
some of the corpses of his enemies from trees, with the inscription, 



14- OUTLINE HISTORY. 

''''Not as Spaniards, hut as murderers.''^ Unable to hold possession 
of the country, de Gourges retired to his fleet. Florida, excepting 
for a few years, remained under the Spanish crown, suffering much 
in its early history, from the vicissitudes of war and piratical 
incursions, until 1819, when, vastly diminished from its original 
boundaries, it was ceded to the United States, and in 1845 became 
a State. 

In 1535, James Cartier, a distinguished French mariner, sailed 
with an exploring expedition up the St. Lawrence, and taking pos- 
session of the country in the name of his king, called it "New 
France." In 1608, the energetic Champlain created a nucleus for 
the settlement of Canada, by founding Quebec. This was the 
same year with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, and twelve 
years previous to that on which the Puritans first stepped upon the 
rocks of Plymouth. 

To strengtiien the establishment of French dominion, the genius 
of Champlain saw that it was essential to establish missions among 
the Indians. Up to this period "the far west" had been untrod 
by the foot of the white man. In 1616, a French Franciscan, 
named Le Caron, passed through the Iroquois and Wyandot 
nations — to streams running into Lake Huron ; and in 1634, two 
Jesuits founded tlie first mission in that region. But just a century 
elapsed from the discovery of the Mississippi, ere the tir#t Canadian 
envoys met the savage nations of the northwest at the falls of St. 
Mary's, below the outlet of Lake Superior. It was not until 1659 
that any of the adventurous fur-traders wintered on the shores of 
this vast lake, nor until 1660 that Rene Mesnard founded the first 
missionary station upon its rocky and inhospitable coast. Perish- 
ing soon after in the forest, it was left to Father Claude Allouez, 
five years subsequent, to build the first permanent habitation of 
white men among the Northwestern Indians. In 1668, the mission 
was founded at the falls of St. Mary's, by Dablon and Marquette; 
in 1670, Nicholas Perrot, agent for the intendant of Canada, 
explored Lake Michigan to near its southern termination. Formal 
possession was taken of the northwest by the French in 1671, and 
Marquette established a missionary station at Point St. Ignace, on 
the mainland north of Mackinac, which was the first settlement in 
Michigan. 

Until late in this century, owing to the enmity of the Indians 
bordering the Lakes Ontario and Erie, the adventurous mission- 
aries, on their route west, on pain of death, were compelled to 
pass far to the north, through "a region horrible with forests," by 
the Ottawa and French Pivers of Canada. 

As yet no Frenchman had advanced beyond Fox Kiver, of 
Winnebago Lake, in Wisconsin ; but in May, 1673, the missionary 
Marquette, with a few companions, left Mackinac in canoes; 
passed up Green Bay, entered Fox River, crossed the country to 
the Wisconsin, and, following its current, passed into and dis- 
covered the Mississippi; down which they sailed several hundred 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 15 

miles, and returned in the Autumn. The discovery of this great 
river gave great joy to New France, it being ''a pet idea" of that 
age that some of its western tributaries would afi'ord a direct route 
to the South Sea, and thence to China. Monsieur La Salle, a man 
of indefatigable enterprise, having been several years engaged in 
the preparation, in 1082, explored the Mississippi to the sea, and 
took formal possession of the country in the name of the King of 
France, in honor of whom he called it Louisiana. In 1685, be 
also took formal possession of Texas, and founded a colony on the 
Colorado; but La Salle was assassinated, and the colony dispersed. 

The descriptions of the beauty and magnificence of the Valley 
of the Mississippi, given by these explorers, led many adventurers 
from the cold climate of Canada to follow the same route, and 
commence settlements. About the year 1680, Kaskaskia and 
Cahokia, the oldest towns in the Mississippi Valley, were founded. 
Kaskaskia became the capital of the Illinois country, and in 1721, 
a Jesuit college and monastery were founded there. , 

A peace with the Iroquois, Hurons and Ottawas, in 1700, gave 
the French facilities for settling the western part of Canada. In 
June, 1701, De la Motte Cadillac, with a Jesuit missionary and a 
hundred men, laid the foundation of Detroit. All of the extensive 
region south of the lakes was now claimed by the French, under 
the name of Canada, or New France. This excited the jealousy 
of the English, and the New York legislature passed a law for 
hanging every Popish priest that should come voluntarily into the 
province. The French, chiefly through the mild and conciliating 
course of their missionaries, had gained so much influence over 
the western Indians, that, when a war broke out with England, in 
1711, the most powerful of the tribes became their allies; and the 
latter unsuccessfully attempted to restrict their claims to the country 
south of the lakes. The Fox nation, allies of the English, in 1713, 
made an attack upon Detroit; but were defeated by the French 
and their Indian allies. The treaty of Utrecht, this year, ended 
this war. 

By the y«ar 1720, a profitable trade had arisen in furs and agri- 
cultural products — between the French of Louisiana and those of 
Illinois; and settlements had been made on the Mississippi, below 
the junction of the Illinois. To confine the English to the Atlan- 
tic coast, the French adopted the plan of forming a line of military 
posts, to extend from the great northern lakes to the Mexican Gulf, 
and as one of the links of the chain. Fort Chartres was built on the 
Mississippi, near Kaskaskia; and in its vicinity soon flourished 
the villages of Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher. 

The Ohio at this time was but little known to the French, and 
on their early maps was but an insignificant stream. Early in this 
century their missionaries had penetrated to the sources of the Al- 
leghany. In 1721, Joncaire, a French agent and trader, estab- 
lished himself among the Senecas at Lewistown, and Fort Niagara 
was erected, near the falls, five years subsequent. In 1735. accord- 



16 OUTLINE HISTORr. 

ing to some authorities, Post St. Vincent was erected on the 
Wabash, Ahnost coeval with this, was the military post of Presque 
Isle, on the site <:»f Erie, Pennsylvania, and from thence a cordon 
of posts extended on the Alleghany to Pittsburgh; and from thence 
down the Oliio to the Wabash. 

A map, })ui)iished at London in 1755, gives the following list of 
French posts, as then existing in the west: Two on French Creek, 
in the vicinity of Erie, Pennsylvania; Duquesne, on the site of 
Pittsburgh; Miamis, on the Maumee, near the site of Toledo; San- 
dusky, on Sandusky Bay; St. Joseph's, on St. Joseph's Iliver, 
Michigan; Ponchartrain, site of Detroit; Massillimacinac; one on 
Fox Iliver, Green Bay; Crevecoeur, on the Illinois; Pockfort, or 
Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois; Vincennes; Cahokia; Kaskaskia, 
and one at each of the mouths of the Wabash, Ohio, and Missouri. 
Other posts, not named, were built about that time. On the Ohio, 
just below Portsmouth, are ruins, supposed to be those of a French 
fort;, as they had a post there during Braddock's war. 

In 1719, the French regularly explored the Ohio, and formed 
alliances with the Indians in Western New York, Pennsylvania, 
and Virginia. The English, who claimed the whole west to the 
Paeitic, but whose settlements were confined to the comparatively 
narrow strip east of the mountains, were jealous of the rapidly 
increasing power of the Frencli in the west. Not content with 
exciting the savages to hostilities against them, they stimulated 
private enterprise by granting six hundred thousand acres of choice 
land on the 01)io, to the "Ohio Company." 

By the year 1751, there were in the Illinois country, the settle- 
ments of Cahokia, hve miles below the site of St. Louis ; St. Piiilip's, 
forty-tive miles farther down the river; St. Genevieve, a little lower 
still, and on the east side of the Mississi])pi, Fort Chartres, Kas- 
kaskia and Prairie du Rocher. The largest of these was Kaskas- 
kia, which at one time contained nearly three thousand souls. 

In 1748, the Ohio Company, composed mainly of wealthy Vir- 
ginians, dispatched Christopher Gist to explore the country, gain 
the good-will of the Indians, and ascertain tiie plans of the French. 
Crossing overland to the Ohio, he proceeded down it to the Great 
Miami, up which he j)assed to the towns of the Miamies, about 
fitly miles north of the site of Dayton. The next year the com- 
pany established a trading post in that vicinity, on Loramies Creek, 
the first point of English settlement in tiie western country; it was 
soon after broken up by the French. 

In the year 1753, Dinwiddle, Governor of Virginia, sent George 
Washington, then twenty-one years of age, as commissioner, to 
remonstrate with the French connnandant who was at Fort le 
Boiuf, near the site of Erie, Pennsylvania, against encroachments 
of tlie French. The English claimed the country by virtue of her 
first royal charters; the French by the stronger title of discovery 
and jtossession. The result of the mission proving unsatisfactory, 
the English, although it was a time of peace, raised a force to 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 17 

expel the invaders from tlie Ohio and its tributaries. A detachment 
under Lieut. Ward erected a fort on the site of l^ittsljurgh ; but it 
was surrendered shortly after, in April, 1754, to a superior force 
of French and Indians under Contrecoeur, lind its garrison peace- 
ably permitted to retire to the frontier post of Cumberland. Con- 
trecoeur then erected a strong fortification at "the fork," under the 
name of Fort Duquesne. 

Measures were now taken by both nations for the struggle that 
was to ensue. On the 28th of May, a strong detachment of Vir- 
ginia troops, under Washington, surprised a small body of French 
from Fort Duquesne, killed its commander, M. Jumonville, and 
ten men, and took nearly all the rest prisoners. He then fell back 
and erected Fort Necessity, near the site of Uniontown. In July 
he was attacked by a large body of French and Indians, com- 
manded by M. Yilliers, and after a gallant resistance, compelled to 
capitulate with permission to retire unmolested, and under the ex- 
press stipulation that farther settlements or forts should not be 
founded by the English, west of the mountains, lor one year. 

On tiie 9th of July, 1755, Gen, Braddock was defeated within 
ten miles of Fort Duquesne, His army, composed mainly of vete- 
ran English troops, passed into an ambuscade formed by a far 
inferior body of French and Indians, who, lying concealed in two 
deep ravines, each side of his line of march, poured in upon the 
compact body of their enemy voUies of musketry', with almost per- 
fect safety to themselves. The Virginia provincials, under Wash- 
ington, by their knowledge of border warfare and cool bravery, 
ahjiie saved tiie army from complete ruin, Braddock was himself 
mortally wounded by a provincial named Fausett, A brother of 
the latter had disobeyed the silly orders of the general, that the 
troops should not take positions behind the trees, when Braddock 
rode up and struck him down, Fausett, who saw the whole trans- 
action, immediately drew up his rifle and shot him through the 
lungs; partly from revenge, and partly as a measure of salvation 
to the army which was being sacrificed to his headstrong obstinacy 
and inexperience. 

The result of this battle gave the French and Indians a complete 
ascendancy on the Ohio, and put a check to the operations of the 
English, west of the mountains, for two or three years. In July, 
1758, Gen. Forbes, with seven thousand men, left Carlisle, Penn., 
for the west, A corps in advance, principally of Highland Scotch, 
under Major Grant, were, on the 13tli of September defeated in the 
vicinity of Fort Duquesne, on the site of Pittsburgh, A short 
time alter, the French and Indians, under Col. Boquet, made an 
unsuccessful attack upon the advanced guard. 

In November, the commandant of Fort Duquesne, unable to 
cope with the superior force approaching under Forbes, abandoned 
the fortress, and descended to Ne^ Orleans, On his route, he 
erected Fort Massac, so called in htfuor of M. Massac, who super- 
intended its construction. It vas upon the Ohio, within forty 



18 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

miles of its mouth — and witliin the limits of Illinois. Forbes re- 
paired Fort Duquesne, and chancjed its name to Fort Pitt, in honor 
of the Englisii l^'rime Minister. 

The Englisii were now for the first time in possession of the 
uppei- Ohio. In the spring, they establislied several ]X)St3 in that 
region, prominent among which was Fort Bnrd, or lledstone Old 
Fort, on the site of Jjrownsville. 

Owing to t'le treachery of Gov. Lyttleton, in 1760, by which, 
twenty-two Cherokee chiefs on an embassy of peace were made 
prisoners at Fort George, on the Savannah, that nation flew to 
arms, and for a while desolated the frontiers of Virginia and the 
Carolinas. Fort London, in East Tennessee, having bean besieged 
by the Indians, the garrison capitulated on the 7th of August, and 
on the day afterward, while on the route to Fort George, were 
attacked, and tiie greater part massacred. In the summer of 1761, 
Col, Grant invaded their country, and compelled them to sue for 
peace. On the north the most brilliant success had attended the 
British arms. Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Fort Niagara, and 
Quebec were taken in 175'J, and the next year Montreal fell, and 
with it all of Canada. 

By the treaty of Paris, in 17G3, France gave up her claim to 
New France and Canada; embracing all the country east of the 
Missi8sip])i, from its source to the Bayou Iberville. The remainder 
of her Mississippi possessions, embracing Louisiana west of the 
Mississippi, and the Island of Orleans, she soon after secretly ceded 
to Spain, which terminated the dominion of France on this con- 
tinent, and her vast plans for emj^ire. 

At this period Lower Louisiana had become of considerable im- 
portance. The explorations of La Salle in the Lower Mississippi 
country, were renewed in 1697, by Lemoine D'Iberville, a brave 
French naval officer. Sailing with two vessels, he entered the 
Mississippi in March 1698, by the Bayou Iberville. He built forts 
on the Vaxj of Biloxi, and at Mobile, both of which were deserted 
for the Island of Dauphine, which for years was the headquarters 
of the colony. He also erected Fort Balise, at the mouth of the 
river, and fixed on the site of Fort Kosalie ; which latter became 
the scene of a bloody Indian war. 

After his death, in 1706, Louisiana was but little more than a 
wilderness, and a vain search for gold, and trading in furs, rather 
than the substantial pursuits of agriculture, allured the colonists ; 
and much time was lost in journeys of discovery, and in collecting 
furs among distant tribes. Of the occupied lands, Biloxi was a 
barren sand, and the soil of the Isle of Dauphine poor. Bienville, 
the brother and successor of DTberville, was at the fort on the 
Delta of the Mississippi, where he and his soldiers were liable to 
inundations, and held joint possession with mosquitoes, frogs, 
snakes and alligators. 

In 1712, Antoine de Crozat, an East India merchant, of vast 

ealth, purchased a grant of the entire country, with the exclusive 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 19 

right of commerce for sixteen years. But in 1717, the speculation 
having resulted in his ruin, and to the injury of the colonists, he 
surrendered his privileges. Soon after, a number of other adven- 
turers, under the name of the Mississippi Company, obtained from 
the French government a charter, which gave them all the rights 
of sovereignty, except the bare title, including a complete mono- 
poly of the trade, and the mines. Their expectations were chiefly 
from the mines; and on the strength of a former traveler, Nicholas 
Perrot, having discovered a copper mine in the valley of St. Peters, 
the directors of the company assigned to the soil of Louisiana, 
silver and gold; and to the mud of the Mississippi, diamonds and 
pearls. The notorious Law, who then resided at Paris, was the 
secret agent of the company. To form its capital, its shares were 
sold at five hundred livres each; and such wa& the spe.Jating 
mania of tiie times, that in a short time more thai* a hundred mil 
lions were realized. Although this proved ruinous to individuals, 
yet the colony was greatly benefited by the consequent emigration, 
and agriculture and commerce flourished. 

In 1719, Renmdt^ an agent of the Mississippi Company, left 
France with about two hundred miners and emigrants, to carry out 
the mining schemes of the company. He bought five hundred 
slaves at St. Domingo, to work the mines, which he conveyed to 
Illinois in 1720. He established himself a few miles above Kas- 
kasia, and founded there the village of St. Philips. Extravagant 
expectations existed in France, of his probable success in obtaining 
gold and silver. He sent out exploring parties in various sections of 
Illinois and Missouri. His explorations extended to the banks of 
the Ohio and Kentucky rivers, and even to the Cumberland valley 
in Tennessee, where at " French Lick," on the site of Nashville, the 
French established a trading post. Although Kenault was woe- 
fully disappointed in not discovering extensive mines of gold or 
silver, yet he made various discoveiies of lead; among which 
were the mines north of Potosi, and those on the St. Francois. 
He eventually turned his whole attention to the smelting of lead, 
of which he made considerable quantities, and shipped to France. 
He remained in the country until 1744. Nothing of consequence 
was again done in mining, until after the American Revolution, 

In 1718, Bienville laid out the town of New Orleans, on the 
plan of Rochefort, France. Some four years after, the bankruptcy 
of Law threw the colony into the greatest confusion, and occasioned 
wide-spread ruin in France, where speculation had been carried to 
an extreme unknown before. 

The expenditures for Louisiana, were consequently stopped, but 
the colony had now gained strength to struggle for herself. Louisi- 
ana was then divided into nine cantons, of which Arkansas and 
Illinois formed each one. 

About this time, the colony had considerable difiiculty with the 
Indian tribes, and were involved in wars with the Chickasaws and 
the Natchez, This J^.tter named tribe were finally completely con- 



20 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

quered. The remnant of them dispersed among other Indians, so 
that, that once powerful people, as a distinct race, was entirely 
lost. Their name alone survives, as that of a nourishing city. 
Tradition related singular stories of the Natchez. It was believed 
that they emigrated from Mexico, and were kindred to the Incas 
of Perm The Natchez alone, of all the Indian tribes, had a con- 
secrated temple, where a perpetual fire was maintained by ap- 
])ointed guardians. Near the temple, on an artiticial mound, 
stood the dwelling of their chief — called the Great Sun ; who was 
supposed to be descended from that luminary, and all around were 
grouped the dwellings of the tribe. His power was absolute ; the 
dignity was hereditary, and transmitted exclusively through the 
female line; and the race of nobles was so distinct, that usage had 
moulded language into the forms of reverence. 

In 1732, the Mississippi Company relinquished their charter to 
the king, after holding possession fourteen years. At this period, 
Louisiana had five thousand whites, and twenty-five hundred 
blacks. Agriculture was improving in all the nine cantons, par- 
ticularly in Illinois, which was considered the granary of the 
colony. Louisiana continued to advance until the war broke out 
with England in 1775, which resulted in the overthrow of French 
dominion. 

Immediately after the peace of 1763, all the old French forts in 
the west, as far as Green Bay, were repaired and garrisoned with 
British troops. Agents and surveyors too, were making examina- 
tions of the finest lands east and northeast of the Ohio. Judging 
from the past, the Indians were satisfied that the British intended 
to possess the whole country. The celebrated Ottowa chief, Pon- 
tiac, burning with hatred against the English, in that year formed 
a general league with the western tribes, and by the middle of May 
all the western posts had fallen — or were closely besieged by the 
Indians, and the whole frontier, for almost a thousand miles, suf- 
fered from the merciless fury of savage warfare. Treaties of peace 
were made with the different tribes of Indians, in the year follow- 
ing, at Niagara, by Sir William Johnson; at Detroit or vicinity 
by General Bradstreet, and, in what is now Coshocton county, 
Ohio, by Col. Boquet ; at the German Flats, on tlie Mohawk, with 
the Six 'Nations and their confederates. By these treaties, exten- 
sive tracts were ceded by the Indians in New York and Pennsyl- 
vania, and south of Lake Erie. 

Peace having been concluded, the excitable frontier population 
began to cross the mountains. Small settlements were formed on 
the main routes, extending north toward Fort Pitt, and south to 
the head waters of the Holston and Clinch, in the vicinity of South- 
western Virginia. In 17(5G, a town was laid out in the vicinity of 
Fort Pitt. Military land warrants had been issued in great num- 
bers, and a perfect mania for western land had taken possession of 
the people of the middle colonies. The treaty made by Sir William 
ohnson, at Fort Stanwix, on the site of l#tica, New York, in 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 21 

October, 17G8, with the Six Nations and tlieir confederates, and those 
of Hard Labor and Lochaber, made with the Cherokees, aiibrded 
a pretext under which the settlements were advanced. It was now 
falsely claimed that the Indian title was extinguished east and south 
of the Ohio, to an indefinite extent, and the spirit of emigration 
and speculation in land greatly increased. Among the land com- 
panies formed at this time was the " Mississippi Company," of 
which George Washington was an active member. 

Up to this period very little was known b}- the English of the 
country south of the Ohio. In 1751, Jaines M. Bride, with some 
others, had passed down the Ohio in canoes; and binding at the 
mouth of the Kentucky River, marked the initials of their names, 
and the date on the barks of ti'ees. On their retui-n, they were the 
first to give a particular account of the beauty and richness of the 
country to the inhabitants of the British settlements. No iarther 
notice seems to have been taken of Kentucky until the year 1767, 
when Jolni Finhi}', an Indian trader, with others, passed through 
a part of the rich lands of Kentucky — then called by the Indians 
'' the Bctrh and Bloody Ground^'' Finlay, returning to North 
Carolina, tired the curiosity of his neighbors by the reports of the 
discoveries he had made. In consequence of this inforujation, Col. 
Daniel Boone, in company with Finhiy, Stewait, Holden, Monay, 
and Cool, set out from their residence on the Zadkin, in North 
Carolina, May 1st, 1709 ; and after a long and fatiguing march, 
over a mountainous and pathless wilderness, arrived on the lied 
River. Here, irom the top of an eminence, Boone and his com- 
panions first beheld a distant viewof the beautiful lands of Kentucky. 
The plains and forests abounded with wild beasts -of every kind ; 
deer and elk were common ; the bufialo were seen in herds, and 
the plains covered with the richest verdure. The glowing descrip- 
tions of these adventurers inflamed the imaginations of the border- 
ers, and their own sterile mountains beyond lost their charms, when 
compared to the fertile plains of this newly-discovered Paradise in 
the West. 

In 1770, Ebenczer Silas and Jonathan Zane settled Wheeling. 
In 1771, such was the rush of emigration to Western Penns^dvania 
and Western Virginia, in the region of the Upper Ohio, that every 
kind of breadstuff became so scarce, that, for several months, a great 
part of the ])0|)ulation were obliged to subsist entirely on meats, 
roots, vegetables, and milk, to the entire exclusion of all bread- 
stufl"s ; and hence that period was long alter known as ^^the starving 
year?^ Settlers, enticed by the beauty of the Cherolcce country, 
emigrated to East Tennessee, and hundreds of families also, moved 
farther south to the mild climate of West Florida, which at this 
period extended to the Mississippi. In the suunncr of 1773, Frank- 
fort and Louisville, Kentucky, were laid out. The next year was 
signalized by "Dunmore's war," which temporarily cliecked the 
settlements. 

Li the summer of 1771, several other parties of surveyors and 



22 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

hnntcrs entered Kentucky, and James Harrod erected a dwelling — 
the first erected by whites in tlie country — on or near the site of 
Harrodsbnri^, around which afterward arose '' Ilarrod Station." 
In tlie year 1775, Col. Richard Henderson, a native of North Car- 
olina, in behalf of himself and his associates, purchased of the Clier- 
okees all the country lying- between the Cumberland Hiver and 
Cumberland Mountains and Kentucky River, and south of the 
Ohio, which now comprises more than half of the State of Ken- 
tucky. The new country he named Transylvania. The iirst 
legislature sat at Boonsborough, and formed an independent gov- 
ernment, on liberal and rational principles. Henderson was very 
active in granting lands to new settlers. The legislature of Vir- 
ginia subsequently crushed his schemes; they claimed the sole 
rigiit to purchase lands from the Indians, and declared his |)urchase 
null arfid void. But as some compensation for the services re-n- 
dered in opening the wilderness, the legislature granted to the pro- 
prietors a tract of land, twelve miles square, on the Ohio, below 
the mouth of Green River. 

In 1775, Daniel Boone, in the employment of Henderson, laid 
out the town and fort afterward called Boonsborough. From this 
time Boonsborough and Ilarrodsburg became the nucleus and sup- 
port of emigration and settlement in Kentucky. In May, another 
fort was also built, which was under the command of Col. Benja- 
min Logan, and named Logan's Fort. It stood on the site of Stan- 
ford, in Lincoln county, and became an important post. 

In 1770, the jurisdiction of Virginia was formally extended over 
the colony of Transylvania, which was organized into a county 
named Kentucky, and the first court was held at Ilarrodsburg in 
the spring of 1787. At this time the war of the Revolution was 
in full progress, and the early settlers of Kentucky were ])articu- 
larly exposed to the incursions of tlie Indian allies of (jreat Britain; 
a detailed account of which is elsewhere given in this volume. The 
early French settlements in the Illinois country now being in pos- 
session of that power, formed important points around which the 
British assembled the Indians and instigated them to murderous 
incursions against the pioneer popnhition. 

The year 177!) was marked in Kentucky by the ])assage of the 
Virginia Land Laws. At tins time there existed claims of various 
kinds to the western lands. Commissioners were appointed to ex- 
amine and give judgment upon these various claims, as they might 
be presented. These having been provided for, the residue of the 
the rich lands of Kentucky were in the market. As a consequence 
of the passage of these laws, a vast number of emigrants crossed 
the mountains into Kentucky to locate land warrants : and in the 
years 1779-*SO and '81, the great and absorbing topic in Kentucky 
was to enter, survey and obtain ])atents for the richest lands, 
and this, too, in the tace of all the horrors and dangers of an In- 
dian war. 

Although the main features of the Virginia land laws were just 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 23 

and liberal, yet a great defect exi&ted in their not providing for a 
general survey of the country by the parent State, and its subdi- 
vision into sections and parts of sections. Each warrant-holder 
being required to make his own survey, and having the privilege 
of locating according to his pleasure, interminable confusion arose 
from want of precision in the boundaries. In unskillful hands, 
entries, surveys, and patents were piled upon each other, overlap- 
ping and crossing in inextricable confusion ; hence, when the 
country became densely populated, arose vexatious lawsuits and 
pei'plexities. Such men as Kenton and Boone, who had done so 
much for the welfare of Kentucky in its early days of trial, found 
their indefinite entries declared null and void, and were dispos- 
sessed, in their old age, of any claim upon that soil for which tiiey 
had periled their all. 

The close of the revolutionary war, for a time only, suspended 
Indian hostilities, when the Indian war was again carried on witli 
renewed energy. This arose from the failure of both countries in 
fully executing the terms of the treaty. By it, England was obli- 
gated to surrender the northwestern posts within the boundaries 
of the Union, and to return slaves taken during the war. The 
United States, on their part had agreed to offer no legal obstacles 
to the collection of debts due from her citizens to those of Great 
Britain. Virginia, indignant at the removal of her slaves by tlie 
British fleet, by law proliibited the collection of British debts, 
while England, in consequence, refused to deliver up the posts, so 
that they were held by her more than ten years, until Jay's treaty 
was concluded. 

Settlements rapidly advanced. Siuion Kenton having, in 1784:, 
erected a blockhouse on the site of Maysville — then called Lime- 
stone — that became the point from whence the stream of emigra- 
tion, from down its way on the Ohio, turned into the interior. 

In tiie spring of 1783, the first court in Kejitucky was held at 
Harrodsburg. At tins period, the establishment of a government, 
independent of Virginia, appeared to be of paramount necessity, 
in consequence of troubles with the Indians. For this object, the 
first convention in Kentucky was held at Danville, in December, 
178-1; but it was not consummated until eight separate conventions 
had been held, running through a term of six years. _ The last was 
assembled in July, 1790; on 'the 4th of February, 1791, Congress 
passed the act admitting Kentucky into the Union, and in the 
April following she adopted a State Constitution. 

Prior to this, imfavorable impressions prevailed in Kentucky 
against the Union, in consequence of the inability of Congress to 
compel a surrender of the northwest posts, and the apparent dis- 
position of the Northern States to yield to Spain, for twenty years, 
tlie sole right to navigate the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, 
the exclusive right to whicli was claimed by that power as being 
within her dominions. Kentucky was sufiering under the horrors 
of Indian warfare, and having no guvernuient other own, she saw 



24 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

that that be^-ond the mountains was unable to afford tlicm protec- 
tion. When, in the year 1786, several States in Congress showed 
a disposition to yield the right of navigating the Mississippi to 
Spain for certain commercial advantages, wliich would inure to 
their benefit, but not in the least to that of Kentucky, there arose 
a universal voice of dissatisfaction ; and many were in favor of de- 
claring the independence of Kentucky and erecting an independent 
government west of the n:iountains. 

Spain was then an immenc-e landholder in the West. She claimed 
all east of the Mississippi lying south or the 31st degree of north 
latitude, and all west of that river to the ocean. 

In May, 1787, a convention was assembled at Danville to remon- 
strate with Congress against the proposition of ceding the naviga- 
tion of the Mississippi to S]uiin ; but it having been ascertained 
that Congress, through tl)e influence of Virginia and the other 
Southern States, would not permit this, the convention had no occa- 
sion to act upon the subject. 

In the year 1787, quite a sensation arose in Kentucky in conse- 
quence of a profitable trade having been opened with New Orleans 
by General Wilkinson, who descended thitlier in June, with a boat 
load of tobacco and other productions of Kentucky. Pieviously, 
all those who ventured down the river within the Spanish settle- 
ments, had their property seized. The lure was then held out by 
the Spanish Minister, that if Kentucky would declare her indepen- 
dence of the United States, the navigation of tlie Mississippi should 
be opened to her; but that, never would this privilege be extended 
while she was a part of the Union, in consequence of existing com- 
mercial treaties betM^een Spain and other European powers. 

In the winter of 1788-9, the notorious Dr. Connolly, a secret 
British agent from Canada, arrived in Kentucky. His object ap- 
peared to be to sound tiie temper of her people, and ascertain if 
they were willing to unite with British troops from Canada, and 
seize upon and hold New Orleans and the Spanish settlements on 
the Mississippi. lie dwelt upon the advantages which it must be 
to the people of the West to hold and possess the right of navigat- 
ing the Mississi})pi ; but his overtures were not accepted. 

At this time settlements had been commenced within tlie present 
limits of Ohio. Before giving a sketch of these, we glance at the 
I western land claims. 

The claim of the English monarch to the Northwestern Territory 
was ceded to the United States by the treaty of peace signed at 
Paris, September 3, 1783. During the pendency of this negotia- 
tion, Mr. Oswald, the British commissioner, proposed the River 
Ohio as the western boundary of the United States, and but for the 
indomitable persevering opposition of John Adams, one of th.e 
American commissioners, Avho insisted uijon the Mississippi as the 
boundary, this proposition would have probably been acceded to. 

The States who owned western unajjpropriated lands under their 
original charters from British monarchs, with a single exception. 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 2o 

ceded tliem to the United States, In March, 1784, Virginia ceded 
the soil and jurisdiction of her lands northwest of the Ohio. In 
September, 1786, Connecticut ceded her claim to the soil and juris- 
diction of her western lands, excepting that part of Ohio known as 
the "Western Reserve," and to that she ceded her jurisdictional 
(?lainis in 1800. Massachusetts and iNcw York ceded ail their 
claims. Beside these were the Indian claims asserted by the right 
of possession. These have been extinguished by various treaties, 
from time to time, as the inroads of emigration rendered necessary. 

The Indan title to a large part of the territory of Ohio having 
become extinguished, Congress, before settlements were com- 
menced, found it necessary to pass ordinances for the survey and 
sale of the lands in the Northwest Territory. In October, 1787, 
Manasseh Cutler and Winthrop Sargeant, agents of the New Eng- 
land Ohio Company, made a large purchase of land, bounded south, 
by the Ohio, and west by the Scioto river. Its settlement was com- 
menced at Marietta in the spring of 1788, which was the firSt made 
by the Americans within Ohio- A settlement had been attempted 
within the limits of Ohio, on the site of Portsmouth, in April, 
1785, by four families from Kedstone, Pennsylvania, but ditHcul- 
ties with the Indians compelled its abandonment. 

About the time of the settlement of Marietta, Congress appointed 
General Arthur St. Clair, Governor; Winthrop Sargeant, Secre- 
tary; and Samuel Holden Parsons, James M. Varnum and John 
Cleves Symmos, Judges in and over the Territory. They organ- 
ized its government and passed laws, and the governor erected the 
count}' of Washington, embracing nearly the whole of the eastern 
half of the present limits of Ohio. 

In November, 1788, the second settlement within the limits of 
Ohio was commenced at Columbia, on the Ohio, five miles above 
the site of Cincinnati, and within tlie purchase and under the 
auspices of John Cleves Symmes and associates. Shortly after, 
settlements were commenced at Cincinnati and at North Bend, 
sixteen miles below, both within Symmes' purchase. ■ In 1790, 
another settlement was made at Galliopolis by a colony from 
France — the name signifying City of the French. 

On tlie 9th of January, 1789, a treaty was concluded at Fort 
Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingrm, opposite Marietta, by 
Governor St. Clair, in which the treaty which had been made four 
years previous at Fort M'Intosh, on the site of Beaver, Pennsyl- 
vania, was renewed and confirmed. It did not, however, ]»roduce 
the favorable results anticipated. The Indians, the same year, 
committed numerous murders, which occasioned the alarmed set- 
tlers to erect block-houses in each of the new settlements. In 
June, Major Doughty, with one hundred and forty men, commynced 
the erection of Fort Washington, on the site of Cincinnati. In the 
course of the summer. Gen. Ilarmer arrived at the fort with three 
hundred men. 

Negotiations with the Indians proving unfavorable, Gen. Harmer 



26 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

marched, in September, 1790, from Cincinnati with thirteen hundred 
nien, less than one-fourth of whom were regulars, to attack their 
towns on the Maumee. He succeeded in burning their towns; but 
in an engagement with the Indians, part of his troops met with a 
severe k)S3. The next year a larger army was assembled at Cin- 
cinnati, under Gen. St. Clair, composed of about three thousand 
men. With this force he commenced his march toward the Indian 
towns on the Maumee. Earlv in the morning of the 4th of jSiOV., 
1701, his army, M'hile in camp on what is now the line of Darke 
and Mercer counties, within three miles of the Indiana line, and 
about seventy north from Cincinnati, were surprised by a large 
body of Indians, and defeated with terrible slaughter. A third 
army, under Gen, Anthony Wayne, was organized. On the '20th. 
of August, 1791:, they met and completely defeated the Indians, 
on the Maumee Iliver, about twelve miles south of the site of 
Toledo. The Indians at length, becoming convinced of their 
inability to resist the American arms, sued for peace. On the od 
of August, 179.5, Gen. Wayne concluded a treaty at Greenville, 
sixty miles north of Cincinnati, with eleven of the most powerful 
northwestern tribes in grand council. This gave peace to the 
AVest of several years' duration, during which the settlements pro- 
gressed with great rapidity. Jay's Treaty, concluded November 
19th, 1794, was a most important event to the prosperity of the 
West. It provided for the withdrawal of all the British troops 
from the northwestern posts. In 1796, the Northwestern Territory 
was divided into live counties. Marietta was the seat of justice 
of Hamilton and Washington counties; Viucennes, of Knox 
county ; Kaskaskia, of St. Clair county ; and Detroit, of Wayne 
county. The settlers, out of the limits of Ohio, were Canadian or 
Creole French. The headquarters of the northwest army were 
removed to Detroit, at which point a fort had been built, by 
De la Motte Cadillac, as early as 1701. 

Originally Virginia claimed jurisdiction over a large part of 
Western Pennsylvania as being within her dominions, yet it was 
not until after the close of the Revolution that the boundary line 
was permanently established. Then this tract w"as divided into 
two counties. The one, Westmoreland, extended I'roni the moun- 
tains west of the Alleghany Iliver, including Pittsburgh and all 
the country between the Kishkeminitas and the Youghioghen}'. 
Tiie other, Washington, comprised all soutli and west of Pittsburgh, 
inclusive of all the country east and west of the Monongaliela 
Iliver. At tills period Fort Pitt M'as a frontier post, around vriiich 
had sprung up the village of Pittsburgh, wdiicli was not regularly 
laid out into a town until 1784. The settlenient on the Monon- 
galiela at " Redstone Old Fort,-' or '' Fort Burd," as it originally 
was called, having become an important point of embarkation for 
western emigrants, was the next year laid olFinto a town under 
the name of Brownisville. Regular forwartling houses were soon 
established here, by whose lines goods were sysLematically wagoned 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 27 

over the rr.oiintains, thus superseding the slow and tedious mode 
of transportation by pack-horses, to which the emigrants had 
previous 1}^ been obliged to resort. 

In July, 17SG, '' The Pittsburgh Gazette," the first newspaper 
issued in the west, was published; the second being the "Ken- 
tucky Gazette," established at Lexington, in August of the next 
year. As la*e as 1791, the Alleghany Hiver was the frontier 
limit of the settlements of Pennsylvania, the Indians holding 
possession of the region around its northwestern tributaries, with 
the exception of a few scattering settlements, whicii were all 
simultaneously broken up and exterminated in one night, in 
February of this year, by a band of one hundred and fifty Indians. 
During the campaigns of Harmer, St. Clair and Wayne, Pitts- 
burgh was the great depot for the armies. 

By this time agriculture and manufactures had begun to fiourish 
in Western Pennsylvania and Virginia, and an extensive trade 
was carried on with the settlements on the Ohio and on the Lower 
Mississippi, with New Orleans and the rich Spanish settlements in 
its vicinity. . Monongahela whisky, horses, cattle, and agricultural 
and mechanical implements of iron were the principal articles of 
export. Tiie Spanish government soon after much embarrassed 
this trade by imposing heavy duties. 

The first settlements in Tennessee were made in the vicinity of 
Fort Loudon, on the Little Tennessee, in what is now Monroe 
county, East Tennessee, about the year 175S. Forts Loudon and 
Chissel were built at that time by Colonel Byrd, who marched into 
the Cheri>kee country with a regiment from Virginia. The next 
year war broke out with the Cherokees. In 1760, the Cherokees 
besieged Fort Loudon, into which the settlers had gathered their 
families, numbL-ring nearly three hundred persons. The latter 
were obliged to surrender lor want of provisions, but agreeably to 
the terms of capitulation were to retreat unmolested beyond the 
Blue Ridge. When they liad proceeded about twenty miles on 
their route, the savages fell upon them and massacred all but nine, 
not even sparing the women and children. 

The only settlements were thus broken up by this war. The 
next year the celebrated Daniel Boone made an excursion from 
North Carolina to the waters of the Holston. In 176G, Colonel 
James Smith, with five others, traversed a great portion of Middle 
and West Tennessee. At the mouth of the Tennessee, Smith's 
companions left him to make farther explorations in Illinois, while 
he, in company with a negro lad, returned home through the 
wilderness, after an absence of eleven months, during wiiich he 
saw "neither bread, money, women, nor spirituous liquors." 

Other explorations soon succeeded, and permanent settlements 
first made in 1768 and '69, by emigrants from Virginia and North 
Carolina, who were scattered along the branches of the Holston, 
French Broad and Watauga. The jurisdiction ot North Carolina 
was, in 1777, extended over the Western District, which was 



28] OUTLINE HISTORY. 

organized as the county of Washington, and extending nominally 
westward to the Mississippi. Soon after, sojne of tlic more daring 
pioneers made a settlement at Bledsoe's Station, in Middle Tennes- 
see, in the heart of the Chickasaw nation, and separated several 
hundred miles, by the usual traveled route, from their kinsmen on 
the Holston. A number of French traders had previously estab- 
lished a trading post and erected a few cabins at tlie '"Bluif" near 
the site of Nashville. To the same Vicinity Colonel James 
Robertson, in the fall of 1780, emigrated with forty families from 
North Carolina, who were driven from their homes by the maraud- 
ing incursions of Tarleton's cavalry, and established '"'• Robertson's 
Station," which formed the nucleus around whi<;h gathered the 
settlements on the Cumberland. The Cherukees having com- 
menced hostilities upon the frontier inhabitants about the com- 
mencement of the year 1781, Colonel Campbell, of Virginia, with 
seven hundred mounted riflemen, invaded theircountry and defeated 
them. At the close of the Revolution, settlers moved in in large 
numbers from Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. 
Nashville was laid out in the summer of 1781, and. named from 
General Francis Nash, who fell at Brandywine. 

The people of this district, in connnon with those of Kentucky, 
and on the upper Ohio, were deeply interested in the navigation of 
the Mississippi, and under the tempting offers of tiie Si)anish gov- 
ernor of Louisiana, many were lured to emigrate to West Florida 
and become subjects of the Spanish king. 

North Carolina having ceded her claims to her western lands, 
Congress, in May, 1790, erected this into a territory under tlie 
name of the " Southwestern Territory," according to the provi- 
sions of the ordinance of 1787, excepting the article prohibiting 
slavery. 

The territorial government was organized with a legislature, a 
legislative council, with William Blount as their first Governor. 
Knoxville was'made the seat of government. A fort was erected 
to intimidate the Indians, by the United States, in the Indian 
country, on the site of Kingston. From this ])eriod until the final 
overthrow of the northwestern Indians by Wayne, this territory 
sufl'ered from the hostilities of the Creeks and Cherokees, who were 
secretly supplied witli arms and ammunition by the Spanish agents, 
with the ho})e that they would exterminate the Cumberland settle- 
ments. In 1795 the territory contained a popuUition of seventy- 
seven thousand two hundred and sixty-two, of whom about ten 
thousand were slaves. On the first of June, 1796, it was admitted 
into the Union as tlie State of Tennessee. 

By the treaty of October 27, 1795, with Spain, the old sore, the 
right of navigating the Mississippi, was closed, that power ceding 
to the United States the right of free navigation. 

The Territory of Mississippi was organized in 1798, and Win- 
throp Sargeant appointed Governor. By the ordinance of 1787, 
the people of the ISforthwesi: Territory were entitled to elect Repre- 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 29 

sentatives to a Territorial Legislature whenever it contained 5000 
males of full age. Before the close of the year 179S the Territory 
had this number, and members to a Territorial Legislature weie 
soon after chosen. lu the year 1799, William IL Harrison was 
chosen the first delegate to Congress from the Northwest Territoi-y. 
In 1800, the Territory- of Indiana was formed, and the next year, 
William H. Harrison appointed Governor. This Territory com- 
prised the present States of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and 
Michigan, which vast country then liad less than 6000 whites, and 
those mainly of French origin. On the 30th of April, 1S02, Con- 
gress passed an act authorizing a convention to form a constitution 
for Ohio. This convention met at Chillicothe in the succeeding 
November, and on the 29th of that month, a constitution of State 
Government was ratified and signed, by which act Ohio became 
one of the States of the Federal Union. Jn October, 1802, the 
whole western country was thrown into a ferment by the suspension 
of the American rigiit of depositing goods and produce at New 
Orleans, guaranteed by the treaty of 1795, with Spain. The whole 
commerce of the West was struck at in a vital point, and the treaty 
evidently violated. On the 25th of February, 1803, the port was 
opened to provisions, on paying a duty, and in April following, by 
orders of the King of Spain, the right of deposit was restored. 

After the treaty of 17G3, Louisiana remained in possession of 
Spain until 1803, when it was again restored to France by the 
terms of a secret article in the treaty of St. Ildefonso concluded 
with Spain in 1800. France held but brief possession ; on the 30th 
of April she sold her claim to the United States for the considera- 
tion of fifteen millions of dollars. On the 20th of the succeeding 
December, General Wilkinson and Claiborne took possession of the 
country for the United States, and entered New Orleans at the head 
of the American troops. 

On the 11th of January, 1805, Congress established the Terri- 
tory of Michigan, and appointed William Hull, Governor. This 
same year Detroit was destroyed by tire. The town occupied only 
about two acres, completely covered with buildings and cumbnsti- 
ble materials, excepting the narrow intervals of fourteen or fifteen 
feet used as streets or lanes, and the whole was environed with a 
very strong and secure defense of tall and solid pickets-. 

At this period the conspiracy of Aaron Burr began to agitate 
the western country. In December, 1806, a fleet of boats with 
arms, provisions, and ammunition, belonging to the confederates 
of Burr, were seized upon the Muskingum, by agents of the United 
States, which proved a fatal blow to the project. In 1809, the Ter- 
ritory of Illinois was formed from the western part of the Indiana 
Territory, and named from the powerful tribe which once had 
occupied its soil. 

Tlie Indians, who, since the treaty of Greenville, had been at 
peace, about the year 1810, began to commit aggressions upon the 
inhabitants of the West, under the leadeiship of Tecumseh, The 



30 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

next year they were defeated by General Harrison, at the battle of 
Tippecanoe, in Indiana. This year was also distinguished by the 
voyag-e from Pittsburgh to New Orleans^ of the steamboat '* New 
Orleans," the first steamer ever launched upon the westeri) waters. 

In June, 1812, the United States declared war ajiainst Great 
Britain. Of this war, the West was the ])rincipal theati'r. Its 
opening scenes were as gloomy and disastrous to the American 
arms as its close was brilliant and triumphant. 

At the close of the war, the population of the Territories of In- 
diana, Illinois, and Michigan was less than 50,000. But from that 
time onward, the tide of emigration again went forward with un- 
precedented rapidity. On the 19th of April, 1810, Indiana was 
admitted into the Union, and Illinois on the 3d of December, 1818. 
The retnainder of the Northwest Territor}', as then organized, was 
included in the Territory of Michigan, of which that section west 
of Lake Michigan bore the name ot the Huron District. This part 
of the West increased so slowly that, by the census of 1830, the 
Territory ot' Michigan contained, exclusive of the Huron District, 
but 28,000 souls, while that had only a population of 3,(51:0. Em- 
igration began to set in more strongly to the Territory of Michigan 
in consequence of steam navigation having been successfully intro- 
duced upon the great lakes of the West. The first steamboat upon 
these immense inland seas was the " Walk-in-the-Water,*' which, 
in 1819, went as far as Mackinaw; yet it was not until 1826 that a 
steamer rode the waters of Lake Michigan, and six years more had 
elapsed ere one had penetrated as far as Chicago. 

The year 1832 was signalized by three important events in the 
history of the West, viz: the first appearance of the Asiatic 
Cholera, the Great Flood in the Ohio, and the war with Black 
Hawk. 

The West has suffered serious drawbacks, in its progress, from 
inetiicient systems of banking. One bank frequently was made 
the basis of another, and that of a third, and so on throughout the 
countr3^ Some three or four shrewd agents or directors, in estab- 
lishing a bank, would collect a few thousands in specie, that had 
been honestly paid in, and then make up the remainder of the 
capital with the bills or stock from some neighboring bank. Thus 
so intimate was the connection of each bank with others, tiiat 
when one or two gave way, they all went down together in one 
common ruin. 

In 1801, the year preceding the purchase of Louisiana, Congress 
formed, from part of it, the "Territory of Orleans," which was 
admitted into the Union, in 1812, as the State of Louisiana. In 
1805, after the Territory of Orleans was erected, the remaining 
part of the purcliase from the French w^as formed into the Territory 
of Louisiana, of which the old French town of St. Louis was the 
capital. This town, the oldest in the Territory, had been founded 
in 1764, by M. Laclede, agent for a trading association, to whom 
had been given, by the French government of Louisiana, a mono- 



OUTLINE HISTORY. 31 

s. 

poly of the commerce in furs and peltries with the Indian tribes 
of the Missouri and Upper Mississippi. Tiie population of the 
Territory in 1805 was trifling, and consisted mainly of French 
Creoles and traders, who were scattered along the hanks of the 
Mississippi and the Arkansas. U[)on the admission of Louisiana 
as a State, the name of the Territory of Louisiana was changed to 
that of Missouri. From the southern part of this, in 1819, was 
erected the Territory of Arkansas, which then contained but a few 
thousand inliabitants, who were mainly in detached settlements on 
the Mississippi and on the Arkansas, in the vicinity of the "Post 
of Arkansas." The first settlement in Arkansas was made on the 
Arkansas River, about the year 1723, upon the grant of the noto- 
rious John Law; but, being unsuccessful, was soon after aban- 
doned. In 1820, Missouri was admitted into the Union, and 
Arkansas in 1836. 

Michigan was admitted as a State in 1837. The Huron District 
was organized as the Wisconsin Territory in IS '.0, and was admitted 
into the Union as a State in 1818. The first settlement in Wis- 
consin was made in 1665, when Father Claude Alluuez established 
a mission at La Fointe, at the western end of Lake Superior. 
Four years after, a mission was permanently established at Green 
Bay; and, eventually, the French also established themselves at 
Prairie du Chien. In 1819, an expedition, under Governor Cass, 
explored the Territory, and found it to be little more than the 
abode of a few Indian traders, scattered here and there. About 
this time, the Government established military posts at Green Bay 
and Prairie du Chien. About the year 1825, some farmers settled 
in the vicinity of Galena, which had then become a noted mineral 
region. Immediately after the war with Black Hawk, emigrants 
flowed in from New York, Ohio, and Michigan, and the flourishing 
towns of Milwaukie, ShelDoygan, Racine, and Southport were laid 
out on the borders of Lake Michigan. At the conclusion of the 
same war, the lands west of the Mississippi were thrown open to 
emigrants, who commenced settlements in the vicinity of Fort 
Madison and Burlington in 1833. Dubuque had long beibre been 
a trading post, and was the first settlement in Iowa. It derived its 
name from Julian Dubuc^ue, an enterprising French Canadian, 
who, in 1788, obtained a grant of one hundred and forty thousand 
acres from the Indians, upon which he resided until his death in 
1810, when he had accumulated immense wealth by lead-mining 
and trading. In June, 1838, Iowa was erected into a Territory, 
and in 1846 became a State. 

li\ 1849, Minnesota Territory was organized; it then contained 
a little less than five thousand souls. The first American estab- 
lishment in the Territory was Fort Snelling, at the mouth of St 
Peter's or Minnesota River, which was founded in 1819. The 
French, and afterward the English, occupied this country Avith 
their fur-trading forts. Pembina, on the northern boundary, is the 
oldest village, having been established in 1812 by Lord Selkirk, a 



32 OUTLINE HISTORY. 

Scottish nobleman, under- a grant from tlic Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany. 

There were not until near the close of the war with Mexico, any 
American settlements on the Pacific side of the continent. At the 
beginning of the century not a single white man had ever been known 
to have crossed the continent north of the latitude of St. Louis. 
The geography of the greater part of the Pacific slope was almost 
wholly unknown, until the explorations of Fremont, between the 
years 1842 and 1848. That region had formerly been penetrated 
only by fur traders and trappers. The Mexican war of 184(J-'48, 
gave to the Union an immense tract of country, the large original 
provinces of Upper California and New Mexico. The discovery of 
gold in Upper California in 1848, at once directed emigration to that 
part of the continent. From that period settlements were rapid and 
territories formed in quick succession. In 1848, the Mormons, ex- 
pelled from Missouri, settled in Utah, which was erected into a ter- 
ritory in 1850. In 1848, Oregon became an organized territory, and 
California, then conquered from Mexico, in 1850, was admitted as a 
State, and Oregon in 1859. The emigration to California Avas im- 
mense for the first few years : in the years 1852 and 1853, her pro- 
duct in gold reached the enormous value of one hundred and sixty 
millions of dollars. 

In 1854, after the first excitement in regard to California had 
somewhat subsided, the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were 
organized. Kansas became for a time a favorite country for emi- 
grants ; and at last a bloody arena between the free soil and pro- 
slavery parties for mastery. The overwhelming preponderance of 
the former, resulted in its success, and Kansas was admitted as a 
free State in 1861. 

The formation of territories from the close of the Mexican War to 
the close of the Southern Rebellion, was rapid without precedent, as 
the following summary exhibits. This was consequent upon the dis- 
covery of vast mineral wealth in the mountain country : 

California, ceded by treaty with Mexico in 1848; admitted as a State in 
1850. 

New Mexico, ceded by treaty with Mexico, and organized as a Territory in 
1848. 

Minnesota, organized us a Territory in 1849; admitted as a State in 1858. 

Utah, organized as a Territory in 1850, 

Arizona, purchased of Mexico in 1854; organised as a Territory in 1863. 

Orkgon, organized as a Territory in 1848; admitted as a State in 1859. 

Washington, organized as a Territory in 1853. 

Kansas, organized as a Territory in 1854; admitted as a State in 1861. 

Nebraska, organized as a Territory in 1854. 

Nevada, organized as a Territory in 1861 ; admitted as a State in 1864. 

D.\coTAH, organized as a Territory in 1861. 

Colorado, organized as a Territory in 1861. 

Idaho, organized as a Territory in 1863. 

Montana, organized as a Territory in 1864. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 




West Virginia owes her existence to the Great Eebellion ; or rather 
to the patriotism of her people, who, when the mother State, Virginia. 

plunged into the vortex of seces- 
sion, resolved to stand by the Union. 
The wisdom of their loyalty has 
been signally shown b}' its saving 
them fi'om the sore desolation that 
fell upon most parts of the Old Do- 
minion. 

The seal of the state is remarka- 
bly ajipropriate. It has the motto. 
'•'■ Montani semjier liberi" — mountain- 
eers alicays free. In the center is a 
rock, with \xx, emblematic of sta- 
bility and continuance; the face 
of the rock bears the inscription. 
"June 20, 1863,'' the date of found- 
ation, as if "graved with a pen of 
iron in the rock forever." On the 

Ar^-s or West VtRGiKiA. ^,.^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^,^^.^^^^ clothcd i .1 the 

Monlani .e.nper libeH-yionnt<^ueevs ahvuys free. trV,(l j^ional huntiug-shirt peculiar t( . 

this region; his right arm resting on the plow handles, and his left 
supporting a woodman's ax — indicating that Avhile the territoiy is par- 
tially cultivated it is still in process of being cleared of the original 
forest. At his right is a sheaf of wheat and corn growing. On the leit 
of the rock stands a miner, indicated by a pickax on his shoulder. 
with barrels and lumps of mineral at his feet. On his left is an anvil 
partly seen, on which rests a sledge hammer, typical of the mechanic 
arts — the whole indicating the principal pursuits and resources of the 
state. In front of the rocks and figures, as if just laid down by the 
latter, and ready to be resumed at a moment's notice, are two hunter's 
ritles, crossed and surmounted at the place of contact by the Phrygian 
cap, or cap of Liberty — indicating that the freedom and independence 
of the state were won and will be maintained by arms. 

In the spring of 1861, when the question of secession was submitted 
to the people, those of Eastern Virginia voted almost unanimously in 
its favor, but in the northwestern counties quite as strongly against it. 
T^n fact, the desire for a separate state government liad for a quarter 
of a century prevailed in this section, where the slaveholding interest 
was slight; and the liabits of the people diverse. The reasons for this 
3 ( 33 ) 



34 WEST VIRGINIA 

■were, that they were m a measure cut off from intercourse with East- 
ern Virginia by chains of mountains, and that state legislation had 
been unfavorable to the development of their resources. The break- 
ing out of the rebellion was a favorable moment to initiate measures 
for the accomplishment of this long-desii'ed sej^aration. As the move- 
ment was one of grave importance, we must give it more than a pass- 
ing notice, from a pen familiar with the subject. 

''It has passed into history, that for many years, while the western 
counties of Virginia had the preponderance of white population and 
taxable property, the eastern counties controlled the legislation of the 
state, by maintaining an iniquitous basis of re2:»resentation. It is 
enough to say, that tlie western counties, with few slaves, were a mere 
dependency of the eastern, with man}- slaves; and the many revenues 
of the state were exj^ended for the benefit mainly of the tide-water re- 
gion, while the west paid an unjust proportion of the taxes. This was 
always a cause of dissatisfaction. Besides, there was no homogeniety 
of population or interest, and the Alleghany Mountains were a natu- 
ral barrier to commercial and social intercourse. There were much 
closer relations in these respects with Ohio and Pennsylvania, than 
with the tide-water region, growling as well out of the substantial sim- 
ilarity of society, as the short-sighted policy of having no great public 
improvement in the direction of Eichraond. The construction of the 
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and its connections, intensified the isolation 
of the west from the rest of the state. 

'•When the ordinance of secession was submitted to the people, the 
western counties, with great unanimity, voted against it. This was 
on the 23d of May, 1861. The traitors never waited the result of the 
popular vote, for as soon as the ordinance passed the convention, Vir- 
ginia was practically hitched on to the Confederacy; and while at 
Richmond the state authorities were busy in the military seizure of 
the state, the people of Virginia, who were still loyal, met at Wheeling 
immediately after the vote on the ordinance and called a convention, 
the members of which should be duly elected, to assemble at that city 
on the 11th of June. The loyal peoj^le of the whole state were invited 
to join in this movement. There was nothing in the state constitu- 
tion against it, on the contrary, it provided for it by just this method. 
There happened to be, also, a notable precedent for this action, in the 
history of the state. In 1774, Lord l)unmore, the colonial governor 
of Vii'ginia, dissolved tlie house of burgesses; and for the purpose of 
preventing legislation in any event, retired with his council on board 
a British man-of-war. The assembly being thus deprived of a gov- 
ernment, met together in convention, as private citizens, and assumed 
the powers of the state. They issued an invitation, without any leg- 
islative authority, for the several counties or districts to send delegates 
to a convention. There was no legal or authorized act calling this 
convention, or for the choice of delegates; but it was the spontaneous 
act of the people, who were in favor of a free government. The con- 
vention met in 1775, and declared 'the necessity of immediately put- 
ting the country in a posture of defense, for the better protection of 
our lives, liberties and property.' And after enumerating the acts by 
which the colonial authorities had subverted government, asserted 
that 'we are driven to the necessity of supplying the present want of 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



35 



government, by aj)pointing proper guardians of the lives and liberties 
of our countr}'.' And thereupon tlicj elected state officers and re- 
stored the government. 

"Mark, these Yirginians, when they restored the government thus 
abandoned, did not proclaim revolution or secession from Great 
Britain; on the contrarj', they said: 'Lest our views be misrepresented 
or misunderstood, we publicly and solemnly declare before God and 
the world that we do bear true faith and allegiance to his majesty 
King George the Third, as our lawful and righttul king.' 

"Accordingly, on the 11th of June, 1861, the convention assembled, 
there being quite a number of delegates from the eastern counties. 
The first ordinance, after reciting the grievances of the people, sol- 
emnly declares: 'That the preservation of their dearest rights and 
liberties, and their security in person and propertj^, imperatively de- 
mand the reorganization of the government; and that all acts of the 
convention and executive (at Richmond) tending to separate this 
state from the United States, or to levy and carry on war against them, 
are without authority and void; and that the offices of all wiio adhere 
to the said convention and executive, whether legislative, executive 
or judicial, are vacated.' They then proceeded to etect a governor and 
other state officers, who should hold tlieir offices until an election could 
he had; and to mark the era of reorganization, they added the words 
'Union and Liberty' to the '■Sic semper tyrannis' of the state arms. 

"This w^ns not revolution, for it .was a case within the constitution 
of the state. It could not be revolution to support the constitution 
and laws, both of which the Eichmond traitors had abrogated. They 
could not be the government, for they had destroyed it. That can not 
be revolution which upholds or sustains- the supreme law of the land, viz : 
the constitution of the United States and the laws in pursuance of it. 

"But it is said, there was only a fraction of the people who joined 
in this movement. "We answer in the language of another : ' Doubtless, 
it is desirable that a clear majority should always speak in government- 
but where a state is in insurrection, and the loyal citizens are under du- 
ress, the will of the people, Avho are for the constitution and the laws, is 
the only lawful will under the constitution; and that will must be col- 
lected as far as is practicable under the external force.' 

"Immediately upon the election of Francis H. Pierpont as gov- 
ernor, he notified the president of the United States, that there existed 
a treasonable combination against the constitution and laws, known as 
'The Confederate States of America,' whose design was to subvert the 
authority of the United States in Virginia ; that an army of the insur- 
gents was then advancing upon the loyal people of the state for the 
purpose of bringing them under the domination of the Confederacy; 
and that he had not at his command sufficient force to suppress the 
insurrection, and as governor of Virginia, requested national aid. This 
he had an undoubted right to do, if he were governor of Virginia, for 
the constitution of the United States provides for the very caee. [See 
article iv, sec. 4.] 

"Was he governor of Virginia? Who was to decide between Gov. 
Pierpont, at Wheeling, and Gov. Letcher, at Eichmond? Wliich was 
the government of Virginia, the Wheeling or the Richmond? 

"Happily, the supreme court of the United States furnished a solu- 



36 WEST VIRGINIA. 

tion of the question, and put forever at rest, any doubt about tlie 
legitimacy of the Wheeling government. [Luther r. Borden, 7 How- 
ard Eep. p. 1.] This is the case growing out of the celebrated Dorr 
rebellion in Ehode Island, in 1840, and involves the very question 
under consideration. It is useless to go into the history of the origin of 
that conflict. There were two governors and legislatures in that state 
— the minority, or charter government, with Gov. King at its head, 
and the majority, or popular government, with Gov. Dorr at its head. 
John Tyler, a Virginian, then president of the United States, decided 
in favor of the minority or charter government; and in pursuance of a 
request of Gov. King for national aid, similar to that made by Gov. 
Pierpont, the president ofli'ered the military and naval force of the 
United States to Governor King, and the Dorr government thereupon 
succumbed and was disbanded. The question involved was carried to 
the supreme court of the United States, and Chief Justice Taney de- 
livered the opinion of the whole court. No lawyer can deny, that if 
President Tj^ler had recognized the Dorr government, the supreme 
court would have guided its judgment accordingly. The supreme 
court say : 

"'The power of deciding "whether the government of the United 
States is bound to interfere (in case of domestic violence bet\veen con- 
flicting parties in a state), is given to the president of the United States. 
He is to act uj^on the application of the legislature or of the executive, 
and consequently he must determine tvhat body of men constitute the legislatvre, 
and who is the governor, before he can act. The fact that both parties 
claim to be the government can not alter the case, for both can not be 
entitled to it. If there be an ai-med conflict, it is a case of domestic 
violence, and one of the parties must be in insurrection against the 
lawful government; and the president must necessaril}^ decide 7chich is 
the government, and which party is unlawfully arrayed against it, in 
order to perform his duty. And after the president has acted and 
called out the militia, his decision can not be revieiced by any legal tribunal. 
It is said this power in the president is dangerous to liberty, and may 
be abused. All power may be abused if placed in unworthy hands; 
but it "would be difficult to point out any other hands in v^hich this 
power could be more safe and at the same time equally effective. At 
all events, it is conferred upon him by the constitution and laws of the 
United States, and must, therefore, be respected and enforced by its judicial 
tribunals' 

"In one word, the qiiestion between two governments in a state, 
under these circumstances, is not a judicial question at all, but rests 
solely with the president under the constitution and laws; and his 
decision is final and binding, and settles all claims between conflicting 
jurisdictions in a state. 

"President Lincoln responded nobly to the call of Gov. Pierpont, 
and furnished the requisite aid to the restored government. The battles 
of Phillipi and P^ich Mountain followed,- and the Confederates were 
driven out of Western Virginia. Here, then, was a definite and final 
settlement of the questions as to who was governor of Virginia, by the 
px'esident, and no tribunal or authority can review that decision or call 
it in question. The heads of the executive departments have recog- 
nized the restored government — the secretary of "war by assigning 



WEST VIRGINIA. 37 

quotas under calls for volunteers; the treasurer by pa^'iug over to the 
state, upon the order of its legislature, her share of the proceeds of the 
sales of public lands, and so on. 

"On the 20th of August, 1861, the convention at Wheeling, being 
still in session, provided for the election of congressmen, and they 
were received into the lower house. They also called the legislature 
of "Virginia together at Wheeling, to consist of such members as had 
been elected previous to the passage of the ordinance of secession, and 
provided for filling vacancies if any by election. And on July 9th, the 
legislature elected John S. Carlile and Waitman T. Willey as senators 
of the United States, from Yirginia, to supply the places of E. M. T. 
Hunter and James M. Mason. These senators were admitted to seats 
in the senate of the United States, and were so recognized by both the 
executive and legislative branches of the federal government, so that 
any question as to the rightfulness of the legislatui'C at Wheeling as 
the legislature of Virginia was at an end. 

''Thus the State of Virginia, with a governor and legislature, and 
other state machinery in operation, recognized b}'' all departments of 
the federal government, was fully adequate to the exercise of all the 
functions of a state, as well then and now, as at any period of her 
history. 

"Let us nov/ turn to the constitution of the United States, article iv, 
sec. 3, which reads as follows: 'New states may be admitted by the 
congress into the Union ; but no new state shall be formed or erected 
within the jurisdiction of any other state, nor any state be formed by 
the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, ?.■ ithout the con- 
sent of the legislatures of the states concerned, as well as of the con- 
gress.' 

"ISTow it is apparent that to form a new state out of a j)art of the 
State of Virginia, the concurrent consent of the legislature of Virginia 
and of congress is all that is needed under the constitution. We have 
shoAvn that the government at Wheeling was the government of Vir- 
ginia, vrith a duly constitivted governor, legislature, etc.; and the way 
pointed out by the constitution is plain. Let us now see whether the 
necessary steps were taken as prescribed by the constitution of the 
United States. 

"On August 20, 1861, the convention passed an ordinance providing 
for the submission of the question of the formation of a new state to 
the people, and also further the election of delegates to a convention 
to form a constitution for the new state, if the people decided in favor of 
it; and also for the various details of the movement. The governor 
was directed to lay before the general assembly', at its next ensuing 
meeting, for their consent, the result, if that result should be flivorable 
to a new state, in accordance with the constitution of the United States. 
The peoples expressed themselves by an overwhelming majority in 
favor of a new state. The constitutional convention for the new state 
met and prepared a constitution, w'hich was ratified by the people, and 
the necessary officers for the state government chosen. At the next 
session of the legislature of Virginia, on May 13, 1862, that body gave 
its formal consent to the formation of the State of West Virginia, 
within the jurisdiction of Vij'ginia, and directed that the act be 
transmitted to their senators and representatives in congress, and they 



38 WEST VIRGINIA. 

were requested to use their endeavors to obtain the consent of congresa 
to the admission of the new state into the Union. 

"At the following session of congress, the application was formally 
made, first to the senate. Pending its consideration, an amendment 
to the state constitution was proposed, providing for the gradual abo- 
lition of slavery, and also for the submission of the amendment to the 
people of the new state; and if approved by them, the jiresident of the 
"United States was, by proclamation, to announce the fact, and tlie 
Btate should be admitted into the Union. In this shape the bill for 
admission passed the senate, and afterward the house, and was ap- 
proved by the president. The constitutional convention for the nev.- 
state held an immediate session, approved the congressional amend- 
ment, and submitted the constitution thus amended, to the people, who 
also approved it by an overwhelming majority; and so, now, all that 
was needed in order to its admission into the Union, was the procla- 
mation of the president, which Avas accordingly issued; and on the 
20th of June, 18G3, the new member, with its motto, " J/on/anf semper 
liberi" was born into the family of states in the midst of the throes of 
a mighty revolution, and cradled in storms more terrible and de- 
structive than any that ever swept among its mountains, but clothed 
in the majesty of constitutional right. 

"Until the time fixed by act of congress. West Virginia was not a 
state, and the movement, therefore, did not interfere with the regular 
and successful operation of the government of Virginia. As soon, 
however, as the time for the inauguration of the ncAV state arrived, 
Gov. Pierpont and the officers of the government of Virginia, in ac- 
cordance with an act of the legislature, removed to Alexandria, Va., 
where the seat of government was, and still is located; and A. J. Bore- 
man, the first governor of West Virginia, was duly installed, and the 
seat of government temporarily fixed at Wheeling, until the times 
become more settled, so that the capital of the new state may be located 
nearer the geographical center of its territory. 

" The area of the new state is 23,000 square miles — twenty times as 
large as Rhode Island, more than ten times as large as Delaware, five 
times as large as Connecticut, three times as large as ^Massachusetts, 
more than twice as la'rge as J^ew Hampshire, and more than twice as 
large as Maryland — an area about equal to the aggregate of Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and Vermont. 

"According to the census of 1800, it had a Avhite population of 
335,000 — a population much greater than any of the new states, at the 
time of their admission into the Union, and much greater than many 
of the old states. 

"It is among the most loyal of the states, for she has always filled 
her quotas under all calls without a draft: she furnished more than 
20,000 soldiers for the Union, and several thousands in excess of all 
drafts. The revenue of the whole State of Virginia in 1850 was onl}- 
$533,000, while in 1860 the forty-eight counties composing the new 
state paid over $000,000 into the state treasury. 

"The new state has a rich legacy committed to her keeping, and 
has all the elements to nuike a great and prosperous commonwealth. 
Lumber, coal, iron, petroleum, salt, etc., abound, and the fertilit}" of 
her soil is equal to that of most states in the Union. And now that 



WEST VIRGINIA. 39 

Bhe is freed from the incubus of slavery, and wealth and entei-prise are 
beginning to develop her resources, she will outstrip many of the more 
favored states and take her place among the foremost common- 
wealths." 



The most noted towns of the state are Wheeling and Parkersburg, 
both of which are on the Ohio. Parkersburg is situated on the river at 
the mouth of the Little Kanawha, a few miles below Marietta, Ohio, 
and 100 below Wheeling. It has a connection with the west by 
the Cincinnati & Marietta railroad, and with the east by the North- 
western i-ailroad, the southernmost fork of the Baltimore & Ohio rail- 
road. It is a thriving town of about 7000 inhabitants. The valley of 
the Little Kanawha is of growing importance from its wealth in pe- 
troleum: oil wells of great richness are being worked. Just below 
Parkersburg is the long celebrated Blannerhasset's Island, so charm- 
ingly described by Wirt in his graceful oratory at the trial of Aaron 
Burr at Eichmond, half a century ago. Herman Blannerhasset was 
of wealthy Irish parentage and born in England. He married Miss 
Adeline Agnew, a grand-daughter of General Agnew, who was with 
Wolfe at Quebec. She was a most elegant and accomplished woman 
and he a refined and scholarly man. In 1798 he began his improve- 
ments upon the island. In 1805, Aaron Burr landed on the Island, 
where he was entertained with hosi^itality by the family. 

Wheeling is on the east bunk of Ohio Biver, and on both sides of Wheeling 
creek, 351 miles from Bichmond, 56 miles from Pittsburg, and 365 above 
Cincinnati. The hills back of the city come near the river, so as to leave but 
a limited area for building, so that the place is forced to extend along the 
high alluvial bank for two miles. A fine stone bridge over Wheeling creek 
connects the upper and lower portions of the city. Wheeling is the most 
important place on the Ohio Biver between Cincinnati and Pittsburg. It is 
surrounded by bold hills containing inexhaustible quantities of bituminous 
coal, from which the numerous manufacturing establishments are supplied at 
a small expense. The place contains several iron foundries, cotton mills, and 
factories of various kinds. A. large business is done in the buildinii' of steam- 
boats. Population 1860, 14,000, 

The National Boad, irom Cumberland across the Alleghany Mountains to 
St. Louis, passes through Wheeling, and the Baltimore and Ohio Bailroad 
terminates here, making this place a great thoroughfare of travel between the, 
east and west. The Ohio Biver is crossed here by a magnificent wire sus- 
pension bridge, erected at a cost of upward of $200, 000. Its span, one of the 
longest in the world, measures 1,010 feet. The hight of the towers is 153 feet 
above low water mark, and 60 above the abutments. The entire bridge is 
supported by 12 wire cables, 1,380 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter, 
each composed of 550 strands. These cables are laid in pairs, 3 pairs on 
each side of the flooring. 

In 1769 Col. Ebenezer Zane, his brothers Silas and Jonathan, with some 
others from the south branch of the Potomac, visited the Ohio for the pur- 
pose of making improvements, and severally proceeded to select posi- 
tions for their future residence. They chose for their residence the site now 
occupied by the city of Wheeling, and having made the requisite preparations 
returned to their former homes, and brought out their families the ensuing 



40 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



year. The Zaiies vveie men of enterprise, tempered with prudence, and di- 
rected by sound judgment. To the bravery and good conduct of these three 
brothers, the Wheeling settlement was mainly indebted for its security and 
preservation during the war of the revolution. Soon after the settlement of 
this place other settlements were made at different points, both above and be- 
low Wheeling, in the country on Buftalo, Short and Grave creeks. 

Tlic name of Wheeling was orhjiinaWy Weeling, which in the Delaware lan- 
guage signifies the phice of a licnd. At a very early day, some whites de- 
scending the Ohio in a boat, stopped at the mouth of the creek and were mur- 
dered by Indians. The savages cut ofi" the head of one of their victims, and 
placing it on a pole with its face toward the rivei*, called the spot Wecling. 




i- V 



(!(' .^"^'^ 







Soiii/iern Mew of WkcdiiKj. 

Tlie view shows the appearanco of Wheeliii;^ as it is enteroil upon the l!altimi>re and Oliio Railroad. Tht 
"ti-anilioat lauding and part of tlie city aru seen in tlie central part. The suspension bridge crossing over ti 
Wlieeling Island on the left. I'art of the railroad depot is on the right. 



The most important event in the history of AVheeling was the siege of For'u 
Henry, at the mouth of Wheeling creek, in September, 1777. The fort was 
(tviginally called Fort Fincastle, and was a place of refuge for the settlers in 
Duiimore's war. The name was afterward changed to Henry, in honor of 
Patrick Henry. The Indians who besieged the fort were estimated at from 
:]S0 to 500 warriors, led on by the notorious Simon Girty. The garrison 
numbered only 42 fighting men, under the command of Col. Shepherd. The 
savages made several attempts to force themselves into the fort; they were 
driven back by the unerring rifle shots of the brave little garrison. A rein- 
forcement of about 50 men having got into the fort, the Indians raised the 
siege, having lost from 60 to 100 men. The loss of the garrison was 26 
killed, all of whom, excepting three or four, fell in an ambuscade outside the 



WEST VIRGINIA. 41 

walls before the attack on the fort commenced. The heroism of EUzahetli 
Zane during the siege is worthy of record. This heroine had but recently 
returned from school at Philadelphia, and was totally unused to such scenes 
as were daily transpiring on the frontier : 

"The stock of gunpowder in the fort having been nearly exhausted, it was de- 
termined to seize the favorable opportunity offered by the suspension of hostilities 
to send for a keg of gunpowder which was known to be in the house of Ebenezer 
Zane, about sixty yards from tlie gate of the fort. The person executing this ser- 
vice would necessarily expose himself to the danger of being shot down by the In- 
dians, who were 3'et sulliciently near to observe everything that transj^ired about 
the works. The colonel explained the matter to his men, and, unvrilHng to order 
one of them to undertake such a desperate enterprise, inquired whether any man 
would volunteer for the service. Three or four young men promptly stepped for- 
ward in obedience to the call. The colonel informed them that the weak state of 
the garrison would not justify the absence of more than one man, and that it was 
for themselves to decide Avho that person should be. The eagerness felt by each 
volunteer to undertake the honorable mission prevented them from making the ar- 
rangement pi'oposed by the commandant; and so much time was consumed in the 
contention between them that feai's began to arise that the Indians would renew 
the attack before the powder could be procured. At this crisis, a j'oung lady, the 
sister- of Ebenezer and Silas Zane, came forward and desired that she might be 
permitted to execute the service. This proposition seemed so extravagant that it 
met with a peremptory refusal; but she instantly renewed her petition in terms of 
redoubled earnestness, and all the remonstrances of the colonel and her relatives 
failed to dissuade her from her heroic purpose. It was finally represented to her 
that cither of the young men, on account of his superior fleetness and familiarity 
Avith scenes of danger, would be moi'e likely than herself to do the work success- 
fully. She replied that the danger which would attend the enterprise was the 
'identical reason that induced her to offer her services, for, as»the gai-rison was very 
Aveak, no soldier's life should be placed in needless jeopardy, and that if she w^ere 
to fail her loss would not be felt. Her petition was ultimately granted, and the 
gate opened for her to pass out. The opening of the gate arrested the attention of 
several Indians who were straggling through the village. It was noticed that their 
eyes were upon her as she crossed the open space to reach her brother's house; 
hut seized, perhaps, with a sudden freak of clemency, or believing tiiat a woman's 
life was not worth a load of gunpowder, or influenced by some other unexplained 
motive, they permitted her to pass without molestation. When she reappeared 
with the powder in her arms the Indians, suspecting, no doubt, the cliaracter of her 
burden, elevated their tirelocks and discharged a volley at her as she swiftly glided 
toward the gate, but the balls all flew wide of the mark, and the fearless girl 
reached the fort in safety with her prize. The pages of history may furnish a 
parallel to the noble exploit of Elizabeth Zane, but an instance of greater self- 
devotion and moral intrepidity is not to be found anywhere." 

Sixteen miles above Wheeling on the river is the thriving business 
town of Welhhiirg. Eight miles east of this place in a healthy, beau- 
tiful site among the hills, is the flourishing institution known as Beth- 
any College. It was founded by Elder Alexander Campbell, and is 
conducted under the auspices of the Disciples or Christians. Their 
peculiarity is that they have no creed — just simply a belief in the 
Bible as the sufficient rule of Christian faith and practice; thus leav- 
ing its interpretation free to each individual mind. 

BeloAv Wheeling eleven miles, at the village of Moundsville, on the 
river flats, is the noted curiosity of this region, the Mammouth Mound. 
It is 69 feet in height, and is in full view of the passing steamers. — 
An aged oak, cut down on its summit some years since, showed by its 
concentric circles that it was about 500 years old. 



42 AVEST VIRGINIA. 

Point Pleasant is a small village at the junction of the Kanawha with the 
Ohio. It is noted as the site of the most bloody battle ever fought with the 
Indians in Virginia — the battle of Point Pleasant — which took place in Dun- 
more's war, Oct. 10, 1774. The Virginians, numbering 1,100 men, were 
under the command of Gen. Andrew Lewis. The Indians were under the 
celebrated Shawnee chieftain Cornstalk, and comprised the flower of the 
Shawnee, Wyandot, Delaware, Mingo and Cayuga tribes. The action lasted 
from sunrise until sunset, and was contested with the most obstinate bravery 
on both sides. The Virginians at length were victorious, but with a loss of 
more than 200 of their number in killed and wounded, among whom were 
some of their most valued officers. This event was made the subject of a 
rude song, which is still preserved among the mountaineers of western Vir- 
ginia: 

SONG ON THE SHAWNEE BATTLE. 

Let us mind the tenth day of October, By which the heathen were confounded, 

Seventy-four, which causX;d woe. Upon the banks of the Ohio. 

The Indian savages they did cover 

The pleasant banks of the Ohio. Col. Lewis and some noble captains 

Did down to death like Uriah go, 
The battle beginning in the morning, Alas I their heads wound up in napkins, 

Throughout the day it lashed sore, Upon the banks of the Ohio. 

Till the evening shades were returning down 

Upon the banks of the Ohio. Kings lamented their mighty fallen 

Upon the mountains of Gilboa, 
Judgment precedes to execution. And now we mourn for brave Hugh Allen, 

Let fame throughout all dangers go. Far from the banks of the Ohio. 

Our heroes fought with resolution 

Upon the banks of the Ohio. bless the mighty King of Heaven 

For all his wondrous works below, ^ 

Seven score lay dead,^nd wounded Who hath to us the victory given, 

Of champions that did face their foe, Upon the banks of the Ohio. 



Ceredo is a new town established by Eli Thayer, of Massachusetts, 
just before the rebellion, and settled by New England emigrants. It 
is on the Ohio river, about five miles above the line of West Virginia 
and Kentucky. The settlement was nearly broken up by the rebel- 
lion. A few miles above it is Gruyandotte, which was mostly burnt in 
the war. 

Charleston is the most important town in West Virginia excepting- 
Wheeling and Parkersburg. It is in the rich valley of the Kanawha, 
4G miles east of the Ohio river, and contains several thousand people. 

The mineral wealth of this valley is immense in salt and coal. In 
coal alone, it has been said, this valley could sujiply the wliole world 
for fifty years, if it could be had from no other source. The Kanawha 
salt works commence on the river near Charleston and extend on both 
sides for nearly fifteen miles.' Millions of bushels of salt are annually 
manufiictured. The salt water is drawn from wells bored in solid 
rock frojn 300 to 500 feet in depth. Bituminous coal, which abounds 
in the neighborhood, is used in the evaporation of the water. 

Lewisburg is an important town near the southeastern line of the 
state, on the direct road from Charleston to Eichmond, about 100 
miles east from the former, and 200 west from the latter; near it and in 
the same county, are the Blue Sulphur and White Sulphur Springs: the 
latter, the most celebrated watering place in the south: long the fa- 
vorite resort of the wealthy ])lanters and prominent politicians of the 
south. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



43 



The situation of the White Sxilphur Springs is charming, it is in a 
beautiful valley environed by softly curving mountains. Fifty acres 
or more are occui^ied with lawns and walks, and the cabins and cot- 
tages for the guests, built in rows around the public aj)artments, the 
dining-room, the ball-room, etc., which give the place quite a village 
air. The rows of cottages are variously named, as Alabama row, 
Louisiana, Paradise, Baltimore, Virginia, Greorgia, Wolf and Bachelor 
rows, Broadway, the Virginia lawn, the Spring, the Colonnade, and 
other sj)ecialities. The cottages are built variously, of brick, wood 
and logs, one story high. The place is 205 miles west from Eichmond, 
and 242 southwest of Washington City. 

In the northern part of the state, in the rich valley of the Monon- 
gahela, are some thriving noted towns, as Moi-gantown, Clarksburg, 
Weston, etc. At the latter place is the state Asylum for the Insane. 
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad is doing much for the development of 
this region of the state. This great work of engineering skill is here 
given a more than passing notice. 

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 379 miles in length, extending; from 
the waters of the Chesapeake, at Baltimore, to those of the Ohio, at Wheel- 
ing, is one of the greatest 
works of engineering skill 
on the continent. This im- 
portant undertaking owes its 
origin to the far-reaching sa- 
gacity of Philip E. Thomas, 
a Quaker merchant of Balti- 
more, who lived to see its 
completion, although nearly 
thirty years had elapsed from 
the time of its commence- 
ment. At that period, Bal- 
timore city was worth hut 
$25,000,000, yet it unhesita- 
tingly embarked in an enter- 
prise which cost 31,000,000. 
The first stone was laid on 
the 4th of July, 1828, by 
the venerable Charles Car- 
roll, of Carrollton, who pro- 
nounced it, next to signing 
the declar&.tiou of indepen- 
dence, the most important 

Tray Kun Viaduct, B. & 0. Railroad. act of his life. 

This eleffant structure is of cast iron, COO feet in length, and " T'Viitj -n-oa of o t'oi.tt- qotItt 

150 feet above the level of the stream. .^^^ ^fj^ '7 . ^ ^^^^ ^^^^ !-7 

period in the history oi rail- 
ways ; and during the progress of the work, from year to year, old theories were 
exploded and new principles introduced, increasing in boldness and originality as 
it advanced. Its annual reports went forth as text books ; its workshops were 
practical lecture rooms, and to have worthily graduated in this school, is an hon- 
orable passport to scientific service in any part of the world. In its struggles 
with unparalleled difficulties — financial, physical, legislative and legal — the gallant 
little state of Maryland found men equal to each emergency as it arose, and the 




44 WEST VIRGINIA. 

development of so much talent and hii;;h character in various departments, should 
not be esteemed the smallest benefit which the country has derived from this great 
enterprise." 

'•The line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, traversing the Alleghanics, has 
already become somewhat classic ground. The vicinity of Harpers Ferrj;^, old 
Fort Frederick, Cumberland, and other portions along the Potomac lliver, have 
long been known to the world for their imposing scenery, as well as for their 
historical interest. It is bej^ond Cumberland, however, that the grandest and most 
effective views on this route are presented. The Piedmont grade ; Oakland, with 
its inviting summer atmosphere; Valley River P'alls ; the Monongahela, and other 
attractive points, inspire wonder in all who witness them. 

Nor should the grand scientific features of the Baltimore and Ohio Road bo 
overlooked. To say nothing of its unique and most successfully planned grades 
(by which an elevation of nearly three thousand feet above tide is reached), there 
are its numerous splendid bridges of iron, and brick, and stone ; its massive build- 
ings of all kinds; its sylidly arched tunnels, and numerous other features, devel- 
oping the greatest skill and ingenuity upon the part of the strong minds which 
wrought them. The longest finished tunnel in America is Kinywood Tunnel, 2G1 
miles from Baltimore ; it is four fifths of a mile in length, and cost more than a 
million of dollars ! 

Our engraving of 'Tray Run Viaduct,' " says Leslie's Pictorial, from which tliis 
is copied, " is from an accurate and faithful drawing, made upon the spot, by Mr. 
IX C. Hitchcock, our artist, wlio has also been engaged in taking numerous views 
on this attractive route for the London Hlustrated News. Appropriate to our no- 
tice of the Tray liun Viaduct, Ave may quote the following paragraphs from tlie 
' Book of the Great Railway Celebration of 1857,' published by the Appletons : 

Clieat River is a rapid mountain stream, of a dark coffee colored water, which is sup- 
posed to take its hue from the forests of laurel, hemlock and black spruce in which it lias 
its rise. Our road crossed the stream at the foot of Cranberry gi-ade by a viaduct. This 
is composed of two noble spans of iron, roofed in on abutments, and a pier of solid free- 
stone taken from a neigliboring quarry. Arrived at this point, we fairly entered the ' Cheat 
River valley,' ^vhich presents by far the grandest and most boldly pictm-e?que scenery to be 
found on the line of this road, if indeed it is not the finest series of railrofid views on our 
continent. The European travelers in our party were as much enraptured by it as were 
those of us who have never visited tlie mountains, lakes and glens of Scotia or Switzer- 
land. For several miles, we ran along the steep mountain side, clinging, as it were, to the 
gigantic cliffs, our cars like great cages suspended — thougliupon the safest and most solid 
of beds — midway, as it were, between heaven and earth. At one moment tlie view vras 
confined to our immediate locality, hemmed in on every side, as we were, by the towering 
mouatain spurs. At the next, a slight curve in the road opened to view fine stretches of 
the deep valley, witli the darlc river flowing along its bottom, and glorious A'iews of the for- 
est-covered slopes descending from the peaks to the water's edge. Amazed at the grand- 
eur of the ever-varying scenery of this region, a French gentleman is said to have ex- 
claimed in ecstacy, ' JWa.9»JA5«c.' Ztrcis nossinq likczisin Frnrice! ' The engineering dif- 
ficulties, overcome in the part of the road within the first few miles west of Cheat River 
bridge, must have been appalling , but for us the rough places had been made smooth as 
the prairie levels. Alter crossing this river itself, at Rowlesburg, the next jx)int was to as- 
cend along its banks the 'Cheat River hill.' The ravine of Kyer's run, a mile from the 
bridge, 7(i feet deep, was crossed by a solid embankment. Then, after bold cutting along 
the steep, rocky hill side, we reached Buckeye hollow, -which is 108 t'eet below the road level, 
and finally came to Tray run, which we crossed at a higlit of 150 feet above its original 
bed by a splendid viaduct, fJOO feet long, founded on a massive base of masonry piled upon 
the solid rock below. These liaducts are of iron — designed by Mr. Albert Fink, one of 
Mr. Latrobe's assistants — and are exceedingly graceful, as well as very substantial struc- 
tures. When we reached the west end of the great Tray run viaduct, the cars halted, and 
the company alighted for a better view of the works. A walk of a few feet brought us to 
the brow of the prcci])ice overlooking the river, nearly .300 feet below. The view from this spot, 
both of the scenery and the grand strucliire which so splendidly spanned the immense mount- 
ain ravine, Avas tiaily inspiring. From our great elevation the stream appeared to be almost 
beneath our feet, an illusion i)romptly dispelled when the strongest and longest armed 
among us failed to throw a stone far enough to drop in its bed. With the entire train full 
of guests, the band also, alighted here, and takinii; position near the clift", struck up the pop- 
ular air of ' Love Not,' in sweet harmony with the emotions inspired by the scene. 



KENTUCKY. 




Kentucky was originally included in thelimits of Virginia, and the name, 
said to signify, in the Indian tongue, "The dark and bloody ground," is in- 
dicative of her early conflicts with a 
wily and savage foe. The first ex- 
plorer of her territory of whom we have 
any very definite knowledge wa?^ Col. 
James Smith, who traveled westward 
in 1766, from Holston Eivcr, witli 
three men and a mulatto slave. The 
beautiful tract of country near the 
Kentucky lliver appears to have been 
reserved by the Indians as a Innitlvg 
ground, and consequently none of their 
settlements were found there. The dark 
forests and cane thickets of Kentucky- 
separated the Creeks, Cherokces and 
Catawbas of the south, from the bostlJc 
tribes of the Shawnees, Wyandots ajid 
Delawares of the north. 

In 1767, John Findley and sonic 
others made a trading expedition from North Carolina to this region. In 
1769, Daniel Boone (the great pioneer of Kentucky), with five othens, among 
whom was Findley, undertook a journey to explore the country. After a 
long fatiguing march over a mountainous wilderness, they arrived upon its 
borders, and from an eminence discovered the beautiful valley of the Ken- 
tucky. Boone and his companions built a cabin on lied lliver, from whence 
they made various excursions. Boone being out hunting one day, in com- 
pany with a man named Stuart, was surprised and both taken prisoners by 
the Indians. They eventually succeeded in making their escape. On re- 
gaining their camp, they found it dismantled and deserted. The fate of its 
inmates was never ascertained. After an absence of nearly three years, Boone 
returned to his family in North Carolina. 

In 1770, Col. James Knox led into Kentucky a party from Holston, on 
(jlinch River, who remained in the country about the same length of time 
with Boone's party, and thoroughly explored the middle and southern part 
of the country. Boone's party traversed the northern and middle region with 
gre^t attention. Although both parties were in the country together, they 

45 



Ar.MS or Ken'tucky. 



4{j KENTUCKY. 

never met. When these pioneers returned, they gave glowinp: flescription= 
of the fertility of the soil throughout the western territories of Virginia anj 
North Carolina. The lands given to the Virginia troops for their services 
in the French war were to be located on the western waters, and within two 
years after the return of Boone and Knox, surveyors were sent out for this 
purpose. In 1773, Capt. Bullitt led a party down the Ohio to the Falls, 
where a camp was constructed and fortified. 

In the summer of 1774, parties of surveyors and hunters followed, and 
within the year James Harrod erected a log cabin where Ilarrodsburg is now 
built; this soon grew into a settlement or station — the oldest in Kentucky. 

In 1775, Daniel Boone constructed a fort, afterward called Boonesborough, 
during which time his party was exposed to fierce attacks from the Indians. 
By the middle of /Vpril, the fort was completed, and soon after his wife and 
daughters joined him and resided in the fort — the first white women who ever 
stood on the banks of Kentucky Biver. 

In 1775, the renowned pioneer Simon Kenton erected a log cabin where 
the town of Washington now stands, in Mason county. In the winter of this 
year, Kentucky was formed into a county by the legislature of Virginia. In 
the spring of 1777, the cou'rt of quarter sessions held its first sitting at Ilar- 
rodsburg. 

The years 1780 and 1781 were distinguished for a great emigration to Ken- 
tucky, and great activity in land speculations, and by inroads of the Indians. 
In 1780, an expedition of Indians and British troops, under Col. Byrd, threat- 
ened the settlements with destruction. Cannon were employed against the 
stockade forts, some of the stations were destroyed, and the garrisons 
taken. 

In 1781, every portion of the country was continually in alarm, and many 
lives were lost. The most important battle between the whites and Indians 
ever fought on its soil was on the 19th of August, 1782, near the Blue Lick 
Springs. The celebrated Col. Boone bore a prominent part in this engage- 
ment, in which he lost a son. The whites numbered but 182, while the In- 
dians were twice or thrice that number. From the want of due caution in 
advancing against the enemy, they were, after a short but severe action, routed 
with the loss of seventy-seven men and twelve wounded. Kentucky being 
the first settled of the western states, a large number of expeditions were sent 
out by her from time to time against the Indians in the then wilderness coun- 
try north of the Ohio; these were mostly within the present limits of Ohio, 
which thus became the battle ground of Kentucky, and was watered with 
the blood of her heroic pioneers. 

After the revolutionary war, there was a period of political discontent. 
This arose partly from the inefficient protection of Virginia and the old fed- 
eral congress against the inroads of the Indians, and partly by a distrust lest 
the general government should surrender the right to navigate the Missis- 
sippi to its mouth. 

Kentucky was the central scene of the imputed intrigues of Aaron Burr 
and his coadjutors to form a western republic. AVhat the precise designs of 
Burr really were has perhaps never been fully understood. 

Kentucky took an active part in the war of 1812. After the surrender of 
Hull at Detroit, the whole quota of the state, consisting of upward of 5,000 
volunteers, was called into active service. In addition to these, a force of 
mounted volunteers was raised, and at one time upward of 7,000 Kentuckians 
are said to have been in the field, and such was the desire in the state to 



KENTUCKl 



47 



enter into tlie contest that executive authority was obliged to interpose to 
limit the number. At this period, Isaac Shelby, a hero of the revolutionary 
war, was governor of the state. At the barbarous massacre of the Elver 
Raisin, and also in the unfortunate attempt to relieve Fort Meigs, many 
of her brave sons perished. In the recent war with Mexico, several of her 
distinguished citizens engaged in the contest. 

Kentucky was separated from Virginia in 1786, after having had several 
conventions at Danville. In 1792, it was received infeo the Union as an in'- 
dependent state. The first constitution was formed in 1790, the second in 
1796. The financial revulsion which followed the second war with Great 
Britain was severely felt in Kentucky. The violence of the crisis was much 
enhanced in this state by the charter of forty independent banks in 1818, 
with a capital of nearly ten millions of dollars, which were permitted to re- 
deem their notes with the paper of the bank of Kentucky. The state was 
soon flooded with the paper of these banks. This soon depreciated, and the 
state laws were such that the creditor was obliged to receive his dues at one 
half their value. The people of the state became divided into two parties; 
the debtor party, which constituted the majority, was called the Relief, and 
the creditors the Anti-Relief party. The judges of the courts declared the 
acts of the legislature, in sustaining the currency, unconstitutional. The ma- 
jority attempted to remove them from office by establishing new courts; the 
people became divided into the "new court" and "old court" parties. The 
contest was finally decided in the canvass of 1826, when the old court party 
pervailed. 

Kentucky is bounded N. by the Ohio River, separating it from the states of 
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; E. by Virginia; W. by the Mississippi River, sepa- 
rating it from Missouri, and S. bv Tennessee. It is situated between 36° 30' 
and 39° 10' N. Lat., and between 81° 50' and 89° 20' W. Long. Its length 
is about 400 miles, and its breadth 170 miles, containing 37,680 square 
miles. 

Kentucky presents a great diversity of surface. In the eastern part, where 
it is bordered by the Cumberland Mountains, there are numerous lofty eleva- 
tions; and on the Ohio River, through nearly the whole extent of the state, 
there is a strip of hilly but fertile land from five to twenty miles in breadth. 
On the margin of the Oiaio are numerous tracts of bottom lands, which are 
periodically overflowed. Between the hilly country of the more mountain- 
ous eastern counties and Grreen River is a fertile tract, frequently called the 
"garden of the state." This is in the blue limestone region, in the midst of 
which is the beautiful town of Lexington. The line demarking this region 
passes from the Ohio round the heads of Licking and Kentucky Rivers, 
Dick's River, and down Great Green River to the Ohio; and within this 
compass of above one hundred miles square is found one of the most fertile 
and extraordinary countries on which the sun has ever shone. The soil is 
of a loose, deep and black mold, without sand — on first-rate lands, from two 
to three feet deep — and exceedingly luxuriant in all its productions. It is 
well watered by fine springs and streams, and its beautiful climate and the 
salubrity of the country are unequalled ; the winter, even, being seldom so 
inclement as to render the housing of cattle necessary. In a state of nature, 
nearly the whole surface of this region was covered with a dense forest of 
majestic trees, and a close undergrowth of gigantic reeds, forming what in 
the country are called canebrakes. In the southern part, however, on the 
head waters of Green River and its tributaries, is an extensive tract, thinly 



48 



KEXTUCKY 



wooded, and covered in summer with high grass growing amid scattered and 
stunted oaks. Struck with the contrast this region presented to the luxu- 
riant forests of the neigboring districts, the first settlers gave the country the 
unpromising name of "■barrens." 

In 1800, the legislature considering this tract but of little value, made a 
•gratuitous grant of it to actual settlers. This land ])roved to be excellent for 
grain, and also adapted to the raising of cattle. The whole state, below the 
mountains, has, at the usual depth of eight feet, a bed of limestone, which has 
frequent apertures. The rivers have generally worn deep channels in the 
calcareous rocks over which they flow. There are precipices on the Ken- 
tucky River of solid limestone 300 feet high. Iron ore and coal are widely 
diffused; coal, especially, occupies an extensive field. Salt springs are nu- 
merous, and mineral springs are found in many places. The great agricul- 
tural productions arc hemp, flax, Indian corn, tobacco, wheat and live stock. 
More than half of all the hemp raised in the Union is grown in Kentucky. 
Population, in 1790, 73,077 ; in 1820, 5G4,317; in 1840, 779,828; in 1850. 
982,-105 ; in ISGO, 1,185,5G7, of whom 225,490 were slaves. 



^' 




Sovih ea'iiem iitio oj r>niikfort. 

Showing tlie appear;inco of tlie pl:-,cp from the railrop.d. The snutlunu cntraiue of tho tunnel Ihrousli 
the limcstmip. bluff, iind under tlie State Arsenal and foot path to tho Cemetery, is sien on the ri-ht The 
r4il)itol and some other puhlio Ijuildings are .seen in the central part, Kentucky Kiver in front on tho left. 

Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, is 25 miles N. W. from Lexington, 
and 53 E. from Louisville. It is beautifully situated on the right or north - 
tMist bank of Kentucky Kiver, 60 miles above its mouth, in the midst of the 
wild and picturesque scenery which renders that stream so remarkable. The 
city stands on an elevated plain between the river and the high bluffs, which 
rise 150 feet immediately behind the town. The river, which is navigabla 
for steamboats to this pfaoe, is nearly 109 yards wide, and flows through ;j 
deep channel of limestone rock. A chain bridge crosses tho river here, con 
neeting the city with South Frankfort, its suburb. The railroad from Lex- 



KENTUCKY 



49 




State IIousk, Kuankfokt. 



ington passes into the city in a tunnel through the limestone rock or lediie 
on which the State Arsenal is erected. Frankfort is well built, and has fine 
edifices of brick and Kentucky marble. The State House is a handsome ed- 
ifice of white marble. The 
^^ ~"'~^:t?^-^ city is well supplied with ex- 

.'^(^t^ '?ft=iafeE.„ cellent spring water, which is 

^ conveyed into the town bv 
'"' iron pipes. The State Peni- 
tentiary is located here, and 
the trade of the place is fa- 
cilitated by railroads in vari- 
ous directions. The Ken- 
tucky Military Institute, a 
thriving institution, is in the 
vicinity of Franktbrt. Popu- 
lation about 5,000. 

"Frankfort was established 
by the Virginia legislature ir 
178t), though the first survey 
of GOO acres was made by 
Robert McAfee, on the Itith 
of July, 1773. The seat of government was located in 1792, and the first 
session of the assembly was held 
in 1793. The public buildings 
not being ready, the legislature 
assembled in a large frame house 
belonging to Maj. James Love, 
on the bank of the river, in the 
lower part of the city.'" 

The Frankfort Cemetery is laid 
out on the summit of the high and 
commanding bluffs which ininie- 
diatoly rise in an eastern direc- 
tion ironi the city. The "Mili- 
tary Monument" (an engraving of 
which is annexed) was erected in 
pursuance of an act of the leiiisla- 
turc, Feb., 1848. The ibllowing 
inscriptions and names are en- 
graved upon it, viz : 

Military Monument Erectkd hy 
Kentucky, A. D., 1S60. 
Mexico^ Lt. J. W. Powell ; Jiooiies- 
fjoroiiffh, Harmars Defeat^ Capt. J. 
.VtcMurtsy; Montereij, P. M. Bar- 
bour; Bucna T7a- to, Col. William \\. 
McKee, Lieut. Col. Clay, Capt. Wm. 
T. Willis. Adjutant E. P.Vaughn; 
I\iisin. Col. John Allen, Maj. Penja- 
Hi in Craves, Capt. John VVoolfolk. 
(/apt. N. G. S. Hart, Capt. James Meale, Capt. Robert Edwards, C;ipt. Virgil Mc- 
Cracken, Capt. William Price, Capt. John Edmundson, Cajit. Jolin S!n)pson! Capt. 
PiVica! llickiiuia, I.ieut. John Williamson; Thames, Col. Wm. Whitley, Capt. ElijiUi 




SIlI.ITARY MONIIBIKNT, FkaNKFOIIT. 
Tlio BiiKill iiinnuiiii-iit in iVcnt i,s tli.-it of IM.i.j. Ti.-n-- 
bour; ill tiie (ii--it:inri' is sliow;. tliat of Col. P.. M. .Tuliii.soii. 



50 KENTUCKY. 

Craig, Lieut. Robert Logan, Lieut. Thoi?. C. Graves, Lieut. Thos. Overton, Lieut. 
Francis China, Ensign Levi Wells, Ensign .Shavvhan, Surgeon Alex. Mont- 
gomery, Surgeon Thomas C. Davis, Surgeon John Irvin, Surgeon Thos. Mcllvainc; 
Indian Wars, Col. John Floj'd, Col. Nathaniel Hart, Col. Walker Daniel, Col. Wm. 
Christian, Col. Kice Galloway, Col. James Ilarrod, Col. Wm. Lynn, Maj. Evan 
Shelby, Maj. Bland Ballard, Capt. Christ Irvin, Capt. Wm. McAfee, Capt. John 
Kennedy, Capt. Christopher Crepps, Capt. Kog'ers, Capt. Wm. Bryant, Capt. Tip- 
ton, Capt. Chapman, Capt. McCracken, Capt. James Shelby, Capt. Samuel Grant, 
Supv^r Hanc'y Taylor, Supv'r Willis Lee; Massissinaway, St. Clair's Defeat, Col. 
Wm. Oldham; Estill's Defeat, Capt. James Estill, Lieut. South; Tippecanoe, Col. 
Joseph II. Daviess, (bl. Abram Owen; Fort Meigs, Col. Wm. Dudley, Capt. John 
C. Morrison, Capt. Chris'r Irvin, Capt. Joseph Clark, Capt. Thomas Lewis; Blue 
Licks, Col. John Todd, Col. Stephen Trigg, Major Silas Ilarlan, Maj. Wm. McBride, 
Capt. Edward Bulger, Capt. John Gordon, Capt. Isaac Boone. 

The principal battles and campaigns in which her sons devoted their lives to 
their country are inscribed on the bands, and beneath the same are the names of 
the officers who fell, 'i'he names of her soldiers who died for their country are too 
numerous to be inscribed on any column. By order of the legislature, the name 
of Col. J. J. Hardin, of the 1st Keg. Illinois Infantry, a son of Kentucky, who fell 
at the battle of J^uena Vista, is inscribed hereon. 

Kentucky has erected this column in gratitude equally to her officers and soldiers. 



To the memory of Col. Rich.vrd M. John.sox, a faithful pul)lic servant for nearly 
half a century, as a member of the Kentucky legislature and senator in congress. 
Author of the Sunday Mail Report, and of the laws for the abolishment for debt in 
Kentucky and in the United States. Distinguished for his valor as a colonel of a 
Kentucky regiment at the battle of the Thames. For four years vice-president of 
the United States. Kentucky, his native state, to mark the sense of his eminent 
services in the cabinet and in the field, has erected this monument in the resting 
place of her illustrious dead. Richard Mentor Johnson, born at Bryant's Station, 
on the 17th day of October, 1781 ; died in Frankfort, Ky., on the 19th day of No- 
vember, 1850. 



Philip Norbourne Barrour, born in Henderson, Kentucky, graduated -with 
merit at West Point in 1829; and immediately commissioned Lieutenant 3d Regi- 
ment U. S. Infantry; captain by brevet for valor in the Florida War; served with 
distinction at Palo Alto; major by brevet for distinguished gallantry and skill at 
Resaca de la Palma. He fell at the head of his command, covered with honor and 
glory, at the storming of Monterey, Sept. 21; 1846. Florida, Palo Alto, Resaca de 
Palma, Monterey. Kentucky has erected this monument to a brave and noble son. 



"At its session of 1844-45, the legislature of Kentucky adopted measures to have 
the mortal remains of the celebrated pioneer; Daniel Boone, and those of his wife, 
removed from their place of burial on the banks of the Missouri, for the purpose 
of interment in the public cemetery at Frankfort. 

The consent of the surviving relations of the deceased having been obtained, a 
commission was appointed, under whose superintendence the removal was effected; 
and the 13th of September, 1845, was fixed upon as the time when the ashes of the 
venerable dead would be committed with fitting ceremonies to the place of their 
final repose. The deep feeling excited by the occasion was evinced by the as- 
sembling of an immense concourse of citizens from all parts of the state, and the 
ceremonies were most imposing and impi'essive. A procession, extending moro 
than a mile in length, accompanied the coffins to the grave. The hearse, decorated 
with evergreens and flowers, and drawn by four white horses, was placed in its as- 
signed position in the line, accompanied, as pall bearers, by the following distin- 
guished pioneers, viz: Col. Richard M. Johnson, of Scott; General James Taylor, 
of Campbell, Capt. James Ward, of Mason ; Gen. Robert B. McAfee and Peter Jor« 
dan, of Mercer ; Waller Bullock, Esq., of Fayette ; Capt. Thos. Joyce, of Louisville 



KENTUCKY. 



51 






Mr. Landin Sneed, of Franklin; Col. John Johnston, of the state of Ohio; Major 
Z. Williams, of Kenton, and Col. Wm. Boone, of Shelb}-. The procession was ac- 
companied by several military companies, and by the members of the Masonic Fra- 
ternity, and the Independent order of Odd Fellows, in rich regalia. Arrived at the 
grave," the company was brought togetiier in a beautiful hollow near the grave, as- 
cending from the 
center on every side. 
Here the funeral ser 
vices were perform- 
ed. The hymn was 
given out by the 
Kev. :Mr. Godcll, of 
the Baptist Church; 
prayer by Bishop 
Soule, of the Metho- 
dist E. Church ; ora- 
tion by the Honora- 
l)le John J. Critten- 
den ; closing prayer 
by the Rev. J. J. 
Bullock, of the Pros- 
l)yterian Church, 
and benediction by 
the Kev. P. 8. Fall, 
of the Christian 
Church. The coffins 
were then lowered 
into the graves. The 
spot where the 
graves are situated 
is as beautiful as na- 
ture and art com- 
bined can make it.' " 




Graves of P.vNir.L IJhoxf, and his Wiff, at Fkankfort. 

The graves of Boatie ami his wife are withdUt a moniiinenf save tlie forest 
scene by which they are surrounded. T!ie spot where lliev were interred is 
at the foot of the two trees, around which is a sinipU- hoard seat. It is near 
the edge of the liigh Iiluff rising from tlie river. The beautiful valley of 
Kentucky Eiver is seen in the extreme distance. 



Only two persons 
were present of all 

tlie assembled thousands who had known Boone personally. One of these 
was the venerable Col. John Johnston, of Ohio, long an agent of the U. S. 
government over the Indians, having been appointed to that office by Wash- 
ington. The other v/as a humble old man named Ellison Williams, who 
walked barefoot from Covington to Frankfort, a distance o.f sixty miles, to 
see Boone's bones buried, but he was a silent mourner and an entire stranger 
in that vast crowd. He left as his dying request that he should be buried 
by the side of Boone, and the legislature of Kentucky in 18G0 appropriated 
ninety dollars for that purpose. At the same session they passed a bill ap- 
propriating two thousand dollars to erect a monument over the remains of 
Boone and liis wife. The originator of the bill was the Hon. Samuel Hay- 
craft, senator from Hardin, who advocated the measure in a speech of "al- 
most matchless beautj', eloquence and patriotism." 



Harrodsburg, the county seat of Merter county, is situated near the 
-eographical center of the state, thirty miles south from Frankfort, on an 
eminence, 1 mile from Salt River and 8 miles from Kentucky River. It 
contains the county buildings, 7 churches, 2 banks 25 stores, several manu- 
facturing establishments, the Kentucky University, 2 female colleges, and 
about 2,500 inhabitants. Bacon College, founded in 1836, under the pat- 
ronage of the Christian denomination, is located in this place. The Har- 



r,9 KENTUCKY. 

rodsbnrp^ Sprinj^s are celebrated for the medicinal virtue of their waters, and 
for the beauty and extent of the adjoiniiig grounds. 

According to some authorities, Harrodsburg was the first settled place in 
Kentucky. In July, 1773. tlie McAfee company from Bottetourt county, 
Va., vi.sited this region, and surveyed lands on Salt River. Capt. Janiod 
Ilirrod. with forty-one men, descended the Ohio lliver from the Mononga- 
\\'A:\. in May, 1774, and penetrating into the intervening forest made ITu" 
M-iiifipal camp about one hundred yards below the town spring, under the 
branches of a large elm tree. About the middle of Juno, Capt. Ilarrod an'l 
companions laid oiF a town plot (which included the camp), and erected a 
number of cabins. The place received the name of Harrodstown, afterward 
Oidtown, and finally the present name of Harrodsburg. The first corn raised 
in Kentucky was in 1775, by John Harmon, in a field at the east end of 
Harrodsburg. During the year 1777, the Indians, in great numbers, col 
lected about Harrodsburg, in order, it was supposed, to prevent any corn 
being raised for the support of the settlers. In this period of distress and 
peril, a lad by the name of Ray, seventeen years of age, rendered himself an 
object of general favor by his courage and enterprise. He often rose before 
day, and left the fort on an old horse to procure (by hunting) food for the 
garrison. This horse'was the only one left unslaughtered by the Indians 
of forty brought to the country by Major M'Gary. He proceeded, on these 
occasions, cautiously to Salt River, generally riding in the bed of some small 
stream to conceal his course. When sufficiently out of hearing, he would 
kill his load of game and bring it in to the suffering people of the fort after 
nightfall. 

Louisville, the scat of justice for Jefferson county, is the largest city in 
the state, and, next to Cincinnati and Pittsburg, the most important on the 
Ohio. It is situated on the left bank of the river, at the head of the rapids, 
()5 miles by railroad W. of Frankfort, 130 below Cincinnati, 590 W. byS. IVom 
Washington, and 1.411 above New Orleans. The city is built on a gentle ac- 
clivity, 75 feet above low watermark, on a slightly undulating plain. Eight 
handsome streets, nearly two miles in length, run east and west, parallel with 
the river: they are crossed by more than 30 others running at right angles. 
The situation and surrounding scenery of Louisville are beautiful, and from 
some parts is had a delightful view of the Ohio River and of the town of 
New Albany, a few miles below. 

Its immediate trade extends into all the surrounding country, and em- 
braces within the 5<tate of Kentucky a circuit of one of the most productive 
regions of the world. The manufactures of Louisville are very extensive, 
embracing a great variety. It has ibunderies and machine shops, steam bag- 
ging factories, cotton, woolen and tobacco factories, mills of various kinds, 
distilleries, breweries, agricultural factories, etc. Ship building is also ex- 
tensively carried on. Tlie trade of Louisville is estimated at one hundred 
niillions of dollars annually. The principal agricultural exports arc tobacco, 
pork, hemp, and flour. It is connected with its suburb Portland by a rail- 
road operated by horse power, and by a canal 2^ miles around the Falls of 
the Ohio, with a total lockage of 22 feet. It is also connected by railroads 
with the interior. Since the completion of the railroad to_Nashvil!e, an im- 
mense trade has opened with the south, which has given a great impulse to 
the prosperity of the cUj. Louisville contains many splendid public build- 
ings, 10 banks, about 50 churclies, and a population, in 1860, of 75,19(j. 

Tlie Medical Inslilutc, oiganized in 1837, by an ordinance of the city 



KENTUCKY 



53 



jouucil, ranks higli aiuoiig' the public Institutions of Loui^ivii!e. The Uiii- 
vcrsiiy of Loidacilli- is in successlul operation, and has bui!uiu^-.s whicli are a:i 
oruaiueat to the city. The Murine Jlospikil, designed a^^ a refuge for iiek 




View of iJie Coitral part of LotiisviUe. 

Tlio viow f-liow? tlio aiip<':u:iii(:e of tho central part of Louisville, from tbe lu'liana side of the Oliio. 
The Ji ffi'r.suii f.iry Ffrvy Landins, and Gait House appear on ilu- loft, the Louisville Hotel in tlie dis- 
!an:-.e on the right, the Court House and City Hall, the Catholic and otlier Churches in the ceatnil part. 

aiid iuiirui uuiriiiers, is an important public institution, located and established 
here in 1820, by a grant from the state of 840,000. Another Marine Asy- 
lum lias been erected here by the general government. The Asi/hiin for /lie 
Blind, established b}' the state in 184:2, has a spacious building erected by 
the joint contributions of the state and citizens of Louisville. The sludcnts. 
beside their literary studies, are also instructed in various kinds of liandi- 
crai't, by Nvhich they can support themselves after leaving the institution. »SV. 
Jfm'j>k\ hifirmari/ is a Catholic benevolent institution. The Kcittiic,:'j His- 
f'lriad Society, in this place, "was incorporated in 1838: it has collected va.iua- 
])]e documents relating to the early history of the state and of the v.est. 
The jlercantile Library Association has a large and valuable collection of 
1)Ooks. The Arlcsiun Well, at Louisville, sends up immense quantities of 
minerai v.'ater of rare medicinal value in various complaints, proving a bless- 
ing as great as it was unexpected to the citizens. 

The follovvdng, relative to the first settlement, etc., of Louisville, is from 
Collins' Historical Sketches of Ky.: 

•'uiitiin Thom^i.? Bullitt, of Viriiinia. uncle of toe late Alexander Scott !>n!litt, 
vvix) w.is the first Iieuteiiant-o;overnorof Kcntuck}^ is said to have laid off [jonisvilio 
i;i iTVo. Tliis was before the first log caldn was built 'm Kentucky. For sovcnd 
years tii'ter this, the silence of the forest was undisturbed by the white man. The 
•(ilacc was occasionally visited by different persons, l)ut no settlement was made un- 
til 1T7S. In tlit^ spring of this year, a ptrty, consisting of a small number of 
families, Ciuno to the Falls with George Rogers Clark, and were left by him on an 



54 



KENTUCKY. 



island noar tho Kenfuclcy shore, now called Corn Island. The name is suppose 1 
to have Vjcon derived from the circumstance that the settlers planted their first In 
diiin corn on tliis island. 

'i'iiese settlers were sixty or seventy miles distant from any other settlement, and 
had nothing hut their insular position to defend tiiem from the Indians. The posts 
in the \Valja.sli country, oiicupied In' the British, served as points of support for 
tlie incursions of the savages. After these had been taken by Clark, the setthira 
were inspired with eonfidcnce, and. in the fall of 1778, removed from the island ta 
the site now occupied by Louisville. Here a block house was erected, and tlie 
number of settlers was increased l)y the arrival of other emigrants from Virginia. 

in 17S(), the legislature of Virginia passed 'an act for establishing the town of 
Louisville, at the falls of Ohio.' By this act, 'John Todd, jr., Stephen Trigg. Geo. 
Slaughter, John Floyd, William Pope, (ieorge Meriwether, Andrew Hynos, James 
Hiiliivan, gentlemen,' were appointed trustees to lay off the town on a tract of one 
thousand acres of land, which had been granted to John Connelly by the British 
government, and v.-hich he had forfeited by adiiering to the English monarch. 
Each purchaser was to Ijuildon his own lot 'a dwelling house sixteen feet by twenty 
at least, with a brick or stone chimney, to be finished within two years from the day 
of s.ale.' On account of the interruptions caused by the inroads of the Indians, 
the time was al'terward extended. 'J'he state of the settlers was one of constant 
danger and anxiety. Their foes Avere continually prowling around, and it was 
risking their lives to leave the fort. 

The settlement at the falls was more exposed than those in tl;e interior, on ac- 
count of the facility with which the Indians could cross and recross the river, and 
the dilEculties in tlie way of pursuing them. The savages frequently crossed the 
river, and after killing some of the settlers, and conimitting depredations upon 
property, recrossed and escaped. In 17S(), Colonel (ieorge Slaughter arrived at 
tiie l'\alls with one hundred and lifty state troops. The inhabitants were inspired 
witli a feeling of security whieh led them frerjuently to expose themselves with too 
little caution. 'J'heir foes v/ere ever on the watch, and Avere continually destroying 
valuable lives. Danger and deatii crouched in every path, and lurked behind 
every tree. 




Medical and Law Colleges, Louiavilie. 
The following inscriptions arc copied from monuments in the graveyards 
of Louisville, the first three being in the old yard in llio city, the remainder 
in the Cave Iliil Cuuietcry: 

Erected by Dr. J. M. Tiilbot to the memory of bis Father, Capt. IsiiAM Talbot, who de- 
parted this life July ^0, 1839, in his Slst year, lie was boru iu V^irgiuia. At a tender iijje 



KENTUCKY. 55 

he entered the Army of the Revolution, was in the memorable battles of Brandy wine, Ger- 
mnntDwn and Monmouth. Visited Ky. in '79, and after his permanent location in '82, was 
in the disastrous engagement with the Indians at the Lower Blue Licks. He sustained 
through life the character of a high minded, honorable gentleman. His Honesty and In- 
tegrity were never questioned, and far better than all, he died with a bright hope of enjoying 
eternal Life beyond the grave. 



Rev. Isaac McCoy, born June 13th, 1784, died June 21st, 1S36. For near ."iO years, his 
entire lime and energies were devoted to the civil and religious improvement of the Abo- 
riginal tribes of this country. Ho projected and founded the plan of their Colonization, 
their only hope, the imperishable monument of his wisdom and benevolence. 

The Indian's Friend, for them he loved through life, 

For them in death he breathed his final prayer. 

Now from his toil he rests — the care — the strife — 

And waits in heaven, his works to follow there. '' 



To the memory of Major Joh.v IIatrison, who was born in Westmoreland Co., Virginia, 
A.D. 1754. After having fought for the Liberty of his Countrj' during the struggles of the 
American Revolution, he settled in Louisville in 1786, and paid nature's final debt, July 15th, 
1821. 

Pkarson Follansbke, City Missionary in Louisville, born March 4, 1808, in Vassalboro, 
Me., died Sept. 6th, 1846. " He went about doing good. His record is on high." 
00 

Sacred to the memory of John McKinlky, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the 
U. S. Born May 1, 1780; died July 19, 1852. "In his manner he was simple and ur.af- 
fectcd. and his character was uniformly marked with manliness, integrity and honor. He 
was a candid, impartial and righteous judge, shrinking from no responsibility. He was 
fearless in the performance of his duty, seeking only to do right, and fearing nothing but 
to do wrong." — Hon. J. J . Crittenden' a renKtrki in U. S. Court. 



Wm. H. G. Butler, born in Jefferson Co., Ind., Oct. 3, 1825, died at Louisville, K3'., 
Nov. 2, 1853. A man without fear and without reproach, of gentle and retiring disposi' 
lion, of clear and vigorous mind; an accomplished scholar, a devoted and successful 
teacher, a meek and humble Christian. He fell by the hand of violence in the presence of 
his loving pupils, a Martyr to his fidelity in ihe discharge of duty. This monument is 
erected by his pupils, and a bereaved community, to show their appreciation of his worth, 
and to perpetuate their horror at his murder. 



Jane McCuli.ough, wife of John Martin, died by the falling of the Walnut Presby- 
terian Church, .'Vug. 27, 1854. Aged 59 years. 

She loved the Courts of God below, I And while engaged in worship there. 

There found her Saviour nigh, | Was called to those on high. 



Annexed is a view of the ningnifieent bridjic over (jlrcen llivcr on the 
LouisTille and Nashville Railroad. Excepting the Vi;.-t(>ria Bridge, at Mon- 
treal, it is the largest iron bridge on this continent. The iron work of the 
superstriictiirc, which was built by Innian & Gault, of Louisville, was begun 
la July, IS08, and by July, 1851), the bridge was in its place ready for the 
passage of trains. 

" It crossf^s the valley of (^ircon liivcr near the town of Mumfonlsville, Kentucky, 
about 70 miles from Louisville, and twenty miles above tlie celeln-ated Mammoth 
Cave, which is located on the same stream, its total lengih is 1,000 feet, consist- 
ing of three spans of 208 feet, and two of 288 feet eacJi ; is ILS feet al)Ove low- 
water; contains 638.000 pounds of cast, and 381,000 poumis of wrought iron, and 
2,500 cu))ic feet of timber in the form of rail joists. There are 10,220 cubic yards 
of masonry in the piers and alnitmcnts. The cost of t!ie superstructure, includ- 
ing that of erection, was sixty-eight dollars per foot lineal — that of the entire work, 
$165,000. The plan of truss is that invented by Albert Fink, the designer and 
constructor of the bridges and viaducts on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; and 
is peculiar in this, that it is selfcompensating and selfadjnsting, and no extremes 
of tempm-iiture can put it in such a condition that all the parts can not act in their 
accustomed manner and up to their full capacity." 



oG 



KENTUCKY. 



The celebrated Mdinni'ifh Gn-r, our, of tlie u'vcat wonilers of the western 
world, is in Pulmondson county, near the line of the Louisville and Nashville 




Iran J>rii.lijc uDcr Grccii UU'cr. 

Railroad, and about 00 miles from each of the two cities. It is said to have 
been explored to the distance of 10 miles without reachingits termination, while 

the aggregate width of all 
its brunches exceeds forty 
miles. 

"The cave is approaclied 
tliroiii:;h a voniantie shade. 
At the entrance is a rush 
oi' cold air; a descent of 30 
feet, by stone steps, and an 
advance of 150 feet inward, 
brings the visitor to the 
(1()(ir, in a solid stone Avail, 
wliicli lilocks up the en- 
trance of the cave. A nar 
row passaire leads to tho 
great vesiibule, ar ante 
clianibcr, an oval hall, liOO 
bv 150 feet, and 50 feet 
hiiih. Two passages, of 
one hundred feet width, 
open into it, and the whole 
is sup])orted without a sin- 
gle cohnnn. 'fhis chamber 
was used by the races of 
yore as a cemetery, judg- 
ing iVoiii the lionos of gi- 
gantio size which are dis- 
covered. A hundred feet 
above your head, you catch 
a litful glimpse of a dark 




Gurmc C'liAi'KL, JIa-mji I'll C.wk. 



" ■ I-' t'^ ' 

ijray colling, rolling dimly away like a cloud; and heavy buttresses, apparently 



KENTUCKY. 57 

liendini: under the superincumbent weight, pmject their enormDiis! masses from the 
shadowy wall. Tlie scene is vast, solemn, a!id awful. In the silence that perv;icles, 
you can distinctly hear the throhliinils of your heart. In Audubon Acenur, lead- 
\w% from the hall, is a deep well of pure spring water, surrounded by stalagmite 
columns from the floor to the roof The Little Bnt Room contains a pit of 280 
feet deep, and is the resort of myriads of hats. The Grand (HaJlery is a vast tun- 
nel, man}' miles long and 50 feet h.igh, and as v/ide. At tlio enii of the first quar- 
ter of a mile are the Keutucliij Cliff's, and the Church, 100 feet in diameter and 
G;J feet high. A natural pulpit and organ loft are not wanting. ' In this temp'c 
religious services have frequently been performed.' The Gothic Aoenue, renclud 
b\' a flight of stairs, is 40 feet wide, 15 feet high, and 2 miles long. Mummies have 
been discovered hei-e, which have been the subject of curiou.s stuih' to f-cience; 
(here arc also stalagmites and stalactites in Louisas Bowemml Vulcan s Furnace. 
On the walls of the Rcjistcr Rooms are inscribed thousands of niimcs. The 
G'ltliic Chapel, or Stalaginite Hall, is an elliptical chamber, 80 feet Iciig by 50 
wide. IStalagmltc columns of immense size nearly block up tlio two ends; and 
two rows of pillars of smaller dimensions, reaching from the Quor to the ceiling, 
and equidistant i'rom the wall on either side, extend the entire length of the hall. 
This aparttuent is one of surprising grandeur, and Avhen illuminated with hr.iips, 
inspires the beholder witli feelings of scdemnity and awe. At the foot of the 
Devil's Arm Chair i.s a small basin of sulphur water. Then there is the Breast- 
w<irl\ the E'cphani's Head, Lover's T^eap, Gaieicood' s Dining Table, and the Cool- 
in;,' Tuh, a basin feet wide and 3 feet deep, of the purest Avater, Napoleon s Dome, 
etc. The Ball Room contains an orchestra 15 feet high; near by is a row of 
cabins for cn-umptive patient.s — the atmosphere being always temperate and pure. 
The Stai- C/trtwi^^r presents an optical illusion. 'In looking up, the spectntov 
seems to s'-e the firn)araent itself, studded with star.s, and afixr off a comet Avith a 
bright tail.' The Temple is nn immense A'ault, covering an area of two acres, and 
covered by a single dome of solid rock, 120 feet high. It rivals the celebrated 
vault in the (Jrotto of Antiparos, which is the largest in the world. In the middle 
of the dome there is a large mound of rocks rising on one side nearly to the top, 
very steep, and farming what is called the Mountain. The River Hall descends 
like the slope of a mountain; the ceiling stretches away before yon, vast ami grand 
as the flriMiment at raidpight. A short distance on the lefc is a steep precipice, 
over which you can look down. l»y the aid of torches, upon a broad, black sheet 
of water. SO feet below, called the Dead Sea. This is <in awfully impressive place, 
the sights and sounds of which do not easily pass from memory." 

Mii}jRcHle i.s situated on the left bank of the Ohio, 73 miles N.E. from 
Frankfort, 441 below Pittsburg, and 55 above Cincinnati by tlie river. It is 
beautifully located on a high bank, having a range of lofty verdant hills or 
bluffs rising imiiiediately behind the city. Maysville has a good harbor, and 
is the port of a large and productive section of the state. Among tlio pub- 
lic buildings, there is a handsome city hall, 2 large seminaries, a hospila! 
and 7 churches. Bagging, rope, machinery, agricultiiral implenjents, and 
various oilier articles, are extensively manufactured. It is one oi' the hirge.-;t 
hemp m.ukets in the Union. Population about 3,000. 

Maysville was known for many years as Limestone, from the Creek of th;it 
name, which here empties into the Ohio. It received its present name i'rom 
John M(i>j, the owner of the land, a gentleman from Virginia. The first sof- 
tlemcnt was made at this place in 1784, and a double log cabin and i;]o(dc 
house were bulit by Edward and John Waller, and George Lewis, of Vir- 
ginia!. Col. Daniel Boone resided here in 178G, and while here made a 
treaty with the Indians at the mouth of Fishing Gut, opposite Maysvll'o. 
The town was established in 1788. The first school was opened in 17!.!0, by 
Israel Donaldson, who had been a captive among the Indians. The frontier 
and exposed situation of Maysville retarded its progress for many years, and 



58 KENTUCKY. 

it was not until about the year 1815, tliat its permanent improvement fairlj 
commenced. It was incorporated a city in 1833. 




I'iew iif ilie Month of Lichlin/ L'iver, Jidween Neicpori and C<ivlu<jion. 



The Susiieiisioii BiiiIt;o lictwvi'n Nov.port anil (Jovinjitoii is seen in the central part, passing over Licking 
Kiver. The U. S. Uiivracks, in Newport, appear on the loft, part of Covington on the right. 

Covington is in Kenton county, on the west side of Licking River, at its 
mouth, also on the south bank of the Ohio, opposite Cincinnati, and at the 
northern terminus of the Kentucky Central Railroad: it is GO miles N.N.E. 
from Frankfort. It is built on a beautiful plain several miles in extent, and 
the streets are so arranged as to appear, from the hills back of Cincinnati, as 
a continuation of that city, of which, with Newport, it is a suburb. The fa- 
cilities of communication are such that many persons reside here, whose 
places of 'business are in Cincinnati. Its manufocturing interests are ex- 
tensive and varied. A magnificent suspension bridge is now constructing 
over the Ohio, to connect Covington with Cincinnati. Population about 
15,000. 

Newport is on a handsome plain, on the Ohio River, opposite Cincinnati: 
it is separated from Covington by Licking River, with which it is connected 
by a beautiful suspension bridge. ^Vn U. S. arsenal and barracks are located 
here. It contains several rolling mills, iron founderies, steam mills, etc. 
Population about 12,000. 

The valley of the Ohio, a short distance from the Licking, was the scene of 
a most sanguinary event years before white men had settled in this vicinity. 
It was Rogers' defeat and massacre, which occurred in the fall of 1779, at 
which time this spot, and the site of the now flourishing city of Cincinnati, 
opposite, was one dense forest : 

Col. David Rogers and Capt. Benliam, with 100 men, were in two largo keol 
boats, on their way from New Orleans, with supplies of aimimnition and provis- 
ions lor tlie western posts. In Oct()li(>r, wlieii near the nioutli of the Licking, a 
few Indians were seen, and supposing himself to bo superior in numl)crs, Rolgers 
liimlod to attack them, and was led into an ambuscade of 4t)l) Indians. The wlntes 
fought witli desporation, ])ut in a furious onset with tomahawk and scalping-kjiife, 
tiic coniniandcr, witli about ninety of his men, were soon dispatciicd. Tho escape 
of Capt. Benham was almost miraculous. A shot passed through both legs, shat- 



KENTUCKY. 59 

teving the bones. "With r^reat pain he dragj^ied himself into the top of a fallen tree, 
where he lay concealed from the search of the Indians after the battle was over. 
He remained there until the evening of the next day, when, being in danger of 
famishing, he sliot a raccoon which he perceived descending a tree near where he 
lay. Just at that mDUU'iit he heard a human cry, apparently within a few r()<is. 
Supposing il. to be an enemy, he loaded his gun and remained silent. A .second, 
and then a third lialioo was given, accompanied by the exclamation, ' Whoever you 
are, fur Uod's sake answer me?' This time Benham replied, and soon foun<l tii;; 
unknown to be a fellow soldier, with both arms broken ! Thus each was en!;bleii 
iu supply the deliciency of the other. Bonham could load and shoot game, Avliilo 
his companion could kick it to Benham to cook. In this way they supported tiiem- 
Hclves for several weeks until their wounds healed sufficiently to enable them to 
move down to the mouth of Licking River, where they remained until the 27th of 
November, when a flat-boat appeared moving by on the river. They hailed tiie 
boat, but the crew fearing it to be an Indian decoy, at first refused to come to their 
aid, but eventually were prevailed upon to take them on board. Both of thi>m re- 
covered. Benliam served through the Indian wars down to the victory of Wayne, 
and subsequently resided near Lebanon, Ohio, until his death, about the year 
1808. 

The Blue Lick Springs is a watering place of hij;]i repute on the Licking 
Biver, in Nicholas county, 19 miles from Lexington, and 80 miles south- 
easterly from Covington. At an early period, the Licks became a place of 
much importance to the settlers, as it was chiefly here that they procured, at 
great labor and expense, their supply of salt. In modern times it has be- 
come a fiishionable place of resort^ the accommodations greatly extended, 
and the grounds improved and adorned. The Blue Lick water lias become 
an article of commerce, several thousand barrels being annually exported. 

It was at this place, on the 19th of Aug., 1782, that a bloody battle was 
fought with the Indians, "which shrouded Kentucky in mourning," and, 
next to St. Clair's defeat, has become famous in the annals of savage war- 
fare. Just prior to this event, the enemy had been engaged in the siege of 
Bryant's Station, a post on the Elkhorn, about five miles from Lexington. 
As the battle was a sequel to the other, we give the narrative of the first in 
connection, as described in McClung's Sketches: 

In the summer of 1782, 600 Indians, under the influence of the British at De- 
troit, assembled at old Chillicothc, to proceed on an expedition to exterminate the 
" Long Knife" from Kentucky, and on the night of the 14th of August, this body 
gathered around Bryant's Station. The fort itself contained about forty cabins, 
placed iu parallel lines, connected by strong palisades, and garrisoned by forty or 
fifty men. It was a parallelogram of thirty rods in length by twenty in breadth, 
forming an inclosure of nearly four acres, which was protected by digging a trench 
four or five feet deep, in which strong and heavy pickets were planted by ramming 
the earth well down against them. These were twelve feet out of the ground, 
being formed of hard, durable timber, at least a foot in diameter. Such a wall, it 
must be obvious, defied climbing or leaping, and indeed any means of attack, can- 
non excepted. At the angles Avere small squares or block-houses, Avhich projected 
beyond the palisades, and served to impart additional strength at the corners, ns 
well as permitted the besieged to pour a raking fire across the advanced partv of 
the assailants. Two folding gates were in front and rear, swinging on prodi.<j;ious 
wooden hinges, sufficient for the passage in and out of men or wagons in times of 
security. These were of course provided with suitable bars. 

This was the state of things, as respects the means of defense, at Bryant's Sta- 
tion on the morning of the 15th of August, 1782, while the savages lay concealed 
in the thick weeds around it, which in those days grew so abundantly and tall, as 
would have sufficed to conceal mounted horsemen. They waited for daylight, and 
the opening of the gates for the garrison to get water for the day's supply from an 
adjacent spring, before they should commence the work of carnage. 



(30 KENTUCKY. 

It seems that tlic garrison here Avcro rather taken off their guard. Fonie of the 
pii.Iis:!de work had not l)een seeurod as pernianeutly as possibk^, and tlic original 
party wliieh built the fort had been tempted, in the huri-y oT constructing and theii 
I'ewnessof hands, to restrict its extent, so as not to include a spring of water witliin 
its limits. *ireat as were these disadvantages, they were on tlie eve of exposure tc 
a stili greater one, for had tlie attack been delayed a few houi-s, the garrison would 
have been found disabled by sending off a reinforcement to a neighboring staticu 
— lIold(!r's settlement — on an unfounded alarm that it was attacked by a parly of 
savaires. As it was, no sooner had a few of the men made their appearance out- 
side of the gate than they were fired on, and compelled to regain the inside. 

According to custom, the Indians resorted to stratagem I'ur success. A detach- 
ment of one hundred warriors attacked the south-east angle of the slation, calcu- 
latin-.- to draw the entire body of the besieged to that quarter to repel the attack, 
and thus enable the residue of the assailants, five hundred strong, who were on the 
opposite side in ambiish near the spring, to take advantage of its unprotected situ- 
ation, when the whole force of the defense should be drawn off to resist the assault 
at the south-cast. Their purpose, however, was comprehended inside, and instead 
of returning the fire of the smaller party, they secretly dispatched an express to 
Lexington for assistance, and began to repair the palisades, and otherwise to put 
themselves in the best possible posture of defense. 

The more experienced of the garrison felt sati.sfied that a powerful part}' was in 
ambuscade near the spring, but at the same time, they supposed that the Indians 
would not unmask themselves until the tiring upon tlie opposite side of the fort 
was returned with such warmth as to induce the belief that the feint had suc- 
ceeded. Acting upon this impression, :nid yielding to the urgent necessity of the 
ease, thev summoned all tiie women, without exception, and explaining to them the 
circumstances in which they were placetl, and the improbability that any injury 
would be offered them until tlie firing had been returned from the opposite side of 
the !ort, they urged them to go in a body to the spring and each to bring up a 
bucket full of water. Some of the ladies had no relish for the undertaking, and 
a.sked why the men could not bring water as well as themselves? observing that 
they were not bullet-proof, and that the Indians made no distinction between nmle 
and female scalps. To this it was answered, that the women were in the habit of 
bringing water every morning to the fort, and that if the Indians saAv them cn;:aged 
as usurJ, it would induce them to believe that their ambuscade v.as undiscovered, 
and .t!iat they would not unmask themselves for the sake of firing upon a x'ew 
women, when they hofied, l)y remaining concealed a few moments hmger, to obtain 
complete possession of the fort. That if luot. should go down to the spring the In- 
dians would immediately suspect that something was wrong, would despair of suc- 
ceeding bv amijuscade. and Avould instantly rush upon them, i'ollow them into the 
fort, or shoot them down at the spring. The decision was soon over. A few of 
the boldest declared their readiness to brave the danger, and the younger and more 
timid rallying in the rear of these veterans, they all marched down in a body to 
the spring, within point Idank shot of five hundred Indian warriors! Some of the 
girl.^ could not help betraying symptoms of terror, but the married women, in gen- 
eral, moved Avitii a steadiness and composure which completely deceived the Jn- 
dians. Not a shot was fired. The party were permitted to fill their buckets one 
alter another, witlmut interruption, and nlthough their stejis became quicker and 
quicker on their return, and when near the fort degenerated into a rather unmili- 
tary cderity, attended witli some little crowding at the gate, yet not more than one 
fiJtii of the water was spilled. 

Wf.en iin ample supply of water had been thus obtained, ar.d the neglected de- 
fenses ('(inipleted, a party of thirteen men sallied out in the direction in which the 
assault ha<l lieen made. They were fired on by the savages, and driven ogain williin 
tlu; palisades, liut without sustaining any loss (d' life. Immediiiteiy the live hun- 
dred on the opposite side rushed to the assault of what they deemed (he unpro- 
t<>cted side of the fort, without entertaining any doubts of their success. A well 
directed fire, hoAvever, put them jiromptly to fiight. Some of the more daring and 
desperate approached near cnougli witii burning arrows to fire the houses, oni' or 
two of which wore burned, but a favorable wind drove the flames awav from the 



KENTUCKY. 



61 



mass of the bnlMings, and the station escaped the danger thro:i toned fs-om this 
,-?oarce. A second assault froui the lircat b'ody of the Jndians. was repelled ^vi^!l 
the same viiror and suc^'Cds as tlie lirst. 

Disappointed of their ot)ject thus far, the assailants retreated, and concealed 
themselves under the bank of the creek to await and intercept the arrival of the 
assistance Avhich they Avere aycH aware Avas on its way from Lcxinjrton. The ex- 
press from Bryant's Station reached that town without difficnltv, but found its 
male inhabitants had left there to aid in the defense of Holder's iStation. wliicli 
was rep6rted to be attacked. Followim: their route, he overtook them at Uoones- 
boroui^h, and sixteen mounted men, with thirty on foot, immediately retraced their 
steps for the relief of tiie besieiied at Bryant's. When this roinforeeraent ap- 
proached the fort, the firins; had entirely ceased, no enemy was visible, and tlio 
party advanced in reckless confidence that it Avas either a false alarm, or that the 
Indians had abandoned the sietre. Their aA'enuc to the garrison Avas a lane be- 
tAveen two cornfields, Avhich groAving rank and thick formed an effectual hiding 
place to the Indians even at the distance of a fcAV yards. The line of ambush ex- 
tended on both sides nearly six hundred j-ards. Providentially it Avas in the heat 
of midsummer, and dry accordingly, and the approach of the horsemen raised a 
cloud of dust so thick as to compel the enemy to fire at random, and the Avhites 
happily escaped without losing a man. The footmen, on hearing the firing in 
front, dispersed amidst the corn, in hopes of reaching the garrison unobserved. 
Here they were intercepted by the savages, Avho threw themselves between them 
and the fort, ami but for the luxuriant groAvth of corn they must all haA^e been shot 
down. As it was, two men were killed and four Avounded of the party on foot, be- 
fore it succeeded in making its Avay into the fort. 

Thus reinforced, the garrison felt assured of safety, Avhile in the same measure 
the assailing party began to despair of success. 

One expedient remained, Avhich Avns resorted to for the purpose of intimidating 
the brave spirits AAdio Avere gathered for the defense of their wives and little ones. 
As the shades of cA'ening approached, Girty, who commanded the party, addressed 
the inmates of the fort. Mounting a stump, from Avhich he could be distinctly 
heard, Avith a demand for the surrender of the place, he assured the garrison that a 
reinforcement with cannon would arrive that night, that the station must fall, tliathe 
could assure them of protection if they surrendered, but could not restrain the 
Indians if they carried the fort by storm; adding, he supposed they kncAv Avho it 
was that thus addressed them. A j'oung man, named Beynolds, fearing the effect 
which the threat of cannon might haA'e on the minds of the defending party, Avith 
the fate of Martin's and Ruddle's Stations fresh in their memories, left no oppor- 
tunity for confei'cnce, bA"^ replying instantly, that he knew him Avell, and held him 
in such contempt that he had called a good for nothing dog he had by the name 
of Simon Girty. ' KnoAv you,' added he, ' aa^c all know you for a renegade coAvnrdly 
villain, that delights in murdering Avomcn and children? Wait until morning, 
and you will fiml on what side the reinforcements are. We expect to leave not 
nne of your coAvardly souls alive, and if yori are caught, our women shall AAdiipyou 
to death AAdth hickory sAvitches. Clear out, you cut-throat villain.' Some of the 

Kentuckians shouted out. ' Shoot the d d rascal ! ' and Girty Avas glad to retreat 

Dut of the range of their rifles lest some one of the garri'^on might be tempted to 
adopt the advice. 

The night passed a\\'ay in uninterrupted tranquillity, and at daylight in the morn- 
ing the Indian eamp Avas found deserted. Fires were still burning brightly, and 
several pieces of meat were left upon their roasting sticks, from Avhicli it was in- 
ferred that they had retreated just before d.aybreak. 

Battle of the Blue Licks. — Early in the day reinforcements began to drop in, 
and by noon 167 men Avere assemliled at Bryant's Station, among whom were Cols. 
Boone. Todd, and Trigg: i\Iajors Harland, McBride, M'Gary, and Levy Todd; and 
Captains Bul/.er and Gordon; of the Inst six named, except Todd and M'Gary, all 
fell in the subsequent battle. A tumultuous conA-ersation ensued, and it was unan- 
imously resolved to pursue the enemy fortliAvith, notAvithstanding that they Avere 
three to one in numbers. The Indians, contrary to their usual custom, left a V>road 
and obvious trail, and manifeisted a Avillingness to be pursued. Notwithstanding, 



62 



KENTUCKY. 



such was the impotiiosity of the Kentuckians, that they overlooked these consid 
Dfiitions, and hastened on with fatal resolution, most of them beinLC mounted. 

The next dav, about noon, tliey came, for the lirst time, in view of the enemy 
it the Lower Uluc Licks. A number of Indians were seen ascending the rocky 
ri(Ii';(> on t!ie opposite side of the Licking;. They halted upon the appearance of 
the Kentiickians, and <;azed at them a few moments, and then cahnly and leisurely 
disapju'arcd over the top of the hill. An immediate halt ensued. A dozen or 
twentv otlicers met in front of the ranks and entered into a consultation. Ilic 
wild ami lonelv aspect of the country around them, their distance from any point 
of support,, Avith the certainty of their being in the presence of a superior, enemy, 
seems to have inspired a portion of seriousness borderinjr upon awe. All eyes 
were now turned upon Boone, and Col. Todd asked !iis opinion as to what should 
be done. The veteran woodsman, Avith his usual unmoved i;;ravit3-. replied: 

That tiioir situation was critical and delicate; that the force opposed to them 
was undouhtedl}' numerous and ready for battle, as might readily be seen from the 
leisurely retreat of the few Indians who had appeared on the crest of the hill; that 
he was well acquainted with the ground in the neighborhood of the Lick, and was 
apprehensive that an ambuscade was formed at the distance of a mile in advance, 
where two ravines, one upon each side of the ridge, ran in sucli a manner tiiat a 
conc(!alod enemy might assail them at once both in front and flank, Ijelbre they 
were apprised of the danger. 

It would be proper, therefore, to do one of two things. Either to await the arri 
val of Logan, who was now undouI)tedly on his march to join them, with a strong 
force from Lincoln, or, if it Avas determined to attack Avithout delay, that one half 
of their number should march up the river, Avhich there bends in an elliptical form, 
cross at the rapids and fall upon the rear of the enemy, Avhile the other division 
attacked in front. At any rate, he strongly urged the necessity of reconnoitering 
the ground carefully before the main body crossed the river. 

iioone was heard in silence and Avith deep attention, yome Avished to adopt the 
first plan; others preferred the second; and the discussion threatened to be tlrawn 
out to some length, Avhen the boiling ardor of MXJary, a\ ho could never endure the 
presence of an enemy without instant battle, stimulated him to an act, Avhich had 
nearly proved destructiA^e to his country. He suddenly interru|)tcd the consulta- 
tion Avitli a loud Avhoop, resembling the war-cry of the Indians, spuiTed his horse 
into the stream, Avaved his hat over his head, and shouted aloud: 'Let all Avho are 
not cowards folloAv me ! ' The Avords and the action together, produced a i electri- 
cal ellect. The mounted men dashed tumultuously into the river, each striving to 
be foremost. The footmen AA'ere mingled AA'ith them in one rolling and irre;t;ular 
mass. 

No order Avas given, and none observed. They struggled through a deep ford as 
well as they could, M'Gary still leading the van, closely folloAAcd by Majors liar- 
land and McBride. With the same rapidity they ascended the ridge, Avhich, I)y 
the trampling of Buffalo foragers, had been stripped bare of all vegetation, Avith 
the e.Aiceptlon of a few dwarfish cedars, and Avhich Avas rendered still more desolate 
in appearance, by the multitude of rocks, blackened by the sun, A\'hich Avas .spread 
over its surface. 

Suddenly the van halted. They had reached the spot mentioned by Boone, 
where the two ravines head, on each side of the ridge. Here a body of Indians 
presented themselves, and attacked the van. M'Gary's party instantly returned 
the fire, but under great disadvantage. They Ave re upon a bare and open ridge; 
the Indians in a bushy ravine. The center and rear, ignorant of the ground, hur- 
ried up to the assistance of the van, but Avere soon stopped by a terrible fire I'roni 
the ravine, which Hanked them. They found themselves inclosed as if in the Avinga 
of a net, destitute of proper shelter, Avhile the enemy were, in a great measure, 
covered from their fire. Still, hoAvever, they maintained their ground. The action 
became Avarm and bloody. The parties gradually closed, the Indians emerged 
from the ravine, and the fire became mutually destructive. The officers suftcred 
dreadfully. Todd and Trigg, in the rear; Harland, McBride, and young Boone, in 
front, were already killed. 

The Indians gradually extended their line, to turn the right of the Kentuckians, 



KENTUCKY. 63 

and cut off their retreat. This was qiiickl_y perceived l)y the weight of the fire 
from that quarter, and the rear instantly fell back in disorder, and attempted to 
rush throuj^h their only opening to the river. The motion quickly communicated 
itself to the van, and a hurried retreat became general. The Indians instantly 
sprung forward in pursuit, and foiling upon them with their tomahawks, made a 
cruel slaughter. From the battleground to the river, the spectacle was torribl'^. 
The horsemen generally escaped, but the foot, particularly the van, which had ad- 
A-anced forthest within the wings of the net, were almost totally destroyed. Col. 
Boone, after witnessing the death of his son and many of his dearest friends, 
found himself almost entirely surrounded at the very commencement of the re- 
treat. 

Several hundred Indians were between him and the ford, to which the great 
mass of the fugitives were bending their flight, and to which the attention of the 
savages was principally directed. Being intimately acquainted Avith the ground, 
he, together with a few friends, dashed into the ravine which the Indians had occu- 
pied, but which most of them had now left to join in the pursuit. After sustaining 
one or two heavy fires, and baffling one or two small parties, who pursued him for 
a short distance, he crossed the river below the ford, by swimming, and entering 
the wood at a point where there was no pursuit, returned by a circuitous route to 
Bryant's Station. In the meantime, the great mass of the victors and vanquished 
crowded the bank of the fjrd. 

The slaughter was great in the river. The ford was crowded with horsemen and 
foot and Indians, all mingled together. Some were compelled to seek a passage 
above by swimming; some, who could not swim, were overtaken and killed at the 
edge of the water. A man by the name of Netherland, who had formerly been 
strcmgly suspected of cowardice, here displayed a coolness and presence of mind, 
equally noble and unexpected. 

Being among the first in gaining the opposite hank, he then instantly checked 
his horse, and in a loud voice, called upon his companions to halt, tii'e upon the 
Indians, and save those who were still in the stream. The party instantly obeyed, 
and facing about, poured a close and fatal discharge of rifles upon the foremost of 
the pursuers. The enemy instantly fell back from the opposite Imnk, and gave 
time for the harrassed and miserable footmen to cross in safety. The check, hoAV- 
ever, was but momentary. Indians were seen crossing in great numbers above and 
below, and the flight again became general. Most of the foot left the great buffalo 
track, and plunging into the thickets, escaped by a circuitous route to Bryant's 
Station. 

But little loss was sustained after crossing the river, although the pursuit was 
urged keenly for twenty miles. From the battle-ground to the ford, the loss Avas 
very heavy; and at that stage of the retreat, there occurred a rare and striking in- 
stance of magnanimity, Avhich it Avould be criminal to omit. The reader could not 
have forgotten young Reynolds, Avho replied with such rough but ready humor to 
the pompous summons of Girty, at the siege of Bryant's. This young man, after 
beiiring his share in the action with distinguished gallantry, was galloping Avith 
several other horsemen in order to reach the ford. The great body of fugitives 
had preceded them, and their situation was in the highest degree critical and dan- 
gerous. 

About half way between the battle-ground and the river, the party o\'ertook 
Capt. Patterson, on foot, exhausted by the rapidity of the flight, and in consequence 
of former wounds received from the Indians, so infirm as to be unable to keep up 
with the main body of the men on foot. The Indians were close behind him, and 
his fate seemed inevitable. Reynolds, upon coming up with this brave ofiicer, in- 
stantly sprung from his horse, aided Patterson to mount into the saddle, and con- 
tinued his own flight on foot. Being remarkably active and vigorous, he contrived 
to elude his pursuers, and turning off from the main road, plunged into the river 
near the spot where Boone had crossed, and swam in safety to the opposite side. 
Unfortunately he wore a pair of buckskin breeches, which had become so heavy 
and full of water as to prevent his exerting himself with his usual activity, and 
while sitting down for the purpose of pulling them off, he was overtaken by a' party 
of Indians, and made prisoner. 



04 



KENTUCKY 



A prisoner is r:irely put to <loath by t!io In lians, nnl-^ss woundcMl or infirm, until 
,!iev return to their own country; iiml then his late is (iecided in solemn eouneil. 
Voiin<r Keynolds, therelbre, was treated kindly, and compelled to accompany liis 
captors in the pursuit. A small party of Kentuckians soon attracted their atteu- 
cion; and he was lel't in charge ot three Indians, who. eager in pursuit, in turn 
co'.niuitted him to the charge of one of their number, while they followed their 
C'unpanions. iieynolds and his guard jogged ahmg very leisurely; thi; former to- 
caliv unarmed; the hitter, with a tomahawk and rille in his iiands. At lengt.h the 
In li.an stopped to tie his moccasin, when JJeynoids instantly sprung upon him. 
knncked him down with his fist, and quickly disappeared in the thicket Avhieh sur- 
roanded thetn. For his act of generosity, Oapt. Patterson afterw-ird )uade him a 
prestMit of two hundred acres of lirst rate hind. 

'I'he melancholy intelligence rapidly spread tlinnighout the country, au'i the 
whole land was covered with mourning, for it was the sov-Tcst loss liiat Kentucky 
had ever experienced in Indian warfare, ."^ixty Kcntuckians wore slaiii and a 
nnmher taken prisoners. T!ie loss of the Indians, v.'hilc the battle lasted, was also 
ciiusideraljle, though far inferior to that of t!ie whites. 

On the very day of the battle. Col. Logan arrived at Bryant's Station with four 
hundred and fiftv men. Fearful oi' some disaster, he marched on wirh the utmost 
ilili'jieuce, and soon met the foremost of the fugitives. J^earning from tliem t!ic sad 
ti'liii""s, he continued on, hoping to come up with the enemy at the tield of battle 
which he reached on the second day. The enemy were gone, ])ut the bodies of the 
Kcntuckians .still hiy unburied on the spot where they had fallen, immense tlocks 
of buzzards were soaring over tlie battle ground, and the bodies of the dead had 
become so much swollen and disti:;ured that it was impossible to recognize tlie 
features of the most particular friends. Many corpses were iioating near the shore 
(d' the northern bank, alread.y putrid from the :.ction of the sun, and partially eaten 
by fishes. The whole were carefully collected by Col. Logan, and Interred as dc- 
:!entlv as the nature of the soil would permit." 




South-wesiern view of Lexington Court Hdus-e. 
Lf.xixoton, the county seat of Fayette county, is a reniaikaMy ne;!t .mkI 
;-.o;,utirul city, situated on a braneli of Elkliorn Ilivcr, 25 miles t\.K. iVoiu 
I'mnkfort, 85 from Cincinnati, 77 S.E. from Louisville, and 517 from Wash- 
iugton City. The streets of Lexington are laid out at right iinglca, well 
paved, and bordered with ornamental trees. Many of the private rGsidcncos 
and several of the piiblic edifices are fine specimens of architectural taste, 
while the surrounding eountry, rich and highly cultivated, is adornod with 
elegant raansions. The city contains a court house, a JMasonic liali, the 
State Lunatic Asylum. 12 churches, the Transylvania Tlnivcrsity. several , 
a<-'ademics and an orph;i;s asylum It is celebrated thron.)Lrhout the Union for 



KENTUCKY. 



65 



its intelligent and polished society, and as an elegant place of residence. 
Population about 12,000. , 

Lexington was founded in 1776. About the first of April in this year, a 
block house was built here, and the settlement commenced under the influ-- 
once of Col. Robert Patterson, joined by the Messrs. McConncls, Lindseys. 
and James Masterson. Maj. John Morrison removed his family soon after 
from Harrodsburg, and his wife was the first white woman in the infant set- 
tlement. It appears that a party of hunters in 1775, while encamped on 
the spot where Lexington is now built, heard of the first conflict between ihe 
British and Provincial forces, at Lexington, Mass. In commemoration of 
this event, they called the place of their encampment Lexington. 

Transylvsuia University, the oldest college in the state, was established in 
1793, and has departments of law and medicine. The medical school has 
eight professors. Connected with the institution is a fine museum and a very 
valuable library, with chemical apparatus, etc. The State Lunatic Asylum lo- 
cated here is a noble institution. Lexington was incorporated by Virginia in 
1782, and was for several years the seat of government of the state. The 
'' Kenticcli.}/ Gazette'^ was established here in 1787, by the brothers John and 
Fielding Bradford, and, excepting the Pittsburg Gazette, is the oldest paper 
west of the Alleghany Mountains. 

Asldand, the liorae of Hemiv Clay, is about one and a half miles from 
Lexington. Mr. Clay lived at Ashland between forty and fifty j-ears. His 

house was a modest, spacious, 
agreeable mansion, two sto- 
ries high. Since the death 
of Mr. Clay, this building 
having become somewhat 
dilapidated and insecure, his 
son, James B. Clay, Esq.. 
had it taken down and a 
more elegant edifice erected 
upon the same spot, and with 
but slight modifications of 
the original plan. Mr. Clay 
has many interesting relies 
of his father, which are care- 
fully preserved in the new 
btiilding. The estate, consisting of about 600 acres, bore the name of Ash- 
land before it came into the possession of Mr. Clay, probably on account of 
the ash timber, with which it abounds. By Mr. C.'s management, it became 
one of the most delightfal retreats in the west; the whole tract, except about 
200 acres of park, was under the highest state of cultivation. When its 
illustrious occupant was living, it was the abode of elegant hospitality, and 
thousands then annually thronged thither to pay their respects to the states- 
man, who had such a hold upon the afiections of his countrymen that, when 
he was defeated for the presidency, an intensity of sorrow* was every where 

*A friend tells us that he recollects attending, in a distant New England city, an im- 
promptu political meeting which had gathered in a public hall at this time. Various 
.-'peeehes of condolence had been made by those, who, in their ardor, had regarded the suc- 
cess of their candidate, as identified with the salvation of their country, when an aged man, 
with silvered hair, arose to offer comfort in the general sorrow. lie had but three words ; 
but, Christian-like, he started for those three straightway to the Biblk. He raised lits tail 
slender form to its full hight, with palms uplifted, and then bowing submissively, uttered 
in prayerful tones — " Thf. Lord reigns! " 

5 




ASIILAXD, ResUiENCE OF IlENRY CL.\T. 



66 



KENTUCKY. 



e:chibitcd that never was equalled by any similar occui-rence in the history 
of the country. A stranger in the place not long subsequent, thus describes 
his impressions of the town and visit to Ashland: 

Xo where is there a more delightful rural tract in all our broad land, than that 
part of this state in the vicinity of Lexington — the celebrated "blue grass" region 
of Kentucky. For miles and miles, in every direction, it is bedecked with grace- 
ful curving lawns, wood embowered cottages, and tall open forests, where not a 
shrub rises to mar the velvety sward that every where carpets the earth in living 
green. Enter the dwellings, and you will find them the abodes of elegance and 
taste. Your reception will be frank and hospitable. The town, Lexington, is well 
worthy of the country. It has a highly cultivated population, institutions of liter- 
ature, elegant mansions, partly concealed in groves of locusts, whose tiny fragile 
leaves gently dance in the sunlight to the softest zephyr, and is, moreover, the homo 
of one whose very name holds a dear place in our memories. 

In a minor street of this beautiful town, is a plain two story brick edifice, over 
the doors of which is tlie sii^n, H. & .^. B. CLAY. One morning, a few weeks 
since, I entered its plainly furnished office, and, in the absence of its occupants, 
helped myself to a chair and a newspaper, that industrious whiij; sheet, the New 
York Tribune. In a few minutes in walked a tall, elderly gentleman, attired in 
black coat and white pantaloons. My eyes had never before rested upon him, but 
it nee;led not a second glance to know Hbnry Clay. I presented a letter of intro- 
duction, upon which, after some little conversation, he invited me out to tea at his 
seat, .Ashland, some twenty minutes walk from the central part of the town. At 
the appointed hour, I was on my way thither, and from a gate on the roadside ap- 
proached the mansion by a winding path of maybe thirty rods in length. It stands 
on a smooth, undulating lawn of the purest green, fringed by a variety of trees. 
The open door disclosed to my view two elderly ladies, seated in one of the three 
rooms into which a common entry led. One of them, Mrs. Clay, called to me to 
walk in, and directed me to the fiower garden in the rear of the house, where stood 
Judj^o K., of Ohio, ami her husband. The former, as I was introduced by !Mr. 
Clay, received me with the stilTness of the north — the latter met me in the cordial, 
off han<l manner of an old acquaintance. He then showed us some rare plants, 
joked with his little grandchild, and we entered the house. Passing through the 
room where sat his lady and the wife of the judge, he pleasantly said — " these 
ladies have .some conspiracy together, let us walk into the parlor." On the hearth 
was an elegant rug, with the words worked in it, "Protection' to Amekic.^x Indus- 
try; " around were busts and paintings. The furniture was old fashioned, but 
rich, and an air of comfort jjervaded the apartraent. Among the curiosities shown 
us by Ml'. Clay, was the identical wine glass used by Washington through the Rev- 
olution. 

The conversation of IMr. Clay is frequently anecdotical, and his knowledge of 
all parts of our country, their condition, prospects and people, renders it easy for 
him to adapt him«:elf in familiar topics to the great variety of characters that 
assemble at his residence. His manner is one of entire ease. Taking out a golden 
fnuff box, he drew in a pinch of its exhilarating powder with an air of solid satis- 
faction ; then spreading his handkerchief in his lap, he leaned forward his whole 
body, with his forearms folded and resting on his knees, and talked with us in the 
most genial, social way, like a fine, fatherly, old country gentleman — as, indeed, 
he is. 

Now that I have seen Henry Clay, I do not wonder at the. hold he has upon the 
affections of our people. Benevolence is the strongest expression in his counte- 
nance, and the humblest individual can not but feel, in his presence, as much at 
case as if by his own fireside. His manner is irresistible: such as would enable 
him, if need there was, to say disagreeable things in a way that would occasion 
you to thank him for it. Literally, his is the power to give "hard facts with soft 
words." 

When Henry Clay walks the streets of Lexington, the citizens gaze upon him 
with pride, and greet him with pleasure. A kind word and a smile he has for 
fcvery body, no mtitter what their age, sex, or condition; and little children run up 



KENTUCKY. gy 

to take him hy the hand, with a "how do you do, Mr. Clay?" My landlord, an 
Irishman by birth, said to me, "I have known Mr. Clay for many years, and am 
opposed to him in politics ; but I can not helj) liking the man." 

The corner stone of the Mon- 
ument erected to Henry Clay, in 
the Lexington Cemetery, was 
laid July 4, 1857, with imposing 
ceremonies, and the structure 
completed in 1858. It is con- 
structed of magnesian lime- 
stone, obtained from Boone's 
Creek, about 1-4 miles distant. 
The remains of Henry Clay, his 
mother, and some other rela- 
tives, are to be deposited in the 
vaulted chamber in the base of 
the monument. At the top of 
the column, the flutings are 13 
spiked spears, representing the 
original states of the Union. 
The statue of Clay, surmount- 
ing the whole, is 11 feet in hight. 
The hight of the monument 
from the ground to the top of 
the statue is 119 feet. The fol- 
lowing inscription appears on 
one of the blocks of stone : 

" I would rather be right, than be 

President." 
National Guard, St. Louis, July 4th, 
1857. 




Henry Olai Monujif-st. 

Situateit about a mile from the central part of lyexin^ton, 
near the Railroad from Covington, in tiie Lexington Ceme- 
tery. 



The following inscription is copied from the monument of Maj. Barr}-. in 
the public square, or court house yard : 

To the memory of AVilliam Taylor Barry, this monument is erected by his friends in 
Kentucky (the site being granted by the County Court of Fayette), as a testimony of their 
respect and admiration of his virtues and talents. He was horn 5th Feb., 1784, in Lunen- 
burg City, Va., and came to Kentucky in his 12th year. AVas successively a member of 
both Houses of the General Assembly, a Judge, a Senator and Representative in Congress, 
Lieut. Gov. of Ky., and an Aidecamp to Gov. Shelby at the battle of the Thames. On An- 
drew Jackson's accession to the Presidency, ho was called to his Cabinet as Post Master 
General, which office he held until 1st of May, 18.35, when he was appointed Env. Ex. ife 
Min. Plen. to Spain. He was elected Hon'y Member of the French Univ. Stat. Soc, in 
June, 1833. He died at Liverpool, on his way to Madrid, on 30th Aug., 1835. His body 
lies on Albion's white shores ; his Fame in the History of his Country, and is as immortal 
as America's Liberty and Glor)'. 



About twenty miles south-east of Lexington, on the south bank of the Ken- 
tucky River, is the small, dilapidated village of Boonesborough, a point noted 
in the history of the state. It was here that Daniel Boone, the great pioneer, 
built the first fort ever erected in Kentucky, and made the commencement of 
a permanent settlement. Here, too, was convened more than eighty years 
ago the first legislative assembly that ever sat west of the mountains, the leg- 
islature of Transylvania,, the history of which is as follows: 

"Col. Richard Henderson, a man of ardent temperament and great talents, formed 
the most extensive speculation ever recorded in the history of this country. Hav- 



68 



KENTUCKY. 



ins; formed a company for that purpose, he succeeded in neiiiotiating, with the head 
chiefs of the (Cherokee nation, a treaty (known as the treaty of VVataujia), by which 
all that tract of country lying between the Cum))er]and River, the mountains of the 
same name, and the Kentucky River, and situated south of the Ohio, was transferred, 
for a reasonable consideration, to the 
company. By this treaty Henderson 
and his associates became the proprie- 
tors of all that country which now com- 
prises more than one half of the state 
of Kentucky. This was in 1775. They 
immediately proceeded to estal)lish a 
proprietory government, of which Hen- 
derson became the president, and which 
had its scat at Boonesborough. The 
new country received the name of Tran- 
sylvania. The first legislature assem- 
bled at Boonesborough, and held its sit- 
tings under the sliade of a large elm 
tree, near the Avails of the fort. It was 
composed of Squire Boone, Daniel Boone, 
William Coke, Samuel Henderson, Rich- 
ard Moore, Richard Callowa_y, Thomas 
Slaughter, John Lythe, Valentine Har- 
mond, James Douglass, James Harrod, 
Nathan Hammond, Isaac Hite, Azariali 
Davis, John Todd, Ale^fander S. Dan- 
dridge, John Floyd and Samuel Wood, 
'i'hese members formed themselves into 
a legislative body, by electing Thomas 
Slaughter chairman and Matthew Jew- 
ett clerk. 'J'his cismontane legislature, 
the earliest popular body that assembled 
on this side of the Apalachian mountains, was addressed by Colonel Hendersont 
on behalf of himself and his associates, in a speech of sufficient dignity and of ex' 
cellent sense. A compact was entered into lietween the proprietors and the colo- 
nists, bv which a free, manly, liberal government was established over the torri 
tory. 'rhe most important parts of tliis Kentucky IMagna Charta were: 1st. That 
the election of delegates should be annual. 2d. Perfect freedom of opinion in mat- 
ters of religion. 3d. That judges should be appointed by the proprietors, but an- 
swerable for mal-conduct to the people; and tliat the convention have the solo 
power of raising and appropriating all moneys and electing their treasurer. This 
epitome of substantial freedom and manly, rational government, was solemnly ex- 
ecuted under the hands and seals of the throe proprietors acting for the company, 
and Thomas Slaughter acting for the colonists. The purchase of Henderson from 
the Cherokees was afterward annulled by act of the Virginia legislature, as being 
contrary to the chai'tered rights of that state. But, as some compensation for the 
services rendered in opening the wilderness, and preparing the wa}' for civiliza- 
tion, the legislature granted to the proprietors a tract of land twelve miles square, 
on the Ohio, below the mouth of Green River." * 

The fort at Boonesborough was built in 1775. The engravinp: is from a 
drawing by Col. Henderson. The structure must have been about 260 feet 




Old Fort at Boonkshorough, 1775. 



*Mr. Henderson was born in Hanover county, Virginia, in 1735. When a boy his father 
removed to North Carolina and became county sheriif, and the son obtained much of his 
education in his father's office. He studied law, showed talent-s of the highest order, and 
was elevated to the bench of the superior court. In 1770, Judge Henderson was appointed 
commissioner to extend the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina into Pow- 
ell's Valley. In the same .year he opened an office at French Lick, afterward Nashville, 
for the sale of his lands, lie died in 1785, nged 60 years. His four sons studied law and 
attained distinction. 



KENTUCKY. 69 

long and 150 feet broad. It was several times attacked by tbe Indians, but 
always unsuccessfully. The last time was in September of 1778, when the 
enemy appeared in great force. 

"There Avere nearly five hundred Indian warriors, armed and painted in the usual 
manner, and what was still more Cormidabie, they were conducted by Canadian 
officers, well skilled in the usages of modern warfare. As soon as they were ar- 
rayed in front of the fort, the British colors wore displayed, and an officer, with a 
flag, was sent to demand the surrender of the fort, with a promise of quarter and 
good treatment in case of compliance, and threatening the '■hatchet' in case of a 
storm. Eoone requested two days for consideration, which, in defiance of all ex- 
perience and common sense, was granted. This interval, as usual, was employed 
m preparation for an obstinate resistance. The cattle were brought into the fort, 
the horses secured, and all things made ready against the commencement of hos- 
tilities. 

Boone then appeared at the gate of the fortress, and communicated to Capt. Du- 
quesne, their leader, the resolution of his men to defend the fort to the last extremity. 
Disappointment and chagrin were strongly painted upon the face of the Canadian 
at this answer, but endeavoring to disguise his feelings, he declared that Gov. Ham- 
ilton had ordered him not to injure the men if it could be avoided, and that if nine 
of the principal inhabitants of the fort would come out and treat with them they 
would instantly depart without further hostility. 

The word ^Ureat ' soUnded so pleasantly in the ears of the besieged that they 
agreed at once to the proposal, and Bo(me himself, attended by eight of his men, 
went out and mingled with the savages, who crowded around them in great num- 
bers, and with countenances of deep anxiety. The treaty then commenced and 
was soon concluded, upon which Duquesne informed Boone that it was a custom 
with the Indians, upon the conclusion of a treaty with the whites, for two warriors 
to take hold of the hand of each white man. 

Boone thought this rather a singular custom, but there was no time to dispute 
about etiquette, particularly, as he could not be more in their power than he al- 
ready was, so he signified his willingness to conform to the Indian mode of ce- 
menting friendship. Instantly, two warriors approached each wdiite man, with the 
word 'brother' upon their lips, but a very difi"ei'ent expression in their eyes, and 
grappling him with violence, attempted to bear him off They probably (unless 
totally infatuated) expected such a consummation, and all nt the same moment 
sprung from their enemies and ran to the fort, under a heavj^ fire, which fortunately 
only wounded one man. 

The attack instantly commenced by a heavy fire against the picketing, and was 
returned with fixtal accuracy by the garrison. The Indians quickly sheltered them- 
selves, and the action became more cautious and deliberate. Finding l)ut little 
eflect from the fire of his men, Duquesne next resorted to a more formidable mode 
of attack. The fort stood on the south bank of the river, within sixty yards of the 
water. Commencing under the bank, where their operations were concealed from 
the garrison, they attempted to push a mine into the fort. Their object, however, 
was fortunately discovered by the quantity of fresh earth w'hich they were com- 
pelled to throw into the river, and by which the water became muddy for some 
distance below. Boone, who had regained his usual sagacity, instantly cut a trench 
within the fort in such a manner as to intersect the line of their approach, and 
thus frustrated their design. 

The enemy exhausted all the ordinary artifices of Indian warfare, but were 
steadily repulsed in every effort. Finding their numbers daily thinned by the de- 
liberate but fatal fire of the garrison, and seeing no prospect of final success, they 
broke up on the ninth day of the siege, and returned home. The loss of the gar- 
rison was two men killed and four wounded. On the part of the savages, thirty- 
seven were killed and many wounded, who, as usual, were all carried off. " 

Danville, county seat of Boyle county, is situated in a fertile district of 
country, on a small branch of the Kentucky River, -AO miles south from Frank- 
fort and 35 from Lexington. It contains 9 churches, 2 banks, the Kentucky 



70 



KENTUCKY. 






Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (an elegant building), several mills and fac- 
tories, and about 2,500 inhabitants. Center College, chartered in 1819, is lo- 
cated here; the Rev. Dr. Chamberlain became its first president in 1823. 
There are also here 2 female academies and a theological institute. The 
town was laid out by Walker Daniel, who gave it its name; it was established 
by the legislature in 1787, and was for many years the seat of government 
for Kentucky. The first court house and jail in the limits of Kentucky were 
erected here, and here the first constitution of state government was formed. 
I^Ufis, ShcIbi/viUe, Ci/nfhiana, Vrrsaifles, Carrolton^ Georgttoicn and Bards- 
town are all important towns in this part of the state, the largest of which 
has a population of 2,500. That well known Catholic institution, St. Jo- 
seph's College, is at Bardstown, and Georgetown College is at Georgetown. 
Paducah, the seat of justice for McCracken county, situated at the mouth 
of Tennessee Ptiver, is an important shipping port, 347 miles below Louis- 
ville. It is a place of active business, and a great amount of agricultural 
products are brought down the Tennessee River to this place, consisting of 
tobacco, pork, live stock, etc., it being the depot for the product of the valley 

of that stream. It 

has large ware- 

j^rt^ ^ ^^ ^^ ^^ houses, 2 banks, 

- -^^.^ 10 churches, a 

large number of 
stores, and about 
5,000 inhabitants. 
1^, It was laid out in 
-:=; 1627 by General 
■ William Clark, of 
St. Louis, brother 
' of Gen. George 
— ' Rogers Clark, 
and named after 
the Indian chief 
Paducah, who once resided in this region. The town is substantially built, 
and has a very thriving appearance, being the largest and most important 
place in Kentucky west of Louisville. Hon. Linn Boyd resided in this vi- 
cinity, where he died in 1859. lie was speaker of the house of representa- 
tives from 1851 to 1855, and in 1852 was prominent as a candidate of the 
democratic party for the nomination for the presidency. 

Hcndersun, capital of Henderson county, 12 miles below Evansville and 
210 below Louisville, is the principal shipping point on the Ohio for the to- 
bacco, corn and other rich products of the fertile valley of Green River. It 
is. a thriving business town, and has about 3.000 inhabitants. Smillihind, 
on the Ohio, just below the mouth of the Cumberland, is a point for the re- 
shipment of goods up that river. Oivoisboro, capital of Daviess county, 155 
miles below Louisville, on the Ohio; Hickman, capital of Fulton county, on 
the Mississippi, 35 miles below the mouth of the Ohio, in the extreme south- 
western corner of the state, are both busy towns, each having about 2,500 in- 
habitants. Bowling Green, Hopkinaville and Russelville are county seats and 
important interior towns in Lower Kentucky, with each from 2,000 to 3,000 
inhabitants. Columbm, a village of about 1,200 inhabitants, on the Missis- 
sippi, 25 miles below Cairo, is the terminus of the Mobile and Ohio Rail- 
road. 




Landing at Padvcah. 



KENTUCKY. 



71 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC. 

Kentucky, next to Virginia, is the greatest tobacco producing state in the 
Union. The statistics of 1850 gave her total product at 55^ millions of 
pounds, while that of Virginia exceeded it but a little over u million. The 
plant is most extensively cultivated in western Kentucky, in the Green 
River country and vicinity; and the greatest tobacco raising county is Chris- 
tian, the annual yield of 
which is six millions of 
pounds. This part of 
the state was much set- 
tled by Virginians, who 
followed out the general 
law of emigrants, of es- 
pecially cultivating 
those crops to which 
they had been accus- 
tomed on the soil of 
their birth. 

"It is a curious fact in 
the hi!^tory of tol)acco that 
the exports from this 
country liave varied but 
very little in the last fifty 
years; in 1790, our coun- 
try, in round numbers, 
sent abroad one hundred 
and eighteen thousand 
hogsheads; in 1810, one 
hundred and nineteen 
thousand. This is one of 
tlie most curious facts de- 
veloped in statistics, and 
may prolnibly be directly 
traced to the fact that the 
population and wealth of 
European countries have 
not increased, and that 
the duties levied upon its 
introduction are as high 
as can possibly be borne. 
No article of commerce 
pays a duty so enormous, 
compared with its home 
price, as American tobacco. From it is derived an important part of the revenue of 
almost every European government. In (ireat Britain, the import duty is three 
shillings sterling (seventy-five cents) per pound — al)out twelve hundred per cent. 
upon the original cost — and two dollars per pound on manufactured tubacco; thus for 
what her people give us less than two millions of dollars thev pay to their own govern- 
ment, for the privilege of using it, twenty-two millions of dollars, which is twice the 
sum realizeil by the American producer for all the tobacco exported to every part 




A Tobacco I'L.WT.vriON. 



72 KENTUCKY. 

of the world! As iniglit be supposed, the most stringent laws govern its introdne 
tion into that country, and a large fleet of ships and a heavy marine are supported 
to detect smugglers who alone traffic in this article. It is therefore not Rurjirising 
that among all the wonders of London, and all the creations of that great l>a)>ylon 
dedicated to commerce, few are so remarkable as the government warehouses used 
for bonding or storing tobacco. Their interiors present such vast areas of ground 
that they become bewildering to the eye, and they never had any rivals in size until 
the erection of the Crystal Palace. Almost as far as the eye can reach are alleys 
of hogsheads, whose number is immense. In all convenient places are hirgo scales 
for weighing, together with other apparatus connected with the operation of exam- 
ining the staple." 

Tlie amount of the present production of tobacco is al)out tv.'o hundred millions 
of pounds. Tiie home consumption is increasing faster tiian the population. Its 
use is most detrimental to our people by increasing their mental activity at the ex- 
pense of their bodies, through its continual strain upon the nervous system and 
weakening of the appetite and digestive organs. It is at tlie seasons of greatest ex- 
citement that ho wlio uses tlie plant is certain to do so in unwonted quantities. A 
young volunteer, relating his exyierience at the battle of Buena Vista, truthfully 
remarked, thougli in coarse phrase, "Our boys chaiced lots of tobacco tliat day! ' 
So fascinating the habit, that few can break from it; and he who succeeds should 
be more honored than he who storms a battery. Multitudes essay the trial; gener- 
ally, they only make t!ie good resolution at the precise moment when under the 
exhilerating influence of a quid of extra size revolving against the inner wall of 
their cheek. The corresponding depression that succeeds the disuse is continu- 
ally pressing for the stimulus, witli a. power akin to that of a raging thir.st, day in 
and day out, week in^vnd vreek out, month in and month out, until finally a weak 
iiioment arrives, when the will gives way and the victim flies for relief to his chains 
again — only to repeat in the future a similar futile attempt to escape his enslave- 
ment. A gentleman who had ceased using it for five years stated that the desire 
was even then continually upon him. and he 'would give anything'' for the indul- 
gence, were it not for the accompanying suffering that he knew would accrno. 
Probably few per.sons use tobacco to excess but acknowledge to tliemselves that, in 
their individunl experience, the sum of misery from it a thousand fold outweiglis 
the sum of gratification. 

It is often amusing to witness the resolution with which those who use tol>nc!'H3 
part even tcmp(n-arily from the indulgence. ''Fanny Kemble used to relate, with 
great gusto, a cigar adventure she met witli while traveling in (leorgia. It aMj)ears 
that the day was liot, the roads rougii, and slie an invalid — the passengers in the 
stage, herself and a gentleman. As the heavy veliicle rumbled along, there mingled, 
with the dust that constantly penetrated its interior, the fumes of a most execrable 
cii^ar. Kvery blast of the 'Styi^ian futne' sent a tremor of deadly sickness through 
Fanny's heart. The gentleman, her triivelin;^ companion, remonstrated with the 
driver, explained the mischief he was doing, and promised the indepen'lent dehu, 
at the end o{ the journey, the reward of twenty-five choice Ilavanas if he would 
throw away his vile weed. The driver's reply was, 'Yes, yes, in a minute,' but the 
evil ciimplained of continued until finally it became insufferable. Then it was that 
Fanny leaned out of tlie coach window and said, 'Sir, I appeal to your generosity 
to t'arow away that cigar, and I know, from the proverbial politeness of the Ameri- 
cans, that my request will be granted.' 'Yes, yes,' said the driver, with some trep- 
idation. 'I intended to do it, but 1 wanted first to smoke it short enough to put in 
my hat!' " 

EARLY TIMES AMONG THE PIONEERS OP KENTUCKY. 

That eccentric and talented ^lethodist preacher, Poter Cartwrlglit, has 
given ill his autobiograpliy some valuable reminiscence.s of lite amonu; the 
pioneers of Kentucky, from which we extract this article as a valuable con- 
tribution to the history of the times: 

I was b(^rn September 1, 17So, in .Vmherst county, on James Iviver, in the state 



KENTUCKY. 



73 



of Virginia. My parents wore poor. My father was a soldier in the irreat struji;- 
gle for liberty, in the llevolutionary war with fjlrcafc l>rit.ain. He served over two 
years. j\Iy mother was an orphan. Shortly after the united colonies ifainod tlieir 
independence, my parents moved to Kentucky, which was a new country'. It wan 
an almost unbroken wilderness from Virginia to Kentucky at that early day, and 
this wilderness was filled with thousands of hostile Indians, and many thousands 
of the emigrants to Kentucky lost 'their lives by these savages. There were no 
roads for carriages at that time, and although the emigrants moved by thousands, 
they had to move on pack horses. Many adventurous young men went to this new 
countr3^ The fall my father moved, there were a great many families who joined 
together for mutual safety, and started for Kentuck}'. Besides the two lumdred 
families thus united, there were one hundred young men, well armed, v.ho agreed 
to guard these families through, and, as a compensation, they were to be supported 
for their services. After we struck the wilderness we rarely traveled a day but wo 
passed some white persons, murdered and scalped by the Indians while going to 
or returning from Kentucky. We traveled on till kjunday, and, instead of resting 
that day, the voice of the company was to move on. 

It was a dark, cloudy day, misty with rain. *Many Indians were seen through 
the day skulking round by our guards. Late in the evening we came to what was 
called " Camp Defeat," where a number of emigrant families had been all mur- 
dered by the savages a short time before. Here the company called a halt to camp 
for the night. It was a solemn, gloomy time; every heart quaked with fear. 

Soon the captain of our young men's company placed liis men as sentinels all 
round the encampment. The stock and the women and children were placed in 
tlie center of the encampment. !Most of the men that were heads of families, were 
placed around outside of the women and children. Those who were not placed in 
this position, were ordered to take their stand outside still, in the edge of thebru.sh. 
It was a dark, dismal night, and all expected an attack from the Indians. 

That night m}- father was placed as a sentinel, with a good rifle, in the edge of 
the brush. Shortly after he took his stand, and all was quiet in the camp, he 
thought he heard something moving toward him, and grunting like a swine. He 
knew that there was no swine with the moving company, liut it was so dark he 
could not see what it was. Presently he perceived a dark object in the distance, 
but nearer him than at first, and believing it to be an Indian, aiming to spring upon 
!iim and murder him in the dark, he leveled his rifle, and aimed at the dark lump 
as well as ho could, and fired. He soon found he had liit the object, for it liounced 
a})0ut at a terrible rate, and my fatiier gathered himself up and ran into cam)). 

Wlien his gun fired, tiiere was an awful screaming tliroughout the encampment 
b}' the women and children. ^ly father was soon inquired of as to what was the 
matter. He told them the circumstances of the case, but some said he was scared 
and v;anted an excuse to come in; but he affirmed that there was no mistake, that 
there was something, and he had shot it; and if they would get a light and go with 
him, if he did iuit show them something, then they might call him a coward for- 
ever. They got a light and went to the place, and there found an Indian, with a 
rifle in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, dead. My father's rifle-ball had 
struck the Indian nearly central in the head. 

When we came within seven miles of the Crab Orchard, where there was a fort 

and the first M'hite settlement, it was nearly night. We halted, and a vote was 

taken whether we should go on to the fort, or camp there for the night. Indians 

had Vieen seen in our rear througli the day. All Avanted to go through except seven 

fam.ilii's, who refused to go any further that night. The main body went on, but 

they, the seven families, carelessly stripped off their clothes, laid down without any 

guards, and went to sleep. Some time in the night, al)out twenty-five Indians 

rushed (m them, and every one, men, women, and children, was slain, except one 

man, who sprang from his bed and ran into the fort, barefooted and in his night 

clothes. He brought tlie melancholy news of the slaughter. These murderous 

bands of savages lived north of the Ohio Kiver, and would cross over into Ken- 

tuclty, kill and steal, and then recross the Ohio into their own country. 

Kentucky was claimed by no particular tribe of Indians, but was regarded as a 
... .... . .. . j,^ 



74 



KENTUCKY. 



abounded in various valuable game, such as buffalo, elk, bear, deer, turkeys, and 
manv other smaller game, and hence the Indians struggled hard to keep the white 
people from taking possession of it. It was chiefly settled by Virginians, as noble 
and brave a race of men and women as ever drew the breath of life. 

In the fall of 1793, my father determined to move to what was then called the 
Green Kiver country, in the southern part of the state of Kentucky. Ho did so, 
and settled in Logan county, nine miles south of Russellville, the county seat, and 
within one mile of the state line of Tennessee. 

Logan county, when my father moved to it, was called " Itogues" Harbor." Here 
many refugees, from almost all parts of the Union, fled to escape justice or punish- 
ment; for although there was law, yet it could not be executed, and it was a des- 
perate state of society. Murderers, horse thieves, highway robbers, and counter- 
feiters fled here until they combined and actually formed a majority. The honest 
and civil part of the citizens would prosecute these wretched banditti, but they 
Would swear each ether clear; and they really put all l;rw at defiance, and carried 
on sucii desperate violence and outrage that the honest part of the citizens seemed 
to be driven to the necessity of uniting and combining together, and taking the 
law into their own hands, under The name of Kegulators. This was a very des- 
perate state of things. 

Shortly after the Regulators had formed themselves into a society, and estab- 
lished their code of bydaws, on a court day at Russellville, the two bands met in 
town. Soon a quarrel commenced, and a general battle ensued between the rogues 
and Regulators, and they fought with guns, pistols, dirks, knives, and clubs. Some 
were actually killed, many wounded, the rogues proved victors, kept the ground, 
and drove the Regulators out of town. The Regulators rallied again, hunted, killed, 
and lynched many of the rogues, until several of them fled, and left for parts un- 
known. Many lives were lost on both sides, to the great scandal of civilized peo- 
ple. This is but a partial view of frontier life.* 

When my father settled in Logan county, there was not a newspaper printed 
soutli of Green River, no mill short of forty miles, and no schools worth the name. 

* The most notorious of the desperadoes who infested the settlements were two brother*, 
nameil Ilarpe, of whom Judge Hall, iu his Western Sketches, has given this narrative : 

In the tall of ISOl or I8i)2, a company consisting of two men and three women armed 
in Lincoln county, Ky., and encamped about a mile from the present town of Stanford. 
The appearance of the individuals composing this party was wild and rude iu the extreme. 
The one who seemed to be the leader of the band, was above the ordinary stature of men. 
His frame was bony and muscular, his breast broad, his limbs gigantic. His clothing was 
uncouth and shabby, his exterior, weatherbeaten and dirty, indicating continual exi'O.-sure 
to the elements, and designating him as one who dwelt far from the habitations of men, 
and mingled not in the courtesies of civilized life. His countenance was bold and ferocious 
and exceedingly I'-'pulsive, from its strongly marked expression of villainy. His face, 
which wa.s larger than ordinary, exhibited the lines of ungovernable passion, and the com- 
plexion announced that the ordinary feelings of the human breast were in him extinguished. 
Instead of the healthy hue wdiich indicates the social emotions, there was a livid uiniat.u- 
ral redness, resembling that of a dried and lifeless skin. His eye was fearless and steady, 
but it was also artful and audacious, glaring upon the beholder with an unpleasant fixed- 
ness and brilliancy, like that of a ravenous animal gloating on its prey. He wore no cov- 
ering on his head," and the natural protection of thick coarse hair, of a fiery redness, un- 
combed and matted, gave evidence of long exposure to the rudest visitations of the sun- 
beam and the tempest. He was armed with a rifle, and a broad leathern belt, drawn closely 
around his waist, supported a knife and a tomahawdc. He seemed, in short, an outlaw, 
destitute of all the nobler sympathies of human nature, and prepared at all points for as- 
sault or defense. The other man was smaller in size than him who led the party, but sim- 
ilarly armed, having the same suspicious exterior, and a countenance equally fierce and 
sinister. The females were coarse, and wretchedly attired. 

The men stated in answer to the iiupiiry of the inhabitants, that thelrnames were Harpe, 
and that they were emigrants from North Carolina. They remained at their encampment 
the greater part of two days and a night, spending the time iu rioting, drunkemiess and 
debauchery. When they left, they took the road leading to Green River. The day suc- 
ceeding their departure," a report "reached the neighborhood that a young geutlemm of 
wealth" from Virginia, named Lankford, had been robbed and murdered on what was 



KENTUCKY. 75 

Sunday was a day set apart for hunting, fishing, horse racing, card playing, balls, 
dances, and all kinds of jollity and mirth. We killed our meat out of the woods, 
wild; and beat our meal and hominy with a pestle and mortar. We stretched ji 
deer skin over a hoop, burned holes in it with the prongs of a fork, sifted our meal, 
baked our bread, eat it, and it was first-rate eating too. We raised, or gathered 
out of the woods, our own tea. We had sage, bohea, cross-vine, spice, and sassa- 
fras teas, in abundance. As for cofiee, I am not sure that I ever smelled it for ten 
years. We made our sugar out of the water of the maple-tree, and our molasses 
too. These were great luxuries in those days. 

We raised our own cotton and flax. We water-rotted our flax, broke it by hand, 
scutched it; picked the seed out of the cotton with our fingers; our mothers and 
sisters carded, spun, and wove it into cloth, and they cut and made our garments 
and bed-clothes, etc. And when we got on a new suit thus manufactured, and 
sallied out into company, we thought ourselves ^'so big as anybody." 

Time rolled on, population increased fast around us, the country improved, horse- 
thieves and murderers were driven away, and civilization advanced considerably. 
Ministers of diffei'ent denominations came in, and preached through the country; 

then culled, and is still known as the " Wilderness Road," which runs through the Rock- 
castle hills. Suspicion immediatelj' fixed upon the Harpes as the perpetrators, and Cap- 
tain Ballenger, at the head of a few bohl and resolute men, started in pursuit. They ex- 
perienced great difficulty in following their trail, owing to a heavy full of snow, which hiid 
obliterated most of their tracks, but finally came upon them wliile encamped in a bottom 
on Green River, near the spot where the town of Liberty now stands. At first they made 
a show of resistance, but upon being informed that if they did not immediately surrendei', 
tliey would be shot down, they yielded themselves prisoners. Tliey were brought back 
to Stanford, and tliere examined. Among tlieir effects were found some fine linen shirts, 
marked with tlie initials of Lankford. One had been pierced by a bullet and was stained 
with blood. They had also a considerable sum of money, in gold. It Avas afterv/ard as- 
certained that this was the kind of money Lankford had with him. The evidence against 
them being thus conclusive, they were confined in the Stanford jail, but were afterward 
sent lor trial to Danville, where the district court was in session. Here they broke jail, 
and succeeded in making their escape. 

They were next heard of in Adair county, near Columbia. In passing through that 
county, they met a small boy, the son of Colonel Trabue, with a pillow-case of meal or 
flour, an article they probably needed. This boy, it is supposed, tliey robbed and then 
murdered, as he was never afterward heard of. Many years afterward, human bones, an- 
swering the size of Colonel Trabue's son at the time of his disappearance, were found in 
a sink hole near the place where he was said to have been murdered. T!ie Harpes still 
shaped their course toward the mouth of Green River, marking their path by murders and 
robberies of the most horrible and brutal character. The district of country through which 
they passed was at that time very thinly settled, and from this reason their outrages went 
unpunished. "They seemed inspired with the deadliest hatred against the whole human 
race, and such was their implacable misanthropy, that they were known to kill where there 
was no temptation to rob. One of their victims was a little girl, found at some distance 
from her home, whose tender age and helplessne.-^s would have been protection against any 
but incarnate fiends. The last dreadful act of barbarity, which led to their punishment 
and expulsion from the country, exceeded in atrocity all the others. 

Assuming the guise of Methodist preachers, they obtained lodgings one night at a soli- 
tary house on the road. Mr. Stagall, the master of the house, was absent, but they found 
his wife and children, and a stranger, who, like themselves, had stopped for the night. 
Hero they conversed and made inquiries about the two noted Harpes, who were represented 
as prowling about the country. When they retired to rest, they contrived to secure an ax, 
which they carried with them to their chamber. In the dead of night, they crept softly 
down stairs, and assassinated the whole family, together with the stranger, in their sleep, 
and then setting lire to the house, made their escape. When Stagall returned, he found 
no wife to welccune him; no home to receive him. Distracted with grief and rage, he 
turned his horse's head from the smoldering ruins, and repaired to the house of Captain 
John Leeper. Leeper was one of the most powerful men of his day, and fearless as pow- 
erCul. Collecting four or five other men well armed, they mounted and started in pursuit 
of vengeance. It was agreed that Leeper should attack " Big Harpe," leaving " Little 
Harpe " to be disposed of by Stagall. The others were to hold themselves in readinesa 
to assist Leeper and Stagall, as circumstance? might require. 

I'his party found the women belonging to the Harpes attending to their little camp b.v 



76 



KENTUCKY. 



but the Methodist preachers were tlie pioneer messengers of salvation in these tnJg 
of the earth. Even in Rogues' Ilarbor there Avas a Baptist church a few miles west 
of my falhcr's, and a Presbyterian congregation a few miles north, and the Meth- 
odist Ebenezer a few miles south. 

Somewhere between ISOO and 1801, in the upper part of Kentucky, at a memor- 
able place called "Cane Ridge," there was appointed a sacramental meeting by 
some of the Presbyterian ministers, at which meeting, seemingly unexpected by 
ministers or people, the mighty power of God was displayed in a very extraordin- 
ary manner; many were moved to tears, and bitter and loud crying for mercy. 
The meeting was protracted for weeks, ^linisters of almost all denominations 
tiocked in from far and near. The meeting was kept up by night and day. Thou- 
sands heard of the mighty work, and came on foot, on horseback, in carriages and 
wagons. It was supposed that there were in attendance at times during the meet- 
ing from twelve to twenty-live thousand people. Hundreds fell prostrate under the 
mighty power of God, as men slain in battle. Stands were erected in the woo'ls, 
from v>'hich preachers of different churches proclaimed repentance toward (Jod 
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, anji it was supposed, by eye and car witnesses, 
that between one and two thousand souls were happily and powerfully converted 
to God during the meeting. It was not unusual for one, two, three, and four to 
seven preachers to be addressing the listening thousands at the same time from the 
different stands erected for the purpose. The heavenly fire spread in almost every 
direction. It was said, by truthful witnesses, that at times more than one thousand 
persons broke out into loud shouting ail at once, and that the shouts could be heard 
for miles around. 

From this camp-meeting, for so it ought to be called, the news spread through all 
the Ghurches, and through all the land, and it excited great wonder and surprise; 
but it kindled a religious Ihvme that spread all over Kentucky, and through many 
other states. And I may here be permitted to say, that this was the first camjj- 
mccting ever held in the United States, and here our camp-meetings took their 
rise. 

To show the ignorance* the early ^lethodist preachers had to contend with in 
the western wilds, 1 will relate an incident that occurred to Wilson Lee, in Ken- 
tucky : 

Tliere was in the congregation a very wicked Dutchman and his wife, both of 

the road side; the men having gone aside iuto the woods to siioot an unfortunate traveler, 
of the name of Smith, who had fallen into their hands, imd whom the women had begged 
miglit not be dispatched before their eyes. It was this halt that enaljled the pursuers to 
overtake them. The women immediately gave the alarm, and the miscreants, mounting 
their hor.-^es, which were hirge, fleet and powerful, fled in separate directions. Leeper 
hingled out the Bip; Harpe, and being better mounted than his companions, soon left them 
far behind. Little Harpe succeeded in e.-capin,i^' from Stagall, and he, with the rest of his 
companions, turned and followed the track of Leeper and Big Harpe. After a chase of 
about nine mile.s, Leeper came within gun shot of the latter and fired. The ball entering 
his tliij];h, passed through it and penetrated his horse, and both fell. Harpe's gun escaped 
from his hand and rolled some eight or ten feet down the bank. Reloadin;,' his rifle Lee- 
per ran to where the wounded outlaw lay weltering in his biood, and found him with one 
tlugh broken and the other crushed beneath his horse. Leeper rolled the horse away, and 
set Harpe in an easier position. The robber begged that he might not be killed. Leeper 
loid him that he had nothing to fear from him, but that Stagall was comiiij; up, and could 
not probably be restrained. Harpe appe;ired very much frightened at hearin;^ this, and im- 
plored Leeper to protect him. In a few moments Stagall appeared, and without uttering a 
word, raised his rifle and shot Harpe through the head. They then severed the head from 
the Dody, and stuck it upon a pole wlieie the road crosses the creek, from wliich the place 
was then named and is yet called Harpe's Head. Thus perished one of the boldest and 
most noted freebooters that has ever appeared in America. Save coura;;e, he was without 
one redeeming ((uality, and his death freed the country from a terror which had long para- 
lyzed its boldest spirits. 

' The Little Harpe afterward joined the band of Mason, and became one of his most val 
uabie assistants in the dreadful trade of robbery and murder. He was one of the two 
bandits that, icmiited \>\ the reward for their leader's head, murdered him, and eventually 
themselves suffered the penalty of the Ian- as previously related. 



KENTUCKY. 



77 



wlinin •were profoundly i.anoi-aiit of the Scriptures and the plan of salvixtlon. TTis 
wife was a notorious scold, and so mueli was she given to this practice, that she 
made her husliand unhappy, and kept him almost always in a perfect fret, so that 
he led a most miserable and uncomfortable life. It please<l God that day to cause 
til', prcachin,:; of Mr. Lee to reach their guilty souls, and break up the great deep 
()f their hearts. They wept aloud, seeing their lost condition, and they, then and 
there, resolved to do better, and from that time forward to take up the cro<-^ auu 
bcpa- it, be it what it might. 



.", "-iL^^i 




A Reliyiovs Encampwevt hi the WihJerness. 

The congTogatiDn were generally dr-eply aJTcct'H]. ^Ir. Loe exhorted them and 
prayed for them as long as he consistently could, and, having another appointment 
some distance off tliat evening, he dismissed the congresation, got a little refresh- 
ment, saddled his horse, mounted, and started for his evening appointment. After 
riding some distance, he saw, a little ahead of hiin. a man trudiiu'j: a!on'.r, carry- 
ing a woman on his back. 'J'his greatly surprised Mr. Le?. He very naturally 
supposed that the woman was a cripple, or hid hurt herself in some way, so that 
phe could not walk. The traveler was a small man, and the woman large and 
heavy. 

Before he overtook them Mr. Lee began to cast about in his mind how he could 
render them assistance. When he caine up to thera, lo and behold, who shouhi it 
Ite but the Dutchman and his wife that had l)een so affected under his sermon at 
meeting. Mr. Lee rode up and spoke to them, and inquired of the man what liad 
happened, or what was the matter, that ho was carrying his wife. 

The Dutchman turned to Mr. Lee and said, "Eesure you did tell us in your sar- 
mon dat Ave must tale vp de cross and follow de Saviour, or dat Ave could not be 
sa^ed or go to heaven, and I does desire to go to heaven so much as any pody; and 
dish vife is so pad, she scold and scold all de time, and dish rcoman is de crcatest 
cross I have in de tchole world, and I does take her up and pare her, for I vnist 
save my soul." 

From 1801. for years, a blessed revival of religion spread through almost the 
entire inhabited parts of the west, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and many 
other parts, especially throusrh the Cumberland country, Avhich was so called from 
the Cumberland River, which headed and mouthed in Kentucky, but in its great 



78 



KENTUCKY. 



bend circled south through Tennessee, near Nashville. The Pi'esbyterians and 
Metliodi.sts in a p'eat measure united iii this work, met together, prayed together^ 
and preached together. 

In this revival originated our camp-moctings, and in both these denominations 
thev were held every year, and, indeed, have been ever since, more or less. They 
would erect their camps with logs, or frame them, and cover them with clapboards 
or shingles. They would also erect a shed, sufliciently large to protect five thou- 
sand people from wind and rain, and cover it with boards or shingles ; build a 
large staml, seat the shed, and here they would collect together from forty to iil'ty 
miles around, sometimes further than that. 1 en, twenty, and sometimes thirty 
minister.s, of diSerent denominations, would come together and preach night and 
day, four or five days together; and, indeed, I have known these camji-meetings to 
last three or four weeks, and great good resulted from them. I have seen more 
than a hundred sinners fall like dead men under one powerful sermon, and 1 have 
eeen and heard more than live hundred Christians all shovxting aloud the high 
praises of God at once; and I will venture to assert that many happy thousands 
were awakened and converted to Cod at these camp meetings. Some sinners 
mocked, some of the old dry profess«)rs opposed, some of the old starched Presby- 
terian preachers preached against these exercises, but still the work went on and 
spread almost in every direction, gathering additional force, until our country 
seemed all coming home to God. 

In this great revival the Jlethodists kept moderately balanced ; for we had ex- 
cellent preachers to steer the ship or guide the flock. But some of our memliers 
ran wild, and indulged in some extravagancies that were hard to control. The 
Presbyterian preachers and members, not being accustomed to much noise or 
shouting, when they j'ielded to it went into great extremes and downright wild- 
ness, to the great injury of the cause of God. 




C(A. Daniel Boone, the celebrated 
pioneer of Kentucky, was born of 
' joytt-i/^ y ^ Eni^lish parentage, in Pennsvlvania, 
)^frf^-'<^ in 1734. When^a small boy; his pa- 
rents emigrated to the banks of tlio 
Yadkin, in North Carolina. "At 
that time the region beyond the Blue Ridge was an unknown wilderness to the 
white people, for none had ventured thither, as far as is known, until about the 
year 1750. It was almost twenty years later than this, Avhen i>oone was approach- 
ing the prime of life, that he first penetrated the great Valley of the Mississippi, in 
company with others. He had already, as a bold hunter, been within the eastern 
verge of the present Kentucky, but noW he took a long 'hunt' of al)0ut three years. 
He had made himself familiar with the wilderness, and in 1773, in company with 
other families, he started with his own to make a settlement on the Kain-'tuck-ee 
River. The hostile Indians compelled them to fall back, and Boone resided on the 
Clinch River until 1775, when he went forward and planted the settlement of 
Boonesborough, in the present Madison county, Kentucky. There he built a log 
fort, and in the course of three or four years several other settlers joined him. His 
wife and daughters were the first white women ever seen -upon the banks of the 
Kentucky River. He became a great annoyance to the Indians, and while at the 
Blue Licks, on the Licking River, in February, 1778, engaged with others in 
making salt, he was captured by some Shawnee warriors from the Ohio country, 
and taken to Chillicothe. The Indians became attached to him, and he was adopted 
into a family as a son, A ransom of five hundred dollars was offered for him, but 
the Indians'refused it. He at length escaped (in July following his capture), when 
he ascertained that a large body of Indians were preparing to march against Boones- 
borough. They attacked that station three times before the middle of September, 
but were repulsed. During Boone's captivity, his wife and children had returned 
to the house of her father, on the Yadkin, where the pioneer visited them hi 1779, 
and remained with them for many months. He returned to Kentucky in 17S0, 
with his family, and assisted Colonel Clark in his operations against the Indians in 
the Illinois country." 



KENTUCKY. 79 

At the close of the war, Boone settled down quietly upon his farm. But he was 
not long permitted to remain unmolested. His title, owin;^ to the imperfect nature 
of the land laws of Kentucky, was legally decided to he defective, and Boone was 
deprived of all claim to the soil wliieh he had explored, settled, and so hravely de- 
fended. In 1795, di.sgusted with civilized society, he sought a new home in t!ie 
wilds of the far west, on the banks of the Missouri, then within the dominion of 
Spain. He was treated there with kindness and attention by the public autliorities, 
and he found the simple manners of that frontier people exactly snitetl to his pe- 
culiar habits and temper. With them he spent the residue of his days, and was 
gathered to his lathers, Sept. 26th, 1820, in the S6th year of his age. He w;'.s bur- 
ied in a coffin which he had had made for years, and placed under his bed, ready 
to receive him whenever he should be called from these earthly scenes. In the 
summer of 1845, his remains were removed to Frankfort. In person, Boone was 
live feet ten inches in hight, and of robust and powerful proportions. He was or- 
dinarily attired as a hunter, wearing a fiunting shirt and moccasins. His biogra- 
pher, who saw him at his residence, on the Missouri River, but a short time before 
his death, says that on his introduction to Col. Boone, the impressions were those 
of surprise, admiration and delight. In boyhood, he had read of Daniel J?oone, the 
pioneer of Kentucky, the celebrated hunter and Indian fighter, and imngination 
hjid portrayed a rough, fierce-looking, uncouth specimen of humanity, and of 
course, at this j^eriod of life, a fretful and unattractive old man. But in every re- 
spect the reverse apj^eared. His high, bold forehead was slightly bald, and his silver 
locks were combed smooth; his countenance was ruddy and fair, and exhiliited the 
simplicity of a child. His voice was soft and melodious; a smile frequently played 
over his features in conversation; his clothing was the coarse, plain manufacture 
of the family, but everything about him denoted that kind of comfort which was 
congenial to his habits and feelings, and evinced a happy old age. His room was 
part of a range of log cabins, kept in order by his affectionate daughter and grand- 
daughter, and every member of the household appeared to delight in administering 
to the comforts of "grandfather Boone," as he was fsimiliarly called. 

When age had enfeebled his once athletic frame, he made an excursion, twice a 
year, to some remote hunting ground, employing a companion, whom he bound by 
R written contract to take care of him, and should he die in the wilderness to bring 
his body to the cemetery which he had selected as a final resting-place. 

George Rogers Clark was 
born in Albemarle county, Vir- 
ginia, in 1752. He possessed 
a most extraordinary military 
genius, and became conspicu- 
ously prominent in the con- 
quest and settlement of the 
whole west. "He first appeared 
in history as an adventurer be- 
yond the Aileghanies, in 1772. 
He had been engaged in the business of land-surveyor for some time, and that year 
he went down the Ohio in a canoe as far as the mouth of the (Jreat Kanawha, in 
company with Rev. David Jones, then on his way to preach the gospel to the -west- 
ern tribes. He was captain of a company in Dunmore's army, which marched 
against the Indians on the Ohio and its tributaries, in 1774. Ever since his trip 
in 1772, he ardently desired an opportunity to explore those deep wildernesses in the 
great valleys, and in 1775 he accompanied some armed settlers to Kentucky, as 
their commander. During that and the following year, he traversed a great ex- 
tent of country south of the Ohio, studied the character of the Indians, and made 
himself master of many secrets which aided in his future success. He beheld a 
beautiful country, inviting immigration, but the pathway to it was made dangerous 
y<y the enemies of the colonists, who sallied forth from the British posts at Detroit, 
Kaskaskia and Vincennes, with Indian allies. Convinced of the necessity of pos- 
sessing these po.sts, Clark submitted the plan of an expedition against them to the 
Virginia legislature, and early in the spring of 1778 he was at the falls of the Ohio 
(now Louisville) with four companies of soldiers. There he was joined by Simon 




80 



KENTUCKY. 



Konton, annthor hold pioneer. lie marched tliron.::h the wilderness toward thoso 
iinpin-tant posts, and at the close of summer all but Detroit were in his posses.sion. 
Clark was now promoted to colonel, and was instructed to pacify the western 
tribes, if possible, and brino; them into friendly relations with the Americans. 
While thus cnira,u:ed, he was informed of the recapture of Vincennes. With his 
usual ener;rv, and fdliowed by less than two hundred men, he traversed the drowned 
lands of Illinois, through deep morasses and snov,- floo<ls, in February, 1779, and on 
the r.Uii of that month appeared before Vincennes. 'J"o the astonished garrison, it 
seemed a.s if these rough Kentuckians had dropped from the clouds, for the wlsole 
country was inundated. 'J'he fort was speedily surrendered, and commander Ham- 
ilton (siovernor of Detroit), and several others, were sent to Virj^inia as prisoners. 
Colonel Clark also captured a quantity of goods, under convoy from Detroit, valued 
at .$.';U,000; and having sufficiently garrisoned Vincennes and the other posts, he 
proceeded to Iniild Fort .leiferson, on the western bank of the j\[ississippi, below the 
Ohio. When Arnold invaded Virginia, in 17.S1, Colonel Clark joined tlu; forces 
under the Baron Steuben, and performed signal service until the traitor had de- 
parted. He v.'as promoted to the rank of brigadier the same year, and went beyond 
the mountains airain, hoping to organize an expedition against Detroit. His scheme 
failed, and for awhile Clark was in command of a post at the Falls of the Oliio. 
In the autumn of 1782, he penetrated the Indian country between the Ohio and the 
lakes, with a thousand men, and chastised the tribes severely for their marauding 
excursions into Kentucky, and awed them into comparatively peaceful relations. 
For these deeds, John Randolph afterward called Clark the 'American Hannibal, 
who, by the reduction of those military posts in the wilderness, obtained the lakes 
for the' northern boundary of our Union at the peace of 1783.' Clark made Ken- 
tucky his future home, and during Washington s administration, when (lenet, the 
French minister, attempted to organize a force in the west against the Spaniards, 
Clark accepted from him the commission of maiorireneral in the armies of France. 
The project was abandoned, ami the hero of the northwest never appeared in 
puldic life afterward." General Clark was never married, and he was long in in- 
lirm health. He died in February, 1S18, and was buried at Locust Grove, near 
Louisville. 

'"Gen. CJiurles Scott was a native of Cumberland county, A'irginia. He raised 
the llrst company of volunteers in that state, south of the James Kiver, that actually 
entered into the continental service. So much was he appreciated that in 1777 the 
shire-town of Powhattan county was named in honor of him. Congress appointed 
him a brigadier in the continental army on the 1st of April, 1777. He served with 
distinction during the war. and at its termination he went to Kentucky. He settled 
in Woodford county, in that state, in 178.5. He was with St. Clair at his defeat in 
]7'.il, and in 17Vi4^ he cammanded a portion of Wayne's army at the battle of the 
Fallen Timber. He was governor of Kentucky from 1808 to 1812. He died on 
the 22d of October, 182U, aged seventy-four years." 

Scott was a man of strong natural powers, but somewhat illiterate and rough in 
liis manners. He was eccentric, and many amusing anecdotes are related of him. 
When a candidate for governor, he was opposed by Col. Allen, a native of Ken- 
tucky, who, in an address to the people when Scott was present, made an eloquent ap- 
peal. The friends of the latter, knowing he was no orator, felt distressed for him, 
but Scott, nothing daunted, mounted the stump, and addressed the company nearly 
as follows : 

"Well, boy.=!, I .im sure you must all be well pleased with the speech you have just heard. 
It does my heart good to think we have so smart a man rai.sed up among us here. Ila is a 
native Kentuckian. I see a good many of you here that I brought out to this country when 
a wilderness. At that time we hardly expected we should live to see such a sra:irt man 
r.iised un among ourselves. You who were with me in those early times know we had no 
time for education, no means of improving from books. We dared not then go aliout our 
most common affairs without arms in our hands, to defend ourselves against the Indians. 
But we guarded and protected the country, and now every one can go where he pleases, and 
vou now see what smart fellow.s arc growing up to do their country honor. JJiit I tliiuk it 
would be a pity to make this man governor; I think it would be better to send hiui to Co:i- 
oress. I don't think it requires a very smart man to mike a governor, if lie hns sense 
enough to gather smart men about who oau help him on with the business of state. It 



KENTUCKY. 81 

would suit a worn-out old wife of a man like myself. But as to this young man, I am very 
proud of him, as much so as any of his kin, if any of them have been here to-day listening 
to his speech." Scott then descended from the stump, and the huzzas for the old soldier 
made the welkin ring. 

Gen. Benjamin Logan, one of the most distinguished pioneers, was born in Vir 
ginia, of Irish parentage, about the year J742. He was a sergeant in Boquet's ex- 

S edition, and was in Dunmore's campaign. In 1775, he came to Kentucky with 
loone, Henderson, and others. The next year he brought out his family, and 
established a fort, called "Logan's Fort," which stood at St. Asaph's, about a mile 
west of the present town of Stanford, in Lincoln county. That period is memora- 
ble in the history of Kentucky, as one of peculiar peril. The woods literally 
swarmed with Indians. Having been reinforced by several white men, Logan de- 
termined to maintain himself at all hazards. 

" On the 20th of May, 1777, this fort was invested by a force of a hundred Indians; and 
on the morning of that'day, as some of the females belonging to it were engaged, outside 
of the gate, in milking the cows, the men who acted as the guard for the occasion, were 
fired upon by a party of the Indians, who had concealed themselves in a thick canebrake. 
One man was shot dead, another mortally wounded, and a third so badly, as to be disabled 
from making his escape; the remainder made good their retreat into the fort, and closed 
the gate. Harrison, one of the wounded men, by a violent exertion, ran a few paces and 
fell. His struggles and exclamations attracted the notice, and awakenod the sympathies, 
of the inmates of the station. The frantic grief of his wife gave additional interest to 
the scene. The enemy forhrtre to fire upon him, doubtless from the supposition that some 
of the garrison would attempt to save him, in which event they were prepared to fire upon 
them from the canebrake. "The case was a trying one; and there was a strong conflict be- 
tween sympathy and duty, on the part ot the garrison. The number of effective men had 
been reduced from fifteen to twelve, and it was exceedingly hazardous to put the lives of 
any of this small number in jeopardy; yet the lamentations of his family were so distress- 
ing, and the scene altogether so moving, as to call forth a resolute determination to save 
him if possible. Logan, always ali^e to the impulses of humanity, and insensible to fear, 
volunteered his services, and appealed to some of his men to accompany him. But so ap- 
palling was the danger, that all, at first, refused. At length, John Martin consented, and 
rushed, with Logan, from the fort; but he had not gone far, before he shrunk from the 
imminence of the danger, and sprung back within the gate Logan paused for a moment, 
then dashed on, alone and undaunted — reached, unhurt, the spot where Harrison lay — 
threw him on his shoulders, and, amidst a tremendous shower oi" rifle balls, made a safe 
and triumphant retreat into the fort. 

The Ibrt was now vigorously assailed by the Indian force, and as vigorously defended 
by the garrison. The men were constantly at their posts, whilst the women were actively 
engaged in molding bullets. But the weakness of the garrison was not their only griev- 
ance. The scarcity of powder and ball, one of the greatest inconveniences to which the 
settlers were not unfrequently exposed, began now to be seriously felt. There were no in- 
dications that the siege would be speedily abandoned; and a protracted resistance seemed 
impracticable, without an additional supply of the munitions of war. The settlements on 
Holston could furnish a supply — but how was it to be obtained? And, even if men could 
be found rash and desperate enough to undertake the journey, how improbable was it that 
the trip could be accomplished in time for the relief to be available. Logan stepped for- 
ward, in this extremity, determined to take the dangerous office upon himself Encour- 
aging his men Avith the prospect of a safe and speedy return, he left the tort under cover 
of the night, and, attended by two faithful companions of his own selection, crept cau- 
tiously through the Indian lines without discovery. Shunning the ordinary route through 
Cumi>erland Gap, he moved, with incredible rapidity, over mountain and valley — arrived 
at the settlement on the Holston — procured the necessary supply of powder and lead — im- 
mediately retraced his steps, and was again in the fort in ten days from the time of his 
departure. He returned alone. The necessary delay in the transportation of the stores, 
induced him to intrust them to the charge of his companions; and his presence at St. 
Asaph's was all-important to the safety of its inhabitants. His return inspired them with 
fresh courage; and, in a few days, the appearance of Col. Bowman's party compelled the 
Indians to retire." 

In the year 1779, Logan was first in command under Bowman, in his expedition 
against the Indian town of Chillicothe. It failed through the imbecility of the com- 
mander; but Logan gained great credit for his bravery and generalship on the occa- 
sion. In the summer of 1788, he conducted a successful expedition against the 
Indians in the Miami country. From this period until his death, Gen. Logan de- 

6 



82 KENTUCKY. 

voted himself to the cultivation of his farm. He was a member of the convention 
of 1792, which framed the first constitution of Kentucky. He died full of vears 
and of honors. 

Gov. Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky, and the "hero of two wars." 

w;.3 of Welsh 
descent, and 
was born near 
Hafrarstown, 





^^yj C/^^ ^^^ y ^xL ^^fc^^^-y^t^ Maryland, 



1 n 
1750. At the 
age of 21 years 
he emigrated 
t o Virginia, 
And engaged as a surveyor there, and in 1775, in Kentucky. Early in the devo- 
lution he was, for a time, in the commissary department; but later, in 1780, he was 
commissioned as a colonel by Virginia, and raised 300 riflemen. He gained grtsx 
distinction in several actions, especially in the important battle of King's Moun- 
tain, the turning point of the Revolution in the south. He was the most promi- 
nent officer in this celebrated victory, and originated the expedition which led to 
it. After this he served under Gen. ]\Iarion. 

In 17f^2, he was elected a member of the Legislature of North Carolina, but 
soon after returned to Kentucky, and settled down upon a farm for life. '" He was 
elected the first governor of the new state, and after an interval of comparative 
repose, ho was again the incumbent of that important office in 1812. Another war 
with Great Britain was then impending. The lire of 1776 still warmed his bosom, 
and he called his countrymen to arms, ^hen the proclamation of war Avent forth. 
Henry Clay presented him with a sword, voted by the legislature of North Caro- 
lina for his gallantry at King's Mountain, thirty-two years before, and with that 
weapon he marched at the head of four thousand Kentucky volunteers, toward the 
Canada frontier, in 1813, though the snows of three score and three winters were 
upon his head. He fought gallantly upoi the Thames, in Canada; and for his 
valor there, congress honored him with a gold medal. President Monroe appointed 
him secretary of war in 1817, but he declined the honor, for he coveted the repose 
which old age demand.s. His last public act was the holding of a treaty with the 
Chickasaw Indians, in 1818, with General Jackson for his colleague. His sands 
of life were now nearly exhausted. In February, 1820, he was prostrated by par- 
alysis, yet he lived, somewhat disabled, until the 18th of July, 1826, when apo- 
plexy terminated his life. He was then almost seventy-six years of age, and died 
as he had lived, with the hope of a Christian." 

Col. Richard M. Johnson, vice president of the United States, was born at Bry- 
at's Station, five miles north-east of Lexington, in Oct., 1781. The outline of the 
history of this one of the most distinguished natives of Kentucky, is given in the 
monumental inscription, copied on page 908 of this work. 

" Henry Clay wa» 
/y born in Hanover county, 

A /^ (^ y . Virginia, April 12, 1777. 

/C' • Cl^^^, ^ 2 ^ ^Ulf^/^ 7^ -^ 'C Having received a com- 

mon school education, 
he became at an early 
age, a copyist in the 
office of the clerk of the 
court of chancery, at 
Richmond. At nine- 
teen he commenced the 
study of law, and short- 
ly afterward removed to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was admitted to the bar 
in 1799, and soon obtained extensive practice. He began his political career, by 
taking an active part in the election of delegates to frame a new constitution for 
Uie state of Kentucky. In 1803, he was elected to the legislature by the citizens 




KENTUCKY. §3 

of Fayette county; and in 1805, he was appointed to the United States senate for 
the remainder of the term of General Adair, who had i-esigned. In 1807, he was 
again elected a member of the general assembly of Kentucky, and was chosen 
speaker. In the follovvinir year occurred his duel with Humphrey Marshall. In 
1809, he was again elected to the United States senate for the unexpired term of 
Mr. Thurston, resigned. In 1811, he was elected a member of the house of repre- 
sentatives, and was chosen speaker on the first day of his appearance in that body, 
and was five times re-elected to this office. During this session, his eloquence 
aroused the country to resist the aggressions of Great Britain, and awakened a na- 
tional spirit. In 1814, he was appointed one of the commissioners to negotiate a 
treaty of peace at Ghent. Returning from this mission, he was re-elected to con- 
gress, and in 18J8, he spoke in favor of recognizing the independence of the Soutli 
American Kcpublics. In the same year, he put forth his strength in behalf of a 
national system of internal improvements. A monument of stone, inscribed with 
his name, was erected on the Cumberland road, to commemorate his services in 
behalf of that improvement. 

In the session of 1819-20, he exerted himself for the establishment of protec- 
tion to American industry, and this was followed by services in adjusting the Mis- 
souri Compromise. After the settlement of these questions, he withdrew from 
congress, in order to attend to his private affairs. In 1823 he returned to congress 
and was re-elected speaker ; and at this session he exerted himself in support of 
the independence of Greece. Under John Quincy Adams, he filled the office of 
secretary of state; the attack upon Mr. Adams' administration, and especially upon 
the secretary of state, by John Randolph, led to a hostile meeting between him and 
Mr. Clay, which terminated without bloodshed. In 1829 he returned to Kentucky ; 
and in 1831 was elected to the United States senate, where he commenced his la- 
bors in favor of the Tariff; in the same month of his reappearance in the senate, 
he was unanimously nominated for president of the United States. In 1836, he 
was re-elected to the senate, where he remained until 1842, when he resigned, and 
took his final leave, as he supposed, of that body. In 1839, he was again nomi- 
nated for the presidency, but General Harrison was selected as the candidate. Ho 
also received the nomination in 1844, for president, and was defeated in this elec- 
tion by Mr. Polk. 

He remained in retirement in Kentucky until 1849, when he was re-elected to 
the senate of the United States. Here he devoted all his energies to the measures 
known as the Compromise Acts. His efforts during this session weakened his 
strength, and he went for his health to Havana and New Orleans, but with no per- 
manent advantjige; he returned to Washington, but was unable to participate in 
the active duties of the senate, and resigned his seat, to take effect upon the 0th 
of September, 1852. He died in Washington City, June 29, 1852. He was inter- 
ested in the success of the Colonization Society, and was for a Jong time one of 
its most efficient officers, and also its president." 

Gen, Zacliary Taylor was a Virginian born, and a Kentuckian bred. In 1785, 
while he was an infant a year old, his parents moved to the vicinity of Loui.-t- 
ville. At the age of 24 years, he entered the army as lieutenant of infantry, and 
continued in the service of his country until his death, while holding the position 
of President of the United States, Jujy 9, 1850, at the age of 65 years. His bio- 
craphy is written in honorable lines iff the history of his country', and his memory 
Is warmly cherished in the hearts of her people. 



OHIO. 




The territory now comprised within the limits of Ohio was, originally, 
part of that vast region formerly claimed by France, between the Alleghany 

and Kocky Mountains, known by the 
general name of Louisiana. It re- 
ceived its name from the river that 
forms its southern boundary. The 
word Oliio, in the Wyandot, signifies, 
'■'■fair'" or "beantiful river" which 
was the name given to it by the 
French, the first Europeans who ex- 
plored this part of the country. 

The disastrous expedition, under 
La Salle, who was murdered by his 
own men, did not abate the ardor of 
the French in their great plan of ob- 
taining possession of the vast region 
westward of the English colonies. 
Iberville, a French officer, having in 
charge an expedition, sailed from 
France to the Mississippi. He en- 
tered the mouth of this river, and proceeded upward for several hundred 
miles. Permanent establishments were made at different points, and from 
this time, the French colonies west of the Allcghanies increased in numbers 
and strength. Previous to the year 1725, the colony had been divided into 
quarters, each having its local governor, but all subject to the superior coun- 
cil general of Louisiana. One of these quarters was established north-west 
of the Ohio. 

Before the year 1750, a French post had been fortified at the mouth of 
the Wabash, and a communication opened with Canada, through that river 
and the Maumee. About the same time, and for the purpose of checking 
the French, the "Ohio Company" was formed, and made some attempts to 
establish trading houses among the Indians. 

The claims of the different European raonarchs to large portions of Amer- 
ica, were founded on the first discoveries of their subjects. In 1609, the 
English monarch granted to the London Company, a tract of land two hun- 
dred miles along the coast, "up into the land throughout from sea to sea, west 
and north-west." In 1GG2, Charles 11 granted to certain settlers on the Con- 

85 



Aems op Ohio. 



86 OHIO- 

nccticut, a tract wliicli extended its present limits north and south, due 
west to the Pacific Ocean. 

In 1749, the year after the formation of the Ohio Company, it appears that 
the English built a trading house upon the Great Miami. In 1752, this was 
destroyed, after a severe battle, and the traders were carried away to Canada. 
This was the first British settlement in this section of which we have any 
record. The Moravian missionaries, prior to the American Revolution, had 
a number of stations within the limits of Ohio. As early as 17G2, the mis- 
sionaries, Ileckewclder and Post, were on the Muskingum. Mary Heche- 
welder, the daughter of the missionary, is said to have been the first white 
child born in Ohio. 

After Braddock's defeat, in 1755, the Indians pushed their excursions as 
far as the Blue Ridge. In 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, having dispersed the In- 
dian forces besieging Detroit, passed into the Wyandot country by way of 
Sandusky Bay. A treaty of peace was signed by the chiefs and head men. 
The Shawnecs, of the Scioto River, and the Delawares, of the Muskingum, 
however, still continued hostile. Col. Boquet, in 1764, with a body of troops, 
marched from Fort Pitt into the heart of the Ohio country, on the Mus- 
kiniium River. This expedition was conducted with great prudence and 
skill, and with scarcely any loss of life. A treaty of peace was efieetcd with 
the Indians, who restored the prisoners they had captured from the white 
settlements. The next war with the Indians was Lord Dunmore's, in 1774. 
In the fiill of the year, the Indians were defeated at Point Pleasant, on the 
Virginia side of the Ohio. Shortly after, peace was made with the Indians 
at Camp Charlotte, a few miles north of the site of the city of Chillitothc. 

During the Revolutionary war, most of the western Indians were more or 
less united against the Americans. In the summer of 1780, Gen. Clark led 
a body of Kentuckians against the Shawnees, Old CijillJcothe, on the Lit- 
tle Miami, was burnt on their approach, but at Piqua, on Mad River, six 
miles below the site of Springfield, they gave battle to the whites and v,"ere 
defeated. Their towns, Upper and Lower Piqua, were destroyed. In M;irch, 
1782, a party of Americans, in cold blood, murdered 94 of the defeneeicss Mo- 
ravian Indians, within the limits of Tuscarawas county. In June following, 
Col. Crawford, at the head of about 500 men, was defeated by the Indians, 
three miles north of the site of Upper Sandusky, in Wyandot county. Col, 
Crawford was <aken 2)risoner in the retreat, and burnt at the stake with hor- 
rible tortures. 

After the close of the Revolutionary war, the states which owned western 
unappropriated lands, with a single excejjtion, ceded their lands to the United 
States. Virginia, in 1784, ceded all her claim to lands north-west of the 
Ohio. In 1786, Connecticut also ceded her claim of soil and jurisdiction to 
all the territory within her chartered limits west of Pennsylvania. She also, 
in May, 1801, ceded her jurisdictional claims to all that territory called the 
'•AVestern Reserve of Connecticut." New York and Massachusetts also 
ceded all their claims. Numerous tribes of Indians, by virtue of their prior 
possession, asserted their respective claims, which, also, had to be extin- 
guished, for which purpose treaties with the several tribes were made at vari- 
ous times. 

The Indian title to a large part of the territory within the limits of Ohio 
having become extinguished, legislative action on the part of congress be- 
came necessary before commencing settlements. In 1785, they passed an 
ordinance for determining the mode of disposing of these lands. Under that 



OHIO. 87 

ordinance, the first seven ranges, bounded on the east by Pennsylvania and 
on the south by the Ohio, were surveyed. Sales of parts of these were made 
in New York in 1787, and sales of other parts of the same range were made 
at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. No further sales were made in that dis- 
trict until the land ofiice was opened in Steubenville, July 1, 1801. 

In October, 1787, the U. S. board of treasury sold to Manassah Cutler and 
Winthrop Sargeant, the agents of the New England Ohio Company, a tract 
of land, bounded by the Ohio, from the mouth of the Scioto to the intersec- 
tion of the western boundary of the seventh range of townships then sur- 
veying: thence by said boundary to the northern boundary of the tenth 
township from the Ohio, etc. These bounds were altered in 1792. The set- 
tlement of this purchase commenced at Marietta, at the mouth of the Mus- 
kingum, in the spring of 1788, and was the first settlement formed in Ohio. 

The same year in which Marietta was first settled, congress appointed Gen. 
Arthur St. Clair governor. The territorial government was organized, laws 
were made or adopted by the governor and Judges Parsons and Varnum. 
The county of Washington, embracing about half the territory within the 
present limits of Ohio, was established by the proclamation of the governor. 
A. short time after the settlement had commenced, an association was formed 
ander the name of the " Scioto Laud Company." A contract was made for 
the purchase of part of the lands of the Ohio Company. Plans and descrip- 
tions of these land>s being sent to France, they Avere sold to companies and 
individuals. On Feb. 19, 1791, two hundred and eighteen of these pur- 
chasers left France, and amyed at Alexandria, Va., from whence they went 
to Marietta, where about fifty of them landed : the remainder of them pro- 
ceeded to Grallipolis, which was laid out about that time. Their titles to the 
lands proving defective, congress, in 1798, granted them a tract on the Ohio, 
above the mouth of the Scioto River, called the ^'■French Grant." 

In January, 1789, a treaty was made at Fort Harmar, between Gov. St. 
Clair and the Wyandots, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, and Sacs, in which for- 
mer treaties were renewed. It did not, however, produce the favorable re- 
sults anticipated. The Indians, the same year, assumed a hostile appear- 
ance, hovered around the infant settlements at the mouth of the Muskingum, 
and between the Miamis. Nine persons were killed, the new settlers became 
alarmed, and block houses were erected. 

Negotiations with the Indians proving unavailing, Gen. Harmar was di- 
rected to attack their towns. He marched from Cincinnati, in Sept., 1790, 
with 1,300 men, and went into the Indian country near the site of Fort 
Wayne, in north-western Indiana, and, after some loss, succeeded in burning 
towns, and destroying standing corn, but the object of the expedition in 
intimidating the Indians was entirely unsuccessful. As the Indians continued 
hostile, a new army was assembled at Cincinnati, consisting of about 3,000 
men, under the command of Gov. St. Clair, who commenced his march toward 
the Indian towns on the Maumee. On the 4th of Nov., 1791, when near the 
present northern line of Darke county, the American army was surprised 
about half an hour before sunrise, as there is good reason to believe, by the 
whole disposable force of the north-west tribes. The Americans were 
totally defeated : upward of six hundred were killed, among whom was Gen. 
Butler. 

In the spring of 1794, an American army assembled at Greenville, in 
Darke county, under the command of Gen. Anthony Waynr, consisting of 
about 2,000 regular troops, and 1,500 mounted volunteers from Kentucky. 



88 OHIO- 

The Indians had collected their whole force, amounting to about 2,000 war- 
riors, near a British fort at the foot of the rapids of Maumee. On the 20th 
of Aug., 1794, Gen. Wayne encountered the enemy in a short and deadly 
conflict, when the Indians fled in the greatest confusion. After destroying 
all the houses and cornfields in the vicinity, the victorious army returned to 
the mouth of the Auglaize, where Wayne erected Fort Defiance. The In- 
dians, being convinced of their inability to resist the American arms, sued 
for peace. A grand council of eleven of the most powerful tribes assembled 
at Greenville, when they agreed to acknowledge the United States their sole 
protector, and never to sell their lands to any other power. 

At this period there was no fixed seat of government. The laws were 
passed whenever they seemed to be needed, at any place where the territorial 
legislators happened to assemble. The population of the territory continued 
to increase and extend. From Marietta, settlers spread into the adjoining 
country. The Virginia military reservation drew a considerable number of 
Revolutionary veterans and others from that state. The region between the 
Miamis, from the Ohio far upward toward the sources of Mad River, became 
chequered with farms. The neighborhood of Detroit became populous, and 
Connecticut, by grants of land within the tract reserved in her deed of ces- 
sion, induced many of her citizens to seek a home on the borders of Lake 
Erie. 

The territorial legislature first met in 1799. An act was passed confirming 
the laws enacted by the judges and governor, the validity of which had been 
doubted. This act, as well as every other which originated in the council, 
was prepared and brought forward by Jacob Burnet, afterward a distinguished 
judge and senator, to whose labors, at this session, the territory was indebted 
for some of its most beneficial laws. William H. Harrison, then secretary of 
the territory, was elected delegate to congress. In 1802, congress having ap- 
proved the measure, a convention assembled in Chillicothe and formed a state 
constitution, which became the fundamental law of the state by the act of the 
convention alone, and by this act Ohio became one of the states of the federal 
union. , 

The first general assembly under the state constitution met at Chillicothe, 
March 1, 1803. Eight new counties were made at this session, viz: Gallia, 
Scioto, Franklin, Columbiana, Butler, Warren, Greene and Montgomery. 
In 1805, the United States, by a treaty with the Indians, acquired for th«i 
use of the grantees of Connecticut all that part of the Western Reserve which 
lies west of the Cuyahoga. By subsequent treaties, all the country watered 
by the Maumee and Sandusky was acquired, and the Indian title to lands 
in Ohio is now extinct. 

About the year 1810, the Indians, who, since the treaty at Greenville, had 
been at peace, began to commit depredations upon the western settlers. The 
celebrated Tecumseh was active in his efi"orts to unite the native tribes against 
the Americans, and to arrest the further extension of the settlements. In 
1811, Gen. Harrison, then governor of Indiana territory, marched against 
the Indians on the Wabash. The battle of Tippecanoe ensued, in which the 
Indians were totally defeated. In the war of 1812, with Great Britain, Ohio 
bore her full share in the contest. Her sons volunteered with alacrity their 
services in the field, and hardly a battle was fought in the north-west in 
which some of these citizen soldiers did not seal their devotion to their coun- 
try in their blood. 

In 1816, the seat of government was removed to Columbus. In 1817, tha 



OHIO. 



89 



first resolution relating to a canal connecting the Ohio River with Lake Erie 
was introduced into the legislature. In 1825, an act was passed "to provide 
for the internal improvement of the state by navigable canals." The con- 
struction of these and other works of improvement has been of immense ad- 
vantage in developing the resources of Ohio, which in little more than half a 
century has changed from a wilderness to one of the most powerful states of 
the union. 

Ohio is hounded N. by Michigan and Lake Erie, E. by Pennsylvania and 
Virginia, W. by Indiana, and southerly by Kentucky and Virginia, being 
separated from these last named two states by the Ohio River, which washes 
the borders of the state, through its numerous meanderings, for a distance of 
more than 430 miles. It is about 220 miles long from E. to W., and 200 
from N. to S., situated between 38° 32' and 42° N. Lat., and between 80° 35' 
and 84° 40' W. Long. The surface of the state covers an area of about 
39,964 square miles, or 25,576, 960 acres, of which about one half are im- 
proved. 

The land in the interior of the state and bordering on Lake Erie is gen- 
erally level, and in some places marshy. From one quarter to one third of 
the territory of the state, comprising the eastern and southern parts bordering 
on the Ohio River, is hilly and broken. On the margin of the Ohio, and 
several of its tributaries, are alluvial lands of great fertility. The valleys of 
the Scioto and the Great and Little Miami are the most extensive sections of 
level, rich and fertile lands in the state. In the north-west section of the 
state is an extensive tract of great fertility, called the "Black Swamp," much 
of which, since the year 1855, has been opened into farms with un- 
precedented rapidity. Though Ohio has no elevations which may be 
termed mountains, the center of the state is about 1,000 feet above the level 
of the sea. The summit of the abrupt hills bordering on the Ohio, several 
hundred feet high, are nearly on a level with the surrounding country through 
which the rivers have excavated their channels in the lapse of ages. 

Ohio possesses in abundance the important minerals of coal and iron. The 
bituminous coal region commences at the Ohio River, and extends in a belt, 
between the Scioto and Muskingum Rivers, nearly to Lake Erie. Great quan- 
tities of iron ore are found in the same section in abed about 100 miles long 
by 12 wide, said to be superior to any other in the United States for the finer 
castings. Salt springs are frequent and very valuable. Marble and free- 
stone, well adapted for building purposes, abound. Almost all parts are suit- 
able for agricultural purposes, and the state ranks among the first in the pro- 
ducts of the soil. Indian corn is the staple production. Large crops of 
wheat, great quantities of pork, butter, cheese and wool are annually pro- 
duced. The grain crops of Ohio are very large ; the estimate for 1860, a 
favorable year, was: Indian corn, 80 millions of bushels; wheat, 30 millions; 
and oats, 20 millions. It is estimated that the whole state has the natural 
capacity to feed 18 millions of people. Population in 1800 was 45,365; in 
1820, 581,434; in 1850, 1,980,408, and in 1860, 2,377,917. 



Marietta, the capital of Washington county, and oldest town in the state, 
is beautifully situated on the left or east bank of the Muskingum, at its con- 
fluence with the Ohio, 104 miles south-enst of Columbus, 62 below Wheeling, 
Va., and 300, by the river, above Cincinnati. It is built principally on level 
ground, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Many of the houses are con- 
structed with great neatness, having fine gardens, and ornamental trees and 



90 



OHIO. 




slirubbcry, wliicli mark the New England origin of its population. The 
founders of the town compri.sed an unusual number of persons of refijieuient 
and taste. Very many of them had served as officers in the armies of the 
revolution, and becoming ruined in their fortunes in the service of their coun- 
try, were thus prompted to seek a new home in the wilds of the west. Ma- 
rietta College, in this place, was chartered in 1835, and is one of the most re- 
spectable institutions of the kind in the state. Population about 5,000. 

In the autumn of 1785, a 
detachment of U. S. troops, 
under the command of Maj. 
Doughty, commenced the 
erection of Fort Harmar, on 
the west bank of the Musk- 
ingum. It was named in 
honor of Col. Harmar, to 
whose regiment Major 
Doughty was attached. In 
the autumn of 1787, the di- 
rectors of the Ohio Company 
organized in New England, 
preparatory to a settlement. 
In the course of the winter 
following, a party of about 
40 men, under the superin- 
tendence of Col. Rufus Put- 
nam, proceeded over the Al- 
leghanies by the old Indian 
path which had been opened 
into Braddock's road, and 
boats being constructed, they proceeded down the river, and on the 7th of 
April, 1788, landed at the mouth of the Muskingum, and laid the foundation 
of the state of Ohio. 

"As St. Clair, who had been appointed governor the preceding October, had not 
yet arrived, it became necessary to erect a temporary government for their internal 
security, for which purpose a set of laws was passed and published, by being nailed 
to a tree in the village, and Return Jonathan Meigs was appointed to administer 
them. It is a strong evidence of the good habits of the people of the colony, that 
during three months but one difference occurred, and that was compromised. In- 
deed, a better set of men altogether could scarce have been selected for the pur- 
pose tlian Putnam's little band. Washington might well say, 'no colon_y in America 
was ever settled under such favorable auspices as that Avhich was first commenced 
at the Muskingum. Information, property and strength will be its characteristics. 
I know many of the settlers personally, and there never were men better calculated 
to promote the welfare of such a community.' 

On the 2d of July, a meeting of the directors and agents was held on the banks 
of the Muskingum, for the purpose of naming the new-born city and its public 
squares. As the settlement had been merely 'The Muskingum,' the name Marietta 
was now formally given to it, in honor of Marie Antoinette. 

On the 4th of July, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum, who, with 
S. II. I'arsons and John Armstrong, had been appointed to the judicial bench of 
the territory, on the 16th of October, 1787. Five days later, the governor arrived, 
and the colony began to assume form. The ordinance of 1787 provided two dis- 
trict grades of government for the north-west territory, under the first of which the 
whole power was in the hands of, the governor and three judges, and this form was 
at once organized upon the governor's arrival. The first law, which was 'fur regu- 



•.^>ot^ 



SorTIlF.nX VIEW of the AnTIENT MOCN'D, MAniETTA. 

The pngr.aving shows the appeanince- of the Mound as seen 
from tlio dwelling of Mr. Rosseter, in Marietta, oppo.site the 
grave-yard. Its base 13 a regular circle, 115 feet in diaaneter ; 
its perpendicular altitude is .30 feet. It is surrounded liy a ditch 
4 ft-et deep and 15 wide, defended by a parapet i feet Iiigli, 
through which is a gate-way. 



OHIO. 



91 



nting and establishing the militia,' was published upon the 25th of July, and ilie 
iext day appeared the irovernor's proclamation, erecting all the country that had 
baen ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the county of Wash- 
ington. 

From that time forward, notwithstanding the doubt yet existing as to the In- 
dians, all at Marietta went on prosperously and pleasantly. On the 2d of Septem- 
ber, the first court was held, with becoming ceremonies, which was the first civil 
court ever convened in the territory north-west of the Ohio. 

'The procession was formed at the Point (where most of the settlers resided), in 
the following order: 1st, the high sherilf, with his drawn sword; 2d, the citizens; 
3d, the officers of the garrison at Fort Harmar; 4th, the members of the bar; 5th, 
the supreme judges; 6th, the governor and clergyman; 7th, the newly appointed 
jvidges of the court of common pleas, generals ilufus Putnam and Benj. Tupper. 

They marched up a path that had been cut and cleared throuizh the forest to 
Campus Martins Hill (stockade), where the whole counter-marched, and the judges 
(Putnam and Tupper) took their seats. The clergyman, llev. Dr. Cutler, then in- 
voked the divine blessing. The sheriff, Col. Ebenezer Sproat (one of nature's no- 
bles), proclaimed with his solemn 'Oh yes' that a court is opened for the adminis- 
tration of even handed justice to the poor and the rich, to the guilty and the inno- 
cent, without respect of persons ; none to be punished without a trial by their 
peers, and then in pursuance of the laws and evidence in the case.' Although this 
hccne was exhibited thus early in the settlement of the state, few ever equaled it 
in the dignity and exalted character of its principal participators, ?^lany of them 
belong to the history of our country, in the darkest as well as most splendid pe- 
riods of the revolutionary war. To witness this spectacle, a large body of Indians 
was collected from the most powerful tribes then occupying the almost entire west. 
They had assembled for the purpose of making a treaty. Whether any of them 
entered the hall of justice, or what were their impressions, we are not told.' " 




Campus M'lrtiiDi, at Marietta, in 1791. 

Soon after landing. Campus Martius, a stockaded fort, was begun on the 
vci'ge of that beautiful phiin, overlooking the Muskingum, on which are 
seated those celebrated remains of antiquity, but it was not completed with 
palisades and bastions until the winter of 1790-1. It was a square of 180 
feet on a side. At each corner was a strong block-house, surmounted by a 
tower and sentry-bos : 

These houses were 20 feet square below, and 24 feet above, and projected 6 feet 
beyond the curtains, or main walls of the fort. The intermediate curtains were 
built up with dwelling houses, made of wood, whipsawed into timbers four inches 
thick, and of the requisite witlth and length. These were laid up similar to the 



92 



OHIO. 



structure of log houses, -with the ends nicely dove-tailed or fitted together so as to 
make a neat finish. The whole were two stories high, and covered with good shin- 
gle roofs. Convenient chimneys were erected of hricks, for cooking and warming 
the rooms. A number of the dwelling houses were built and owned by private in- 
dividuals, who had families. In the west and south fronts were strong gateways; 
and over that in the center of the front looking to the Muskingum Kiver, was .1 
belfry. The chamber underneath was occupied by the lion. Winthrop Sargeant, 
as an office, he being secretary to the governor of the N. W. Territory, (.len. St. 
Clair, and performing the duties of governor in his absence. The dwelling houses 
occupied a space from 15 to 30 feet each, and were sufficient for the accommoda- 
tion of forty or fifty families, and did actually contain from 200 to 300 persons, 
men, women and cliildren, during the Indian war. 

Before the Indians commenced hostilities, the block-houses were occupied as fol- 
lows : — the south-west one by the family of Gov. St. Clair ; the north-west one for 
public worship and holding of courts. The south-east block-house was occupied 
bv private families; and the north-east as an office for the accommodation of the 
directors of the company. The area within the walls was 144 feet square, and af- 
forded a fine parade ground. In the center was a well, 80 feet in depth, for the 
supply of water to the inhabitants in case of a siege. A large sun-dial stood for 
many years in the square, placed on a handsome post, and gave note of the march 
of time. It is still preserved as a relic of the old garrison. After the war com- 
menced, a regular military corps was organized, and a guard constantly kept night 
and day. The whole establishment formed a very strong work, and reflected great 
credit on the head that planned it. 

Ship building, at Marietta, was carried on quite extensively at an early day. 
From the year 1800 to 1807, the business was very thriving. Com. Abm. 
Whipple, a veteran of the Revolution, conducted the one first built, the St. 
Clair, to the ocean. 

At that time Marietta was made "a port of clearance," from which vessels could 
receive regular papers for a foreign country. "This circumstance was the cause 
of a curious incident, which took place in the year 1806 or 1807. A ship, built at 
Marietta, cleared from that port with a cargo of pork, flour, etc., for New Orleans. 
From thence she sailed to England with a load of cotton, and being chartered to 
take a cargo to St. Petersburg, the Americans being at that time carriers for half 
the world,"reached that port in safety. Her papers being examined by a naval 
officer, and dating from the port of Marietta, Ohio, she was seized, upon the plea 
of their being a forgery, as no such poi-t was known in the civilized world. With 
considerable "difficulty the captain procured a map of the United States, and points 
ing with his finger to the mouth of the Mississippi, traced the course of that stream 
to'the mouth of the Ohio; from thence he led the astonished and admiring naval 
officer along the devious track of the latter river to the port of Marietta, at the 
mouth of the Muskingum, from whence he had taken his departure. This explan- 
ation was entirely satisfactory, and the American was dismissed with every token 
of regard and respect." 

One of the early settlers in this region, gave Mr. Howe, for his work on 
Ohio, the annexed amusing sketch, illustrating pioneer life: 

People who have spent their lives in an old settled country, can form but a faint 
idea of the privations and hardships endured by the pioneers of our now flourish- 
ing and prosperous state. When I look on Ohio as it is, and think what it was in 
1802, when 1 first settled here, I am struck with astonishment, and can hardly 
credit my own senses. When I emigrated, I was a young man, without any prop- 
erty, trade, or profession, entirely dependent on my own industry for a living. I 
purchased 60 acres of new land on credit, 2 1-2 miles from any house or road, and 
built a camp of poles, 7 by 4 feet, and 5 feet high, with three sides and a fire in 
front. I furnished myself with a loaf of bread, a piece of pickled pork, some po- 
tatoes, borrowed a frying pan, and commenced housekeeping. I was not hindered 
from my work by company; for the first week I did not see a living soul, but, to 
make amends for the want of it, I had every night a most glorious concert of 



OHIO. 



93 



wolves and owls. 1 soon (like Adam) saw the necessity' of a helpmate, and per- 
Buaded a younir woman to tie her destiny to mine. 1 builta lo.i;-hotise 20 feet 
square— quite 'aristocratic in those days — and moved into it. I was fortunate 
enough to possess a jack-knife; with that I made a wooden knife and two wooden 
forks^ which answered admirably for us to eat with. A liedstead was Avantod; I 
tooktwo round poles for the posts, inserted a pole in them for a side rail, two other 
poles were inserted for end pieces, the ends of which were put in the lo;2;s of the 
Jiouse— some puncheons were then split and laid from the side rail to the crevice 
between the Iolls of the house, which formed a substantial bed-cord, on wliich we 
laid our straw bed, the only one we had — on which we slept as soundly and woke aj 
happy as Albert and Victoria. 




A Pioneer Dwelling in the Woods. 

Tn process of time, a yard and a half of calico was wanted; T started on foot 
through the woods ten miles, to Marietta, to procure it; but alas! when 1 arrived 
there I found that, in the absence of both money and credit, the calico w:is not to 
be obtained. The dilemma Avas a serious one, and how to escape 1 could not de- 
vise; but I had no sooner informed my wife of my failure, than she su*:;iested that 
I had a pair of thin pantaloons which I could very well spare, that would make 
quite a decent frock: the pants were cut up, the frock made, and in due time, the 
child was dressed. 

The long winter evenings were rather tedious, and in order to make them pass 
more smoothly, by great exertion, I purchased a share in the Belpre library, 6 miles 
distant. From this I promised myself much entertainment, but another obstacle 
presented itself — I had no candles ; however, the woods afforded plenty of pine 
knots — with these 1 made torches, by which I could read, though I nearly spoiled 
my eyes. Many a night have I passed in this manner, till 12 or 1 o'clock reading 
to my wife, while she was hatcheling, carding or spinning. Time rolled on, the 
payments for my land became due, and money, at that time, in Ohio, Avas a cash 
article: however, 1 did not despair. I bought a few steers; some I bartered for 
and others I got on credit — my credit having someAvhat improved since the calico 
expedition — slung a knapsack on my back, and started alone with my cattle for Rom- 
ney, on the Potomac, Avhere I sold them, then traveled on to Litchfield, Connecti- 
cut, paid for my land, and had just $1 left to bear my expenses home, 600 miles 
distant. Before I returned, I worked and procured 50 cents in cash ; with this and 
ray dollar I commenced my journey homeward. I laid out my dollar for cheap 
hair combs, and these, Avith a little Yankee pleasantry, kept me very comfortably 
at the private houses Avhere I stopped till I got to Owego, on the Susquehanna, 
where I had a poAver of attorney to collect some money for a neighbor in Ohio. 



94 OHIO. 

At Marietta are some ancient works, -which, although not more remarka- 
ble than others in the state, and not so extensive as some, are more generally? 
known, from hnving been so frequently described by travelers. They are on 
an elevated plain, above the present bank of the IMuskingum, on the east 
side, and about half a mile from its junction with the Ohio. They consist 
of walls and mounds of earth in direct lines, and in square and circular 
forms. The largest square fort, or town, contained about forty acres, en- 
compassed by a wall of earth, from six to ten feet high. On each side were 
three openings, probably gateways. On the side next the Muskingum there 
wag a covert way, formed of two parallel walls of earth, upward of 200 feet 
apart, extending probably, at the time of their construction, to the river. 
There was also a smaller fort, consisting of 20 acres, having walls, gateways 
and mounds. The mound in th« present graveyard is situated on the south- 
east of the smaller fort. The following inscriptions are copied from monu- 
ments in this yard: 

Sacred Id the memory of Comrnodore Abraham WiirppLK, whoso naval skilT an'd courage 
ivill ever remain the pride and lioast of his country. In the IIevolutiox, he was the first 
on the seas to hurl detiance at proud Britain, gallandj' leading the way to wrest from the 
mistress of the sens her scepter, and there wave the star spangled banner. lie also con- 
ducted to the sea the iirst square rigged vessel ever built on the Ohio, openin^fco coiYimorce 
resources beyond calculation. He was born Sept. 2Gth, A.D. 1733, and died May 26th, 1819, 
aged 85 years. 

Oen. IlnFUS Pqtvam, died May 4, 1824, in the 87th year of his age. 



Here lies the body of his Excellency, RKTtTKN Jonatiiax Mkigs, who was born at Mid- 
dletown, Connecticut, .Nov. — , ]76<5, and died at Marietta, March 29,1825. For many 
years his time and talents were devoted to the sevviee of his country. He successively- filled 
the place of Judge of the Territory North-west of the Ohio, Senator of Congress of the 
United States, (Jovernor of the State, and Post Master General of the United States. To 
the honoured and revered memory of an ardent Patriot, a practical Statesman, an enlight- 
ened Scholar, a dutiful Son, an indulgent Father, an atfectionate Husband, this monument 
is erected by his mourning widoAV, Sophia Meigs. 



In memory of Doctor Samuki- Hii-nuETH, a native of Massachusetts, who died at Belpre, 
August 6th, "a. U. 1823, aged 73 years. 

Death is the good man's friend — the messenger who calls him to his Father's house. 



Martha BRAiNF.nD,alaughter of Dr. Joseph Spencer, Jr., and grand-daughter of Maj. 
Gen. Joseph Spencer, ofDcers in the army of the Revolution in 1775, the latter a member 
of the Continental Congress of 1778, born at Lebanon, Connecticut, Jan. 18, 1782, married 
in Virginia to Stephen Radcliff Wilson, May 20th, 1798, died at Marietta, Jan. 10th, 1852. 

Gali-IPOLIS, the county seat of Gallia county, one of the oldest towns in 
Ohio, is pleasantly situated on the Ohio River, 102 miles south-easterly from 
Columbus, and contains about 2,800 inhabitants. It was settled in 1791, by 
a French colony, sent out under the auspices of the "Scioto Company," 
which appears to have been in some way connected with the Ohio Company. 
The agents of the Scioto Company, in Paris, were Joel Barlow, of the 
Ignited States ; Playfair, an Engli-shman ; and a Frenchman, named J)e Sais- 
son. A handsome, but deceptive French map was engraved, and glowing 
representations of the country were given, and, being about the beginning 
of the French llevolution, the "flattering delusion" took strong hold. The 
terms to induce emigration were as follows: The company proposed to take 
the emigrant to their lands and pay the cost, and the latter bound himself 
to work three years fur the company, for which he was to receive fifty acreu, 



OHIO. 



95 



a house, and cow. About five hundred Frenchmen left their native country, 
debarked mostly at Alexandria, Va., and made their way to the j^romised 
land. 

The location of Gallipolis was eflfected just before the arrival of the 
French. Col. Rufus Putnam sent Maj. Burnham, with about 40 men, for 




GaUi])oll.i, i. c. Toirn of (Jie French, iit 1791. 

that purpose, who made the clearing, avaI erected block-houses and cabins on 
the jirescnt public square. Kicrhty lou cabins were constructed, 20 in each 
row. At each of the corners were block-houses, two stories high. Above 
the cabins, on the square, were two other parallel rows of cabins, whi^ch, with 
a hiu,h stockade fence, formed a sufficient fortification in times of danger. 
These upper cabins were a story and a half high, built of hewed logs, and 
finished in better style than those below, being intended for the richer class. 
The following is from a communication to the American Pioneer, from one 
of the colonists, Waldeurard Meulette: 

At an early meeting of the colonists, the town was named Gallipolis (town of 
the Fi'ench). I did not arrive till nearly all the colonists were there. 1 descended 
the river in 1791, in flat boats, loaded with troops, commanded by Gen. St. Clair, 
destined for an expedition against the Indians. Some of my countrymen joined 
that expedition; among others was Count Malarrie, a captain in the French guard 
of Louis XVI. General St. Clair made him one of his aids-de-camp in the battle, 
in which he was severely wounded. He went back to Philadelphia, from whence 
he returned to France. The Indians were encouraged to greater depredations and 
murders, by their success in this expedition, but most especially against the Amer- 
ican settlements. From their intercourse with the French in Canada, or some 
other cause, they seemed less disposed to trouble us. Immediately after St. Clair's 
defeat, Col. Sproat, commandant at Marietta, appointed four spies for Gallipolis — • 
two Americans and two French, of which I was one, and it was not until after the 
treaty at Greenville, in 1795, that we were released. 

Notwithstanding the great difficulties, the difference of tempers, education, and 
professions, the inhabitants lived in harmony, and having little or nothin<r to do, 
made themselves agreeable and useful to each other. The Americans and hunters, 
employed by the company, performed the first labors of clearing the township, 
which was divided into lots. 

Although the French were willing to work, yet the clearing of an American 



96 



OHIO. 



wilderness and its heavy timber, was far more than they could perform. To mi- 
grate from the eastern states to the "far west," is painful onoui^h now-a-days, but 
how nuioh more so it must be for a citizen of a large European town ! Even a 
farmer of the old countries would find it very hard, if not impossible to clear land 
in the wilderness. Those hunters were paid by the colonists to prepare their gar- 
den ground, which was to receive the seeds brought from France; few of the col- 
onists knew how to make a garden, but they were guided by a few books on that 
subject, which they had brought likewise from France. The colony then began to 
improve in its appearance and comfort. The fresh provisions were supplied by the 
company's hunters, the others came from their magazines. 

Breckenridge, in his Recollections, gives some reminiscences of GallipoHs, 
related in a style of charming simplicity and humor. He was then a boy of 
nine years of age : 

Behold me once more in port, and domiciled at the house, or inn, of Monsieur, or 
rather. Dr. Saugrain, a cheerful, sprightly little Frenchman, four feet six, English 
measure, and a chemist, natural philosopher and physician, both in the English and 
French signification of the word. . . . This singular village was settled by people 
from Paris and Lyons, chiefly artisans and artists, peculiarly unfitted to sit down 
in the wilderness and clear away forests. 1 have seen half a dozen at work in 
taking down a tree, some pulling ropes fastened to the branches, while others were 
cutting around it like beavers. Sometimes serious accidents occurred in conse- 
quence of their awkwardness. Their former employment had been only calculated 
to administer to the luxury of highly polished and wealthy societies. There were 
carvers and gilders to the king, coach makers, freizurs and peruke makers, and a 
variety of others who might have found some employment in our larger towns, but 
who were entirely out of their place in the wilds of Ohio. Their means by this 
time had been exhausted, and they were beginning to suffer from the want of the 
comforts and even the necessaries of life. The country back from the river was 
still a wilderness, and the Gallipotians did not pretend to cultivate anytliing more 
than small garden spots, depending for their supply of provisions on the boats 
which now began to descend the river; but they had to pay in cash, and that was 
become scarce. They still assembled at the ballroom twice a week; it was evi- 
dent, however, that they felt disappointment, and were no longer happy. The pre- 
dilection's of the best among them, being on the side of the Bourbons, the horrors 
of the French revolution, even in their remote situation, mingled with their private 
misfortunes, which had at this time nearly reached their acme, in consequence of 
the discovery that they had no title to their lands, having been cruelly deceived by 
those from whom they had purchased. It is well known that congress generously 
made them a grant of twenty thousand acres, from which, however, but few of thera 
ever derived any advantage. 

As the Ohio was now more frequented, the house was occasionally resorted to, 
and especially by persons looking out for land to purchase. The doctor had a small 
apartment which contained his chemical apparatus, and I used to sit by him aa 
often as I could watching the curious operation of his blow-pipe and crucible. I 
loved the cheerfal little man, and he became very fond of me in return. Many of 
my countrymen used to come and stare at his doings, which they were half inclined 
to think had a too near resemblance to the black art. 

The doctor was a great favorite with the Americans, as well for his vivacity and 
Bwoetness of temper, which nothing could sour, as on account of a circumstance 
which gave him high claim to the esteem of the backwoodsmen. He had shown 
himself, notwithstanding his small stature and great good nature, a very hero in 
combat with the Indians. He had descended the Ohio in company with two 
Fi-ench philosophers, who were believers in the primitive innocence and goodness 
of the children of the forest. They could not be persuaded that any danger was to 
be apprehended from the Indians; as they had no intentions to injure that people, 
they supposed no harm could be meditated on their part. Dr. Saugrain was not 
altogether so well convinced of their good intentions, and accordingly kept his pis- 
tols loaded. Near the mouth of the Sandy, a canoe with a party of warriors ap- 
proached the boat; the philosophers invited them on board by signs, when they 



OHIO. 97 

;ame rather too willingly. The first thin;:; they did on comino; on board of tlie boat 
was to salute the two phik)Sophcrs with the tomahawk ; and they wouM have treated 
the doctor in the same way but that he used his pistols with good eSect — killed two 
of the savjiires, and then leaped into the water, diving like a dipper at the flash of 
the guns of the others, and succeeded in swimming to the shore v,-ith several severe 
wounds whose scars were conspicuous. 

The doctor was nmrried to an amiable young woman, but not possessing as much 
vivacity as himself. As Madam 8augrain had no maid to assist her, her brother, a 
boy of my age, and myself were her principal helps in the kitchen. We brought 
water and Avood, and washed the dishes. 1 used to go in the morning about two 
two miles for a little milk, sometimes on the frozen ground, barefooted. 1 tried a 
pair of savots, or wooden shoes, but was unable to make any use of tliem, althougli 
Uiey had been made by the carver to the king. Little perquisites, too, sonietimes 
fell to (lur sluire irom blacking boots and shoes; my companion generally saved 
his, while mine would have burned a hole in my pocket if it had remained there. 
]n the spring and summer, a good deal of my time was passed in the garden, weed- 
ing th.o beds. While thus engaged, 1 formed an acquaintance with a young lady, 
of eighteen or twenty, on the other side of the palings, Avho was often similarly oc- 
cupied. Our friendship, which was purely Platonic, commenced with the storjj- of 
Blue Beard, recounted by her, and with the novelty and pathos of which 1 was 
aiuch interested. 

Soon^ after Breckenridge left the place, but in 1807 again saw Gallipolis: 

As we pnssed Point Pleasant and the Island below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for with 
anxious feelings, hove in sight. I thought of the French inhabitants — I thought of my 
friend Saugrain, and I recalled, in the liveliest colors, the incidents of that portion of ray 
life which wa* passed here. A year is a long time at that period — every day is crowded 
with new and great and striking events. When the boat landed, I ran up the bank and 
looked around; but alas! how changed! The Americans had taken the town in hand, 
and no trace of (iiituinily, that is, of twelve yeirs ago, remained. I hastened to the spot 
where I exjiected to find the abode, the little log house, tavern and laboratory of the doc- 
tor, hut they hadvanislied like the palace of .Maddin. After some inquiry, I found a little 
Frenchman, wlio, like the old woman of Goldsmith's villa^'e, was"tlie sail historian of the 
deseited plain" — that is, deserted by one race to be peopled by another. He led me to 
wheie a \:e\\ logs mij^ht be seen, as the only remains of the once happy tenement which had 
sheltered me — but all around it was a common; the town had taken a difterent direction. 
My heart sickened; the picture which my imagination had drawn — the scenes wiiich my 
memory loved to cherish, were blotted out and obliterated. A \olume of reminiscences 
seemed to be annihilated in an instant! I took a hasty glance at the new town as I re- 
turned to the boat. I saw brick houses, painted frames, fanciful inclosures, ornamental 
trees. Even the pond, which hiid carried oif a third of the French population by it.s milu- 
ria, liad disappeared, and a pretty green had usurped its place, with a neat brick court 
house in the nddst of it. This was too much; I hastened my pace, and with sorrow once 
more pushed into the stream. 

Cincinnati, the metropolis of Ohio, and capital of Hamilton county, is on 
the right or northern bank of the Ohio, 116 miles south-west of Columbus, 
455, by the course of the river, from Pittsburg, Pa.; 1,447 above New Or- 
leans, by the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; 518 west from Baltimore, 617 
from Philadelphia, 704 from New York, 655 east from St. Louis, Mo., 492 
from Washington City. Lat. 39° 6' 30"; Long. 84° 27' W. from Greenwich, 
or 7° 25' W. from AVashington. It is the largest inland city in the United 
States, and is frequently called the '-Queen City of the West." 

Soon after the first settlement of Ohio was commenced at Marietta, several 
parties were formed to occupy and improve separate portions of Judge 
Symmes' purchase between the Miami Ptivers. The first, led by Maj. Stites, 
laid out the town of Columbia, at the mouth of the Little Miami. The second 
party, about twelve or fifteen in number, under Matthias Denman and Robert 
Patterson, after much difficulty and danger, caused by floating ice in the 
Ohio, landed on its north bank, opposite the mouth of the Licking, Dec. 24, 



98 



OHIO. 



1788. Here they proceeded to lay out a town, which they called Losanti- 
v'lUc, which was afterward changed to Cincinnati. The orii:inal price paid 
by Mr. Denman tor the land on which the city now stands, was, in value, 
about f/fccii ju-nce per acre. A third party of adventurers, undef the ininic- 
diate care of Judge Synuues, located themselves at North Bend. 

For some time it was a matter of doubt which of the rivals, Columbia, Cin- 
cinnati or North Bend would eventually become the seat of business. The 
garrison for the defense of the settlements having been established at Cincin- 
nati, made it the head-quarters and depot of the army. In addition to this, 




Cinchuudi fvovi the Kentuclxy side of the Ohio. 

Parts of Covington and Newport, Ky., appp.ar on tlie riglit ; a, landing, Cincinn.'jti ; 6, the 8nl)nib of 
Fulton, iij) tho Ohio, on the left of which is East Walnut Hills, and through which passes the Little Miami 
Railroad, le.adiuc; to the eastern cities ; c. Mount Adams, on wliich is the Cincinnati Observatory ; d, posi- 
tion of Walnut Ilills, three miles tVom tho city ; e. Mount -Auburn, 480 feet aliove the bed of the Ohio ; /, 
Vine-street Hill,* foiir miles beyond which are the elegant country seats at Clifton ; g, valley of Mill-creek, 
on which is Spring Grove Cemetery, and the railroad track to Dayton. 

as soon as the county courts of the territory were organized, it was created 
the seat of justice for Hamilton county. These advantages turned the scale 
in favor of Cincinnati. 

At first. North Bend had a decided advantage over it, as the troops de- 
tailed by Gen. Harmar for the protection of the Miami settlers were landed 
there, through the influence of Judge Symmes. It appears, however, that tho 
detachment soon afterward took its departure for Cincinnati. The tradition 
is, that Ensign Luce, the commander of the part}-, while looking out very 
leisurely for a suitable site on which to erect a block-house, formed an ac- 
quaintance with a beautiful, black-eyed female, to whom he became much 
attached. She was the wife of one of the settlers at the Bend. Her husband 
saw the danger to which he was exposed if he remained where he was. He 
therefore resolved at once to remove to Cincinnati. The ensign soon fol- 
lowed, and, as it appears, being authorized to make a selection for a military 
work, he chose Cincinnati as the site, and notwithstanding the remonstrances 
of Judge Symmes, he removed the troops and commenced the erection of a 
block-house. Soon after Maj. Doughty arrived at Cincinnati with troops 
from Fort Harmar, and commenced the erection of Fort Washington. The 



* The bulk of the German population i."? in that portion of the city between the base of 
Mt. Auburn and Vine-street Ilill. The line of tho canal to Toledo cuts off the German set- 
tlement from the south part of the city. "Over the Rhine," t. c, over the canal, is, in 
common parlance, tho appellation given to that quarter. The total German population is 
estimated at 40,000. 



OHIO. 99 

following details upon the history of the place is extracted from Howe's Hist. 
Collections of Ohio. 

Soon as the settlers of Cincinnati landed, they commenced erecting three or 
four cabins, the first of which was built on Front, east of and near Main- 
street. The lower table of land was then covered with sycamore and maple 
trees, and the upper with beech and oak. Through this dense forest the 
streets were laid out, their corners being marked upon the trees. This survey 
extended from Eastern E-ow, now Broadway, to Western Row, now Central- 
avenue, and from the river as far north as Northern Row, now Seventh street. 

In January, 1790, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, then governor of the north-west 
territory, arrived at Cincinnati to organize the county of Hamilton. In the 
succeeding flill, Gen. Harmar marched from Fort Washington on his expedi- 
tion against the Indians of the north-west. In the following year (1791), 
the unfortunate army of St. Clair marched from the same place. On his re- 
turn, St. Clair gave 3Iajor Zeigler the command of Fort Washington and re- 
paired to Philadelphia. Soon after, the latter was succeeded by Col. Wil- 
kinson. This year, Cincinnati had little increase in its population. About 
one half of the inhabitants were attached to the army of St. Clair, and many 
killed in the defeat. 

In 1792, about fifty persons were added by emigration to the population of 
Cincinnati, and a house of worship erected. In the spring following, the 
troops which had been recruited for Wayne's army landed at Cincinnati and 
encamped on the bank of the river between the village of Cincinnati and 
Mill-creek. To that encampment Wayne gave the name of "Hobson's choice," 
it being the only suitable place for that object. Here he remained several 
months, constantly drilling his troops, and then moved on to a spot now in 
Darke county, where he erected Fort Greenville. In the fall, after the army 
had left, the small-pox broke out in the garrison at Fort Washington, and 
spread with so much malignity that nearly one third of the soldiers and citi- 
zens fell victims. In July, 1794, the army left Fort Greenville, and on the 
20th of August defeated the enemy at the battle of the "Fallen Timbers," in 
what is now Lucas county, a few miles above Toledo. Judge Burnet thus 
describes Cincinnati at about this period : 

Prior to tlie treaty of Greenville, which established a pei'manent peace between 
the United States and the Indians, but few improvements had been made of any 
description, and scarcely one of a permanent character. In Cincinnati, Fort Wash- 
ington was the most remarkable object. That rude, but highly interesting struc- 
ture stood between Third and Fourth streets, produced east of Eastern Row, now 
Broadway, which was then a two pole alley, and Avas the eastern boundary of the 
town, as originally laid out. It was composed of a number of strongly built, hewed 
log cabins, a story and a half high, calculated for soldiers' barracks. Some of them, 
more conveniently arranged, and better finished, were intended for officers' quar- 
ters. Tliey were so placed as to form a hollow square of about an acre of ground, 
with a strong block-house at each angle. It was built of large logs, cut from the 
ground on which it stood, which was a tract of fifteen acres, reserved by congress 
in the law of 1792, for the accommodation of the garrison. 

The artificers' yard was an appendage to the fort, and stood on the bank of the 
river, immediately in front It contained about two acres of ground, inclosed by 
small contiguous buildings, occupied as work-shops and quarters for laborers. 
Within the inclosure; there was a large two story frame house, familiarly called 
the "yellow house," built for the accommodation of the quartermaster general, 
which was the most commodious and best finished edifice in Cincinnati. 

On the north side of Fourth-street, immediately behind the fort, Col. Sargeant, 
secretary of the territory, had a convenient frame house, and a spacious garden, 
cultivated with care and taste. On the east side of the fort, Dr. Allison, the sur- 



100 



OHIO. 



ge<.n ceneral of the army, had a phxin frame dwelling, in the center of a large lot 
cultivated as a garden and fniiterv, which was called Peach Grove. The Pres- 
byterian C'hur(;h, an interesting edifice, stf)od on ^Iain-street, in front of the spa- 
cious bri;;k building now occupied by the First Presbj'terian congregation. Jt was 
a substantial frame building, about 40 feet by 30, inclosed with clapboards, but 
neither lathed, plastered nor ceiled. The floor was of boat plank, resting on 
wooden blocks. Jn that humble edifice the pioneers and their fiimilies assembled, 
statedly, for public worship; and, during the continuance of the war, they always 
attended with loaded rifles by their side.s. That building was afterward neatly 
finished, and some years subsequently (1814) was sold and removed to Vine-street. 
On t!i8 north side of Fourth-street, opposite where St. Paul's Ohurch now stands, 
there stood a frame school-house, inclosed, but unfinished, in which the children 
of the village were instructed. On the north side of the public square, there was 
a strong log building, erected and occupied as a jail. A room in the tavern of 
(leorge Avery, near the frog-pond, at the corner of Main and Fifth-streets, hao 




The First Church huiU in Cincinnati* 

been rented for the accommodation of the courts; and as the penitentiary system 
had not been adopted, and Cincinnati was a seat of justice, it was ornamented with 
a pillory, stocks and whippingpost, and occasionally Avith a gallows. These were 
all the structures of a public character then in the place. Add to these the cabins 
and other temporary buildings for the shelter of the inhabitants, and it Avill com- 
plete the schedule of the improvements of Cincinnati at the time of the treaty of 
iJreenville. 

It may assist the reader in forming something like a correct idea of the appear- 
ance of Cincinnati, and of what it actually Avas at that time, to know that at the 



■■'The engraving represents the First Presbyterian Church, as it appeared in February, 
1847, ami is engraved from a drawing then talicn by Mr. Howe for his "Historical Collec- 
lionh of Ohio." It stood on the west side of Vine, just north of Fourth-street, on the sj)ot 
)n)w occupied by the Summer Garden. Its original site was on the spot now occupied 
by I4>e First Presbyterian Church, on Fourtli-street. In the following spring, it was taken 
ilown, and the materinls used for the construction of several dwellings in the part of Cincin- 
),ati called Tcthh. The greater proportion of the timber was found to be perfectly sound, 
la IT'.ll, a number of the inhabitants formed themselves into a companj', to escort the Rev. 
.lames Kemper from beyond the Kentucky- Piiver to Cincinnati ; and after his arrival, a 
subscription was set on foot to build this church, which was erected in 1792. This sub- 
scription paper is still in existence, and bears date January 10, 1792. Among its signers 
were Gen. Wilkinson, Captains Ford, Peters and Shaylor, of tho regular service. Dr. Alli- 
son, .surgeon to St. Clair and Wayne, Winthrop Sargcant, Capt. llobert Elliott and others 
principally citizens, to the number of 106, not one of whom survive. 



OHIO. 



101 



intersection of ^lain and Firtli-streets there was a pond of water, full of al Jei 
bushes, from which the fro.is serenaded the neigh l)orhcod during the su miner 
and fall, and which rendered it necessary to construct a causeway of logs, to pass 
it. That morass remained in its natural state, with its alders and its frojis, several 
years after Mr. C became a resilient of the place, the population of which, includ- 
ing the garrison and followers of the army, was about six hundred. The fort was 
then commanded by William II. Harrison, a captain in the army, but afterward 
president of the United States. In 1797, Gen. Wilkinson, the commander-in-chief 
of the army, made it his head quarters for a few months, but did not, apparently, 
interfere with the command of Capt. Harrison, which continued till his resignation 
in 1798. 

During the period now spoken of the settlements of the territory, including Cin- 
cinnati, contained but few individuals, and still fewer families, wlio had been ac- 
customed to mingle in the circles of polished societj'. That fact put it in tiiQ power 
of the military to give character to the manners and customs of the people. Such 



fi£^^fe^^S£:SS^® 



M'T^^ ;S5Ss^=^-=— ^^q5»^^s^^^L^^~vi-^-'-^'- 



f^CSgife-— 




Oincinnatl in 1802. Population about 800. 

The engraving 18 from a drawing made by W'm. Biiclvnall, Esq., now of London, Eiij;land. The principal 
part of the village was upon the landing. Fort Washington (shown by the flag) was the most conspicuous 
object then in Cincinnati. Its_site was on the south side of Third-street, just west of Broadway, or, as 
it was early called, Eastern Row. 

a school, it must be admitted, was by no means calculated to make the most favor- 
able impression on the morals and sobriet}' of any community, as Avas abundantly 
proven by the result. 

Idleness, drinking and gambling prevailed in the army to a greater extent than it has 
done to any subsequent period. This m.ay be attributed to the fact that they had been 
several years in the wilderness, cut off from all society but their own, with but few 
comforts or conveniences at hand, and no amusements but such as their own inge- 
nuity could invent. Libraries were not to be found — men of literary minds, or 
polished manners, were rarely met with; and they had long been deprived of the 
advantage of modest, accomplished female society, which always produces a salu- 
tary influence on the feelings and moral habits of men. Thus situated, the officers 
were urged, by an irresistible impulse, to tax their wits for expedients to fill up the 
chasms of leisure which were left on their hands, after a full discharge of their mil- 
tary duties; and, as is too frequently the case, in such circumstances, the bottle, 
the dice-box and the card-table were among the expedients resorted to, because 
they were the nearest sit hand, and the most easily procured. 

It is a distressing fact that a very larue proportion of the officers under General 
Wayne, and subsequently under Gen. Wilkinson, were hard drinkers. Harrison, 
Clark, Shomberg, Ford, Strong, and a few others, were the only exceptions. Sucli 
were the habits of the army when they began to associate with the inhabitants of 
Cincinnati, and of the western settlements generally, and to 'give tone to public 
sentiment. As a natural consequence, tlie citizens indulged in the same practices 



102 



OHIO. 



and formed tlic same habits. As a proof of this, it may be stated that when Mr. 
Burnet came to the bar, there were nine resident lawyers engaged in the practico, 
of whom he is and lias been for many years the only survivor. They all becama 
confirmed sots, ami descended to premature graves, excepting his brother, who was 
a young man of high promise, but whose life was terminated by a rapid consump- 
tion, in the summer of 1801. lie expired under the shade of a tree, by the side 
of the road, on the banks of Paint creek, a few miles from Chillicothe. 

On the 9th of November, 1793, Wm. Maxwell established, at Cincinnati, "the 
Centinel of the North- Western Territory," with the motto, "open to all parties — 
influenced by none." It was on a half sheet, royal quarto size, and was the first 
newspaper printed north of the Ohio River. In 1796, Edward Freeman became 
the owner oT the paper, which he changed to " Freeman's .lournal," which he con- 
tinued until the beginning of 1800, when he removed to Chillicothe. On the 28th 
of ]\[ay, 1799, Joseph Carpenter issued the first number of a weekly paper, entitled 
the " Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette." On the 11th of January, 1794, two 
keel boats sailed from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, each making a trip once in four 
weeks. Each boat was so covered as to be protected against rifle and musket balls, 
and had port holes to fire out at, and was provided with six pieces, carrying pound 
balls, a number of muskets and ammunition, as a protection against the Indiana 
on the banks of the Ohio. In 1801, tlie first sea vessel equipped for sea, of 100 
tuns, built at Marietta, passed down the Ohio, carrying produce,* and the banks of 
the river at Cincinnati were crowded with spectators to witness this novel event. 
Dec. 19, 1801, the territorial legislature passed a bill removing the seat of gov 
ernment from Chillicothe to Cincinnati. 

Januai-v 2, 1802, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Cincinnati, 
and the following officers were appointed: David Zeigler, president; Jacob Burnet, 
recorder; Wm. Ramsay, David E. Wade, Chas. Avery, John Reily, Wm. Stanley, 
Samuel Dick, and Wm. Ruffner, trustees; .To. Prince, assessor; Abram Cary, col- 
lector; and James Smith, town mai-shal. In 1795, the town contained 94 cabins, 
10 frame houses, and about 500 inhabitants. 



Cincinnati is situated in a beautiful valley of about 12 miles in circumfer- 
ence, surr.ounded by hills, which rise to the bight of about 500 feet. This 
valley is divided nearly in the center by the Ohio River. On the Kentucky 
side of the Ohio, the towns of Covington and Newport are situated in it, and 
it is there pierced by the smaller valley of the Licking River, running south- 
erly. On the Ohio side the valley is also pierced, below the settled part of 
Cincinnati, by the valley of Mill creek, running northerly. Cincinnati is 
laid out with considerable regard to regularity ; the streets in the center of 
the city being broad, and intersecting each other at right angles. Many of 
the hills surrounding the city are adorned by stately and elegant mansions, 
with ornamental grounds attached; while some of them are yet covered with 
groves of ancient forest trees. 

The greater part of the city is built on two terraces, or plains, sometimes 
called "bottoms," of which the first is about 50, and the second 108 feet 
above low water mark. These elevations, in grading, have been reduced 
more nearly to a gradual ascent of from 5 to 10 degrees from the river. 
The city extends more than three miles along the river. The central por- 
tions are compactly and handsomely built, with streets about GG feet wide, 
bordered with spacious warehouses, stores, etc., many of which are magnifi- 
cent structures, of beautiful brown freestone, rising to the hight of 6 stories, 
and with 'fronts of elaborate architecture. Main-street extends from the 
steamboat landing, in a northerly direction, and Broadway, Sycamore, AVal- 
nut. Vine, Race, Elm, and Plum-streets, are parallel to it. It is intersected 
at right angles lay 14 principal streets, named Water, First, Second, Third> 
etc. An open area upon the bank of the river, with about 1,000 feet front, east 



OHIO. 



103 



from the foot of Main-street embracing some 10 acres is reserved for tlie land- 
in-, and usually presents a scene of great activity. The .hore is paved w. h 
tone from low water mark to the ton of the first bank, and furnislied with 




View on Fourth street, Cincinnati. 

Sbillito's Dry Goods' establLshmeut, .il'poarbeyou.l. _ _ 

floatin.^ wharves, which accommodate themselves to the great variation uy 
fheK of the river. From GO to 80 steamboats are otten seen here at 
mice m-esentin"- a scene of animation and business hie. , . , ^ ., 

The^OhTo lli^er, at Cincinnati, is 1,800 feet, or about one third of a mile, 



104 OHIO. 

wide, and its mean annual range from low to high water is about 50 feet: 
the extreme range ma}^ be 10 feet more. The water is at its lowest point of 
depression usually in August, September and October, and the greatest rise, 
in December, March, May and June. Its current, at its mean hight, is three 
miles an hour; when higher, or rising, it is more, and when very low it does 
not exceed two miles. The navigation of the river is rarely suspended by 
ice. The city is supplied with water raised from the Ohio by steam power, 
capable of forcing into the reservoir 5,000,000 gallons of water each twelve 
hours. The reservoir is elevated about 200 feet above the bed of the Ohio, 
and is estimated to contain 5,000,000 gallons. 

In point of commercial importance, Cincinnati occupies a front rank in 
the west. By means of the numerous steamers which are constantly plying 
to and fro on the bosom of the majestic river, which rolls gracefully on the 
south of the city, and the several canals and railroads which enter here, 
Cincinnati is connected with every available point of importance in the 
great and highly productive A-^alley of the Mississippi. The trade is not, 
however, confined to the interior : and a vast amount of foreign importation 
and exportation is done. The pork business is carried on more extensively 
here than at any other place in the world. 

Manufacturing is entered into here with great energy, and employs a vast 
amount of capital. Numerous mills and factories are in operation, besides 
founderies, planing mills, rolling mills, saw mills, rolling mills, flouring mills, 
type founderies, machine shops, distilleries, etc. ' Nearly all kinds of ma- 
chinery is driven by steam, and there are now about 300 steam engines in 
operation in the city. Steamboat building is an extensive and important 
business here. Among the most important branches of manufacture is that 
of iron castings, implements and machinery of various kinds, as steam en- 
gines, sugar mills, stoves, etc., some of the establishments employing hun- 
dreds of hands. The manufacture of clothing is also a great interest; and 
in the extent of the manufacture of furniture, the factories surpass any others 
in the Union. Cincinnati is also the most extensive book publishing mart 
in the west. The total value of the product of the manufttcturing and in- 
dustrial pursuits of Cincinnati, for 1859, was ascertained by Mr. Cist to sum 
up more than one hundred and twelve millions of dollars. Among the 
heaviest items were, ready made clothing 15 millions ; iron eastings, GA^ 
millions; total iron products, 13 millions; pork and beef packing, 6;^ mil- 
lions; candles and lard oil, 6 millions; whisky, 5 J- millions; furniture, 3§ 
millions; domestic liquors, 3i- millions; publications, newspapers, books, etc., 
2.'n millions; and patent medicines, 2 millions. 

Cincinnati was the first city in the world to adopt the steam fire engine. 
The machine used is of Cincinnati invention, by Abel Shawk. The fire de- 
partment is under pay of the city. It is admirably conducted, and so efficient 
that a serious conflagration is very rare. The huge machines, when on their 
v.'ay to a fire, arc drawn through the streets by four powerful horses moving 
;it full gallop, and belching forth flames and smoke, form an imposing spec- 
tacle. 

Cincinnati has the first Observatory built on the globe by the contribu- 
tions of "the people." It is a substantial stone building, on the hill cast of 
the city. 500 feet above the Ohio, named Mt. Adams, from John Quincy 
'Adiims, who laid the corner stone of the structure, Nov. 9, 1843. The tel- 
escope is of German manufacture; it is an excellent instrument, and cost 
about §10,000. 



OHIO. 



105 



The public buildings of Cincinnati are numerous, and some of tbeni of 
beautiful architecture. The Mechanics' Institute is a substantial buildina, 
erected by voluntary subscription. The Ohio School Library and that of the 
3Iechanics' Institute are merged in one, which is free to the public: it has 




Pikes Building. 

24,000 volumes. TIic Catholic Institute, which adjoins it, iy an ele- 
j;:uit and capacious structure witli a front of freestone. The Cincin- 
nati Collecje edifice is a large buihling of compact gray limestone. 
In it are tlie rooms of tlie Cliamber of Commerce and the Y(»ung* 
Mens' Mercantile Library Association. This association has a largo 
and excellent library-, besides all the principal American and foreign 
periodicals. The Masonic Temple, corner of Third and Walnut, cost 
iflSO.OOO. It is one of the most beautiful and imposing buildings in 
the Union. The material is a light freestone, and the style Bjzan- 
tine. The County Court House is the largest building in the city. 
It cost more than a million of dollars: its front is of gray limestone, 
and the whole structure is of the most durable character. Among the 
theaters of the city, Pike's Opera House, for its beauty, had a national 
reputation. It cost with the ground, nearly half a iiiillion of dollars: 
its magnificent opera hall was justly the pride of the citizens. It was 
burnt in 1866, and is now re-built, but without the opera hall. 
Among the 110 churches of the city, the Catholic Cathedral, on Eighth 
street, and the Jewish Synagogue opposite it, are the most imposing. 
Cincinnati has its full share of literarj- and benevolent institutions : 
five medical and four commercial colleges, the Weslj-an F^niale, and St. 



106 OHIO. 

Xavier Colleges. The common school system is on the principle now iu 
vogue, of graded schools. The scholars are divided into three classes — the 
common, intermediate and high schools. And these, in turn, are graded, one 
year being given to each grade. A child is taken at six years of age, and at 
eighteen graduates at the high school, with an education based on the com- 
mon branches, and completed with some of the languages and higher 
branches of science.-!^ 

Cincinnati is the center of many extensive railway lines, running north, 
east, south and west, and also the terminus of the Miami Canal, extending 
to Lake Erie and Toledo, and the Whitewater Canal, penetrating the heart 
of Indiana. Population, in 1800, 759; in 1810, 2,540; in 1820, 9,G02; 
1830,2-4,831; 1840, 4G,338; 1850, 118,761; in 18G0. 171,203; the suburbs, 
Covington and Newport, would increase this to about 200,000. 

Cincinnati is noted for the successful manufacture of wine from native 
grapes, particularly the Catawba. The establishment of this branch of in- 
dustry is due to the unremitting exertions of Mr. Nicholas Longworth, a 
resident of Cincinnati for more than half a century. 

Prior to this, the manufiicture of American wine had been tried in an 
experimental way, but it had failed as a business investment. Learning that 
wine could be made from the Catawba grape, a variety originating in North 
Carolina, Mr. Longworth entered systematically into its cultivation, and to 
encourage the establishment of numerous vineyards, he oifered a market on 
his own premises for all the must (juice), that might be brought him, with- 
out reference to the quantity. 

•'At the same time he offered a reward of five hundred doUars to wlioever should 
discover a better variety. It proved a great stimulus to the growth of the Cotawl)a 
vine in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, to know that a man of Mr. Longw<»rth's 
means stood ready to pay cash, at the rate of from a doUar to a dollar and a quar- 
ter a gallon, for all the grape juice that might be Ijrouglit to him, witliout reference 
t(i the quantity. It was in this way, and by urgent popular appeals through the 
columns of the newspapers, that he succeeded, after many failures, and against the 
depressing influence of much doubt and indifference, in bringing the enterprise up 

•■•The forcing system prevails in the graded schools of our large cities to an alarming ex- 
tent. It would seem as if, in the opinion of those who control those institutions, Provi- 
dence had neglected to make the days of sufTicient length, for children to obtain an educa- 
tion. In some of our large cities, doubtless many chilrlren can be found, on any winter 
night, between the late hours of 8 and 10, bu^^y pouring over their books— a necessity re- 
quired for a respectable scholarship. Many, if the writer can believe alike teachers and 
parents, break down under the system. Others, doubtles-, are to reap bitter fruits in after 
"iifo, in long years of suffering, if, more happily, thoy fail to fill premature graves! 

TI. II. Barney, Esq., formerly superintendent of the public schools of Ohio, himself with 
thirty-two years of experience as a teacher, thus expresses his views on this subject : 

"This ili-judged system of education has proved, in numerous instances, fatal to the 
health of the' inmates of our public schools, exhausting their physical energies, irritating 
their nerves, depressing and crushing, to a great extent, that elasticity of spirit, vigor of 
body, and pleasantness of pursuit, which are essential to the highest success in education 
as well as in every other occupation. 

Parents, guardians, physicians, and sensible men and women everywhere, bear testimony 
against a system of education which ignores the health, the happiness, and, in some c.ises, 
even the life of the pupil. Yet this absurd, cruel system is still persevered in, and will 
continue to be, so long as our public schools are mainly filled with the children of the 
poorer and humbler classes of society, and so long as the course of study and number of 
study hours are regulated and determined by those who have had little or no experience in 
the education or bringing up of children, or who, by educating their own offspring, at homo 
or in private schools, have, in a measure, shielded them from the evils of this stern, rigor- 
ous, unnatural system of educating the intellect at the expense of the body, the affections, 
the disposition, and the present as well as life long welfare of the pupil." 



OHIO. 



107 



to its present high and stable position. When he took the matter in hand there 
■was much to discourage any one not possessed of the traits of constancy of pur- 
pose and perseverance peculiar to Mr. Longworth. Many had tried the manufac- 
ture of wine, and had failed to give it any economical or commercial importance. 




Longworth' s Viiieijard. 
Situated on the banks of tlie Oliio, four miles above Cincinnati. 

It was not believed, until Mr. Longworth practically demonstrated it, after many 
long and patient trials of many valued varieties from France and Madeira, none 
of which gave any promise of success, that a native grape was the only one upon 
which any hope could be placed, and that of the native grapes, of Avhich he had 
experimented upon every known variety, the Catawba offered the most assured 
promise of success, and was the one upon which all yine-grow^ers might with con- 
fidence depend. It took years of unremitted cave, multiplied and wide-spread in- 
vestigations, and the expeaditure of large sums of money, to establish this fact, 
and bring the agricultural community to accept it and act under its guidance. 
The success attained! by Mr. Longworth* soon induced other gentlemen resident 
in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and favorably situated for the purpose, to undertake 
the culture of the Catawba, and several of them are now regularly and extensively 
engaged in the manufacture of wine. The impetus and encouragement thus given 
to t!ie business soon led the German citizens of Hamilton county to perceive its 
advantages, and under their thrifty management thousands of acres, stretching up 
from the banks of the Ohio, ai-e now covered with luxuriant and profitable vine- 
yards, rivaling in profusion and beauty the vine-clad hilla of Italy and France. 
The oldest vineyard in the county of Hamilton is of Mr. Longworth's planting. 
The annual pi^jduct of these vineyards may be set down at between five and six 
hundred thousand gallons, worth at present from one and a half to two dollars a 
gallon ; but the price, owing to the rapidity of the consumption, will probably ad- 



■>::•(< ]yjj._ Longworth was always curious after new and interesting things of Nature's pro- 
ducing. It was the remark of an old citizen of Cincinnati, that, if Mr. Longworth was to 
be suddenly thrown, neck and heels, into the Ohio River, he would come to the surface with 
a new variety of fish in each hand. His chief interest in horticultural matters, however, 
has been expended upon the strawberry and the grape. The perfection of variety and cul- 
ture to which he has, by his experiments and labors, brought these two important fruits of 
the country, have established their extensive and systematic cultivation in all parts of the 
west." 



108 OHIO. 

vance rather than decline. It is the prophecy of Mr. Flagir;, yir. Lonjjworth's .son- 
in-law, the gentleman who has charge ol" the coiinuereial department of his wine 
business, that, in tiie course of comparatively few years, the annual product of 
the Sparkling Catawba Avill be counted by millions of bottles, while that of the 
still sorts will be estimated by its millions of gallons. Mr. Longwcn-th alone bot- 
tles annually over 150,000 liottlcs, and has now"fn his cellars a ripening stock of 
300,000 bottles. These cellars are situated on the declivity of East i^ixfh-street, 
on the road to Observatory Hill. They occupy a space ninety feet by one hundred 
and twenty-five, and consist of two tiers of massive stone vaults, the lower of whicli 
is twenty-five feet below the surface of the ground. Here are carried on all tlio 
various processes of wine-making, the mashing, pressing, fining, racking, bottling, 
labeling and boxing; and beneath the arches and along the walls are the wine butts, 
arranged and numbered in the order of the several vintages; piles of bottles stand 
about, ready for the bottlers." 

Within the last few years, the grape crop in the Ohio valley has licen 
much injured by mildew and rot, yet the crop, thus far, has been as reliable 
as any other fruit. The most certain locality for the production of the 
grape in Ohio, is Kelly's Island, in Lake Erie, near Sandusky City, where 
the vines bear fruit when they fail in all other localities. This is ascribed to 
the uniformity of temperature at night, during the summer months, by which 
the formation of dew is prevented, and consequently of mildew. The grape 
is now cultivated in vineyards, for making wine, in twenty-one states of the 
Union. In the mountain regions of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and South 
Carolina, the increase has been rapid and extensive. That district and Cal- 
ifornia appear to be the most favorable grape producing parts of the Union. 
LongwOTth's garden is among the curiosities of Ciiicinnnti, and was for- 
merly greatly visited by strangers. It is an inclosuro of several acres, near 
the heart of the city, and at the foot of Mt. Adams. The mansion, with its 
art- treasures, is in the midst. On the grounds are several fine conservato- 
ries, filled with rare plants, a grape-house for foreign vines, and experi- 
mental forcing-house, for new varieties of strawberries and other plants, 
Mr. Longworth died February 10, 1863, at the advanged age of eighty-one. 
The suburbs of Cincinnati are very beautiful. Over on the hills the whole 
surface of the country, for miles and miles in every direction, is disposed, in 
exquisite undulations, with charming country seats, ^scattered here and there. 
The prominent localities are Walnut Hills, the seat of Lane Seminary, Mt. 
Auburn, Avondale and Clifton, the last containing the most elegant of rural 
seats. Spring Grrove Cemetery, an inclosure of 168 acres, is four miles from 
Cincinnati — a city of the dead in a beautiful location, and where nature and 
art join their attractions. ' ' 

North Bend, once the home of General Harrison, is 16 miles below the 
city, and four from the Indiana line, at the northermost point of a bend in the 
Ohio River. This place derives its chief interest from having been long the 
residence of William Henry Harrison. The family mansion stood on a level 
plat about 300 yards back from the Ohio, amid pleasing scenery. It was de- 
stroyed by fire a few years since. The engraving on the following page is 
copied from a drawing made in 1846 by Mr. Howe for his work on Ohio. 
The eastern half of the mansion, that is, the part on the reader's right, from 
the door in the main building, was built of logs. The whole structure was 
clapboarded and painted, and had a neat appearance. 

This dwelling became noted in the presidential campaign of 1840, which re- 
sulted in the election of Gen. Harrison to the presidency — commonly called ''the 
Hard Cider Campaign.'' It is said that some opponent had declared in a public 
speech that he was unfit for the office, because he never had shown the ability to 



OHIO. 



109 



raiso himself beyond the occupancy of a log cabin, in which he lived very coarsely, 
with no better beverage than hard cider. It was an unfortunate charge for the 
wishes of the accuser. The taunt of his being a poor man, and living in a log 
cabin, was seized upon by the whigs as an evidence of his incorruptibility in the 

many responsible stations he had 

_.^^ — = ^^^^^^ Jr""zz ^i:j ~~ 2' '__ held, and the log cabin became at 

J=L^==.^^^^S^^ ^-^^^^^^j=- 3^^!^ — once the symbol of the party. 

^^-^^^ -=^ Thousands of these were erected 

— = ^~= ~_ ^ forthwith all over the land as ral- 

lying points for political meetings. 
Miniature cabins were carried in 
political processions, and in some 
eases barrels labeled "hard cider." 
Such enthusiasm as was excited 
among the masses of the Avestern 
pioneers by the nomination of their 
favorite military leader had never 
before been exceeded. Jmmense 
mass meetings, Avith processions 
and song singing became the order 
of the time. Among the songs sung 
by assembled multitudes in all 
parts of the country, the most popu- 
ular Avas one entitled "Tippeca- 




NOUTH Ee.VD, 

K'jskIijiicc of Presiilfiit IlaiTisoii. 



no" and Tijlcr too," in Avhich occurred these verses: 

V.'hat )i:!..s causerl thi.s great commotion, motion, motion, 

Our country through ? 
It is the biill that's rolling on 

For Tip])ee;iiioe and Tyler too, 

For Tii)])ecanoe and Tyler too; 
And with theni vre'li beat little Van, 
Van, Van, Van, Van is a used up man. 
And with them we'll beat little Van. 

The latch-string hangs outside the door, door, door, 

And is never pulled through, 
For it never was the custom of 

Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too, 

Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too ; 
And with them Ave'll beat little Van, 
Van, Van, Van, Van is a used up man, 
And with them we'll beat little Van. 

The tomb of Harrison is near by, on a small oval mound, ele\'ated about 150 
feet aboA-e the Ohio, and commanding a view of beauty. It is a plain brick struc- 
ture, Avithout inscription. 



Near the tomb of Harrison is the grave of Judge Symmes. On a tablet there ia 
this inscription: 

Here rest the remains of John Cleves Symmes, who at the foot of the.se hills made the 
f.rst settlement between the Miami Rivers. Born at Long Island, state of New York July 
21, A. D. 1742; died at Cincinnati, February 26, A. D. 1814. 

Judge Symmes, before his removal to the west, was a member of congress fiom 
NeAV Jersey, and also chief justice of that state. Gen. Harrison married his 
daughter, v.dio, as late as 1S60, still survived. At the treaty of Greenville, the In- 
dians told Judge Sv^mmes, and otliers, that in the Avar they had frequently brought 
uip their rifles to shoot him, and then on recognizing him refused to pull the tng- 
ger. _ This Avas in consequence of his previous kindness to them, and spoke volumes 
in his praise, as well as honor to the native instinct of the savao-es. 



110 



OHIO. 




Ancient Dlock-hoisf. near North Bend. 



Three miles below North Bend, on the Ohio, was Snirar Camp Settloinent, coin 
posed of about thirty houses, and a block-house erected as a defense a,i;ainst the 

Indians. This was about the 
time of the first settlement 
of Cinf"innati. Until within 
a few years, this block- 
house was standing. The ad- 
joining cut is from a draw- 
ing taken on the spot in 1841') 
We give it because it shows 
the ordinary form of tho'^e 
structures. Their distin- 
guishing feature is that from 
the hightof a man's shoulder 
the building the rest of the 
way up projects a foot or two 
from the lower part, leaving 
at the point of junction be- 
tween the two parts a cavity 
through which to thrust ritles 
on the appi'oach of enemies. 
Hamilton, tlie capital of Butler county, is 25 miles north of Cincinnati, od 
the Miami Canal, river and railroad to Dayton, and at the terminus of a 
railroad to Richmond. A liydraulic canal of 28 feet fall gives excellent 
water power, and there are now in operation several flourishing manufactur- 
ing establishments — paper, flouring, woolen, planing mills, iron foundries, 
etc. Population 8000. The well known Miami U)iicersiti/ii^ 12 miles north- 
west of Hamilton, in the beautiful town of Oxford. 

Jnhn Clcves Sijinmes, the author of the "Theory of Concentric Spheres," demon- 
strating that the earth is hollow, inhabited by human beings, and widely open at 
the poles, was a native of New Jersey, and a nephew of Judge Symmes. He re- 
sided in the latter part of his life at Hamilton, where he died in 1820, aged about 
50 years. In early life he entered tlie army as an ensign. He was with 8cott in 
his Niagara campaign, and acted with bravery. In a short circular, dated at St. 
Louis, in 1818, Capt. Symmes first promul- 
gated the fundamental principles of his 
theory to the Avorld. From time to time, 
he published various articles in the pub- 
lic prints upon the subject. He also de- 
livered lectures, first at Cincinnati in 1820, 
and afterward in various places in Ken- 
tucky and Ohio. 

" In the year 1822, Capt. Symmes petitioned 
the congress of the United State?, setting 
forth, in the first place, his belief of the ex- 
istence of a habitable and accessible concave 
to this glbbe; his desire to embark on a voy- 
age of discovery to one or other of the polar 
regions; his belief in the great profit and honor 
his country would derive from such a dis- 
covery; and prayed that congress would equip 
and tit out ibr the expedition, two vessels, 
of two hundred and fifty or three hundred 
tuns burden; and grant such other aid as gov- 
ernment might deem necessary to promote the 
object. This petition was presented in the 
senate by Col. Richard M. Johnson, on the 7th day of March, 1822, when (a motion to 
refer it to the committee of foi-eifin relations having failed), after a few remarks it was 
laid on the table — Ayes, 25. In December, 182.'), he forwarded similar petitions to both 
houses of congress, which met with a simihir f\ite. In January 1824, he petitioned the 




MOXt'MEN'T OF J. C. SVMMES, 



Symmes' IIolo " memory. It is surmounted 
by a. globe " open at the poles." 



OHIO. 



Ill 



ceneral assembly of the state of Ohio, praying th^^t body to pass a resolution approbatory 
of bis theory; and to recommend him to congress for an outfit suitable to tlie enterprise. 
Tliis memorial was presented by Micajah T. Williams, and, on motion, the further con- 
sideration thereof was indefinitely postponed." 

His theory was met with ridicule, botli in this country ami Europe, and I)ecurac 
a fruitful source of jest and levity, to the public prints of the day. Notwithstaud- 
ini:, he advant^ed many plausible and ingenious arguments, and won quite a num 
ber of converts among those who attended his lectures, one of whom, a gentleman 
of Hamilton, wrote a work in its support, published in Cincinnati in 182(), in which 
he stated his readiness to embark on a voyage of discovery to the North Pole, for 
the purpose of testing its truth. Capt. Symmes met with the usual fate of pro- 
jectors, in living and dying in great pecuniary embarrassment: but he left the 
reputation of an honest man. • 




Soiith-easiern view of the Court House, at ChiUicoihe. 

This beautiful and commodious structure is in the central part of Chillicothe : the left wing, on the cor- 
ner of Main and I'aint-streets, atlaclu'd to tlie main building, contains the otlices of the Probate .Indge, 
the Sheriff, and the Clerk ; the other wing, those of the llecorder. Treasurer, and Auditor. The First 
Presbyterian Church is seen on the left. 

Chillicothe is on tlie west bank of the Scioto, on the line of the Ohio 
Canal and Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, 45 miles S. of Columbus, 45 
from Portsmouth, and 96 from Cincinnati. The Scioto curves around it on 
the north, and Paint creek flows on the south. The site of the place is on a plain 
about 30 feet above the river. It contains 17 churches, a young ladies' 
Academy of the Notre Dame, a flourishing military academy, a«ad about 
9,000 inhabitants. 

The new court house, in this town, is one of the best designed, most beautiful, 
and convenient structures of the kind we have seen in our tour through the 
United States. It was erected at an expense of about 8100,000, and was 
designed by Gen. James Rowe, one of the county commissioners. A room 
is set apart in the court house for the preservation of the relics of antiquity. 
Here is preserved the table around which the members of the territorial 
council sat when they formed the laws of the North "West Territory, of which 
Chillicothe was the capital. Around it also gathered the members who 
formed the first constitution of Ohio. The old bell which called them to- 



112 



OHIO. 




ii-ctlier is preserved, also the copper c;iglc, which, for fifty years, jjerched on 
the 8pire of the old state house. 

In 1800, the old state house was commenced and finished the next year, 
for the accommodation of the legislature and courts. It is helieved that it 

was the first public stone edi- 
fice erected in the territory. 
The mason work was done by 
Major Wm. llutledge, a sol- 
dier of the Revolution, and 
the carpentering by William 
Guthrie. The territorial leg- 
islature held their session in 
it for the first time in 1801. 
The convention that framed 
the first constitution of Ohio 
was held in it, the session 
commencii)g on the first Mon- 
day in November, 1802. In 
April, 1803, the first state leg- 
islature met in the house, and 
held their sessions until 1810. 
The sessions of 1810-11, and 
1811-12, were held at Zanes- 
ville, and from there removed 
back to Chillicothe and held 
in this house until 1816, when 
Columbus became the perma- 
nent capital of the state. This ancient edifice was standing until within a 
lew years. 

In the Avar of 1812, Chillicothe was a rendezvous for United States troops. They 
were stationed at Camp Bull, a stockade one mile N. of the town, on the west bank 
of tlie Scioto. A large number of British prisoners, amounting to several hundred, 
were at one time confined at the oamp. On one occasion, a conspiracy was formed 
between the soldiers and their officers who were confined in jail. The plan was 
for the privates in camp to disarm their guard, proceed to the jail, release the 
officers, burn the town, and escape to Canada. The conspiracy was disclosed by 
two senior British officers, upon which, a.s a measure of security, the officers were 
sent to the penitentiary in Frankfort, Ky. 

Four deserters were shot at camp at one time. The ceremony was impressive 
and horrible. The soldiers were all marched out under arms, with music playing, 
to witness the death of their comrades, and arranged in one long extended line in 
front of the camp, facing the river. Close by the river bank, at considerable dis- 
tances apart, the deserters were jjlaced, dressed in full unilbrm, with tlieir coats 
buttoned up and caps drawn over their faces. They were confined to stakes in :i 
kneeling position behind their coffins, painted black, which came up to their waists, 
exposini:; the upper part of their persons to the fire of their fellow-soldiers, 'i'wo 
sections, of six men each, were marched before each of the doomed. Signals were 
given by an officer, instead of words of command, so that the unhappy men should 
not be apprised of the moment of their death. At the given signal the first sec- 
tions raised their muskets and poured the fatal volleys into the breasts of their 
comrades. Three of the four dropped dead in an instant; but the fourth sprang 
up with great force, and gave a scream of agony. 'I'lie reserve section stationed 
before him were ordered to their places, and another volley completely riddled his 
bosom. Even then the thread of life seemed hard to sunder. 

On another occasion, an execution took place at the same spot under most mel- 
ancholy circumstances. It was that of a mere youth of nineteen, the son of a 



Old State House, Ciiillicotiie. 
[Drawn by Henry Howe, in 1810.] 



OHIO. 



113 



wIdo\r. In a frolic he had wandered several miles from c/imp, and was on his re- 
turn when he stopped at an inn by the way side. The lamllord, a tiend in human 
s'.iajie, apprised of the reward of $50, oiTered for the apprehension of deserters, 
porsnaded him to remain over niiiht, with tlie offer of takinii; him into camp in the 
morning, at which he stated he had business. The youth, unsuspicious of nny- 
thinii; wrong, accepted the offer made with such apparent kindness, when lo! on 
his arrival next day with the landlord, he surrendered him as a deserter, swore 
falsely as to the facts, claimed and obtained the reward. The court-martial, igno- 
rant of the circumstances, condemned him to death, and it was not until he was no 
more, that his innocence was known. 




rurismoiiih from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio. 

The vipw shows thf^ apponraiic of t.lie St/aniboat Lin'lin?:, a--, seen fi'"m Springville, nn the Kpiituclcy 
siile of ttie Oliio. The Bi^iis' Iloii3?, c^jriicr ot Market and froiit-streats. appears on the left, Gavlurd & 
Co.'s KnlUng Mill on the ri;^ht. The Soioto River passes at the foot of the mountainous r.air^e on tlie left. 

Portsmouth, the capital of Scioto county, is beautifully situated on tlic 
Ohio Iliver, at the mouth of the Scioto, 90 miles S. of Columbus, and 110 
by tlie river above Cincinnati, at the terminus of the Erie nnJ Ohio Canal, 
and Scioto and Iloeking Valley Il;ulroad. It contains IG churches, 5 foun- 
deries, 3 rolling mills, 3 machine shops, and about 8,000 inhabitants. The 
great iron region of the state lies north and east of Portsmouth, and adds 
much to the business of the town. Here, on the Kentucky side of the Ohio, 
is a range of mountainous hills, averaging 500 feet high. Opposite Ports- 
mouth they rise precipitously to a hight of GOO feet, being the highest eleva- 
tion on the Ohio River, presenting a very striking and beautiful appearance. 
The Ohio is 000 yards wide at the landing, which is one of the best on the 
river, there being water sufficient for the largest boats at all seasons. A wire 
suspension bridge passes over the Scioto at this place. 

It is said that 1^ miles below the old mouth of the Scioto, stood, about 
the year 1740, a French fort or trading station. Prior to the settlement at 
J'llarietta, an attempt at settlement was made at Portsmouth, the history of 
which is annexed from an article in the xVmerican Pioneer, by George Cor- 
win, of Portsmouth: 

Jn April, 1785, four families from the Kedstone settlement in Pennsylvania, de- 
scended the Ohio to the mouth of the Scioto, and there moored their boat under 
the high baiik where Portsmouth now stands. They commenced clearing the 



114 



OHIO 



n-round to plant seeds for a crop to support their f\imilie.«, hopinc; that the rod men 
of the forest would sailer them to reinaui and itiiprove the soil. They seemed to 
hope that Avhite men would no lon^rer provoke tlie Indians to savage warfare. 

Soon after they landed, the four men. the heads of the families, started up tho 
Scioto to see tiie paradise of tho west, of which they had heard from the mouths 
of white men who had travei-sed it during tlieir captivity among the natives. Leav- 
in'j; tho little colonv, now consisting of four women and their children, to tho pro- 
tection of an over-ruling Providence, they traversed the beautiful bottoms of the 
iScioto as far up as tho prairies above, and opposite to where Piketon now stands. 
One of them, Peter Patrick by name, pleased with the country, cut tho initials of 
his name on a beech, near tho river, which being found in after times, gave the 
name of Pee Pee to the creek that flows through the prairie of the same name; 
and from that creek was derived the name of Pee Pee township in Pike county. 

Kncamping near the site of Piketon, they were surprised by a party of Indians, 
Avho killed two of them as they lay by their fires. The other two escaped over the 
hills to the Ohio River, v/hich they struck at the mouth of the Little Scioto, jusc 
as some white men going down the river in a pirogue were passing. They were 
goin^ to Port V'incennes, on the Wabash. The tale of woe which was told by these 
men, with entreaties to be taken on board, v/as at first insuflicient for their relief. 
It was not uncommon for Indians to compel white prisoners to act in a similar 
manner to entice boats to the shore for murderous and marauding purposes. After 
keeping them some time running down the shore, until they believed that if there 
was an ambuscade of Indians on shore, they were out of its reach, they took thezn 
on board, and brouglit them to the little settlement, the lamentations at which can 
not be describeil, nor its feeling conceived, when their peace was broken and their 
hopes bUxstod by the intelligence of the disaster reaching them. ^ly informant 
was one who came down in the pirogue. 

There was, however, no time to be lost; their safety depended on instant flight 
— .Tnd gathering; up all their movables, they put off to Limestone, now Maysville, as 
a place of greater safety, where the men in the pirogue left them, and my informant 
said, never heard of them more. 

Circkvnie, the county seat of Pickaway county, on the Scioto Ilivcr, on 
the line of the Erie and Ohio Canal, and on tlie railroad from Cincinnati to 
AVheeling, is 2G miles S. from Columbus, and 10 N. from Chillioothc. It 
has numerous mills and factories, and an extensive water power. Population 
about 5,000. 

It was laid out in 1810, as the seat of justice, by Daniel Drcsbatch, on 
land originally belonging to Zeiger and Watt. The town is on the site of 
ancient fortifications, one of which having been circular, originated the name 
of the place. The old court house, built in the form of an octtigon, and de- 
stroyed in 184:1, stood in the center of the circle. There were two forts, one 
being an exact circle of 69 feet in diameter, the other an exact square, 55 
rods on a side. The former was surrounded by two walls, with a deep ditch 
between them; the latter by one wall, without any ditch. Opposite each 
gateway a small mound was erected inside, evidently for defense. 

Tliree and a half miles south of Circleville are the celebrated Pickaway Plains, 
said to contain the richest body of land in southern Ohio. '"They are divided into 
two parts, the greater or upper plain, and the lesser or lower one. They com- 
prise about 20,000 acres. When first cultivated the soil was very black, the result 
of vegetable decomposition, and their original fertility was such as to produce one 
hundred Imshcls of corn, or fil>y of wheat to the acre. Formerly the plains were 
adorned with a great variety of flowers. 

Of all places in tho west, this pre-eminently deserves tho name of "classic 
ground," for this was the seat of the powerful Shawnee tril)e. Here, in olden time, 
bu"rned tho council fives of the red man; here the aflfairs of the nation in general 
council were discussed, and the important questions of peace and war decided. 
On these plains the allied tribes marched forth and met Gen. licwis, and fought 



OHIO. 115 

the sanguinary battle at Point Pleasant, on the Virginia bank of the Ohio, at the 
eve of the Revolution. Here it was that Logan made his memorable speech, and 
here, too, that the noted campaign of Dunmore was brought to a close by a treaty, 
or rather a truce, at Camp Charlotte. 

Among the circumstances which invest this region with extraordinary interest, 
is the fact, that to those towns were brought so many of the truly unfortunate 
prisoners who were abducted from the neighboring states. Here they were immo- 
lated on the altar of the red men's vengeance, and made to suffer, to the death, all 
the tortures savage ingenuity could invent, as a sort of expiation for the aggres- 
sions of thoir race. 

Old Chillicothe, which was the principal village, stood on the site of "Westfall, 
on the west bank of the Scioto, 4 miles below Circleville. It was here that Logan, 
the Mingo chief, delivered his famous speech to John Gibson, an Indian trader. 
On the envoy arriving at the village, Logan came to him and invited him into an 
adjoining wood, where they sat down. After shedding abundance of tears, the 
honored chief told his pathetic story — called a speech, although conversationally 
given. Gibson repeated it to the officers, Avho caused it to be published in the 
Virginia Gazette of that year, so that it fell under the observation of Mr. Jefferson, 
who gave it to the world in his Notes on A'irginia: and as follows: 

I appeal to any white man to say, if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and I gave 
him not meat; if ever he came cold or naked, and I gave him not clothing? 

During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained in his tent, an advo- 
cate for peace. Xaj', such was my love for the whites, that those of my own country pointed 
at me as they passed by, and said, " Logan is the friend of white men." I had even thought 
to live with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cool 
blood, and unprovoked, cut off all the relatives of Logan ; not sparing even my women and 
children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human creature. This 
called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my 
vengeance. For mj' country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. Yet, do not harbor the 
thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel 
to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one. 

This brief effusion of mingled pride, courage, and sorrow, elevated the character 
of the native American throughout the intelligent world; and the place where it 
was delivered can never be forgotten so long as touching eloquence is admired by 
men. 

The last years of Logan were truly melancholy. He wandered about from tribe 
to tribe, a solitary and lonely man ; dejected and broken-hearted, Ijy the loss of 
his friends and the decay of his tribe, he resorted to the stimulus of strong drink 
to drown his sorrow. He was at last murdered in Michigan, near Detroit. He 
was, at the time, sitting with his blanket over his head, before a camp-fire, his 
elbows resting on his knees, and his head upon his hands, buried in profound re- 
flection, when an Indian, who had taken some offense, stole behind him and buried 
his tomahawk in his brains. Thus perished the immortal Logan, the last of his 
race. 

At the various villages, were the burning grounds of the captives taken in war. 
These were on elevated sites, so that when a victim was sacrificed by fire, the 
smoke could be seen at the other towns. 

The chief, Cornstalk, whose town was on Scippo Creek, two miles south- 
easterly from Old Chillicothe, was a man of true nobility of soul, and a 
brave warrior. 

At the battle of Point Pleasant he commanded the Indians with consummate skill, and 
if at any time his warriors were believed to waver, his voice could be heard above the din 
of battle, exclaiming iu his native tongue, " Be strong! — be strongi " When he returned 
to the Pickaway towns, after the battle, he called a council of the nation to consult what 
should be done, and upbraided them in not suffering hira to make peace, as he desired, on 
the evening before the battle. "What," said he, " will jou do now? The Big Knife is 
coming on us, and we shall all be killed. Now vo>i must fight or we are undone." But 
no one answering, he said, " then let us kill all our women and children, and go and fight 
until we die." But no answer was made, when, rising, he struck his tomahawk in a post 
of the council house and exclaimed, " I'll go and make peace," to which all the warriors 
grunted " ough! ough! " and runners were instantly dispatched to Dunmore to solicit 
peace. 



116 



OHIO. 



In the summer of 1777, he was atrociously murdered at Pinnt Pleasant. As his mur- 
derers were approaciruig;, his son Eiinipsico tremljled violently. " His father encouraged 
him not to be afraid, tor that the Gnat Man above had sent him there tn l^e killed and die 
with him. As the men advanced to the door, Cornstalk rose up and met them: they fii'eJ 
and seven or eight bullets went through him. So fell the great Cornstalk wai'rior — whose 
name was bestowed upon him by the consent of the nation, as their great strengtli and 
support." Had he lived, it is believed that he would have been friendly with tlie Anieri- 
c;ins, as he had come over to visit the garrison at Point Pleasant to communicate the de- 
sign of the Indians of uniting with the British. His grave is to be seen at Point Pleas- 
ant to the present day. 




State Capitol^ at CoJvmhus. 

Columbus, the seat of justice for Franklin county, and capital of Ohio, 
on the left bank of the Scioto, 110 miles N.E. from Cincinnati, 100 N.W. 
from Marietta, and 139 S.E. from Cleveland, is on the same parallel of lati- 
tude with Zanesville and Philadelphia, and on the same meridian with De- 
troit, Mich., and Milledgeville, Geo. 

The site of Columbus is level, and it is regularly laid out, with broad, 
spacious streets: Broad-street, the principal one, is l20 feet wide. In the 
center of the city is a public square of 10 acres, inclosed by a neat railing ; 
and in the environs is Goodale Park, a tract of 40 acres, covered with u 
growth of native trees. The new state house, or capitol, is one of the most 
magnificent buildings in the Union. It is 30-4 feet long by 18-1 wide, and 
from its base to the top of the rotunda is 157 feet. The material is a hard, 
whitish limestone, resembling marble. 

Columbus is surrounded by a rich and populous country, and is a place of 
active business. The National road, passes through it from east to west, 
and the Columbus feeder connects it with the Ohio canal. Several plank 
roads and turnpikes terminate here, and numerous railroads, stretching out 
their iron arms in every direction, give it convenient communication with 
all parts of the state and Union. 



OHIO. 



117 



In tte environs of the city are the various state institutions. The State 
Penitentiary is a large and substantial edifice ; the buildings and inclosures 
form a hollow square of six acres ; about 1,000 convicts have been confined 
here at one time. The Ohio Lunatic Asylum, a noble structure, occupies 
about an acre of ground, and has thirty acres attached to it, covered with 
trees and shrubbery. The Deaf and Dumb x\sylum is a handsome building, 
surrounded with grounds laid out with taste. The Ohio Institution for the 
Education of the Blind is surrounded by a plot of ground, of about 9 acres, 
laid out with graveled walks, and planted with trees. The Starling Medi- 
cal College is a handsome Gothic edifice. The Theological Seminary of the 
German Luthei"ans, is about three fourths of a mile from the center of the 
city. Columbus, as a commercial depot, has superior facilities, and it has 
numerous and extensive manufacturing- establishments. Population, in 1820, 
1,400; in 1840, 6,048; in 1850, 18,138; and in 1860, 18,647. 

From the first organization of the state government until IS 16, there was no per- 
manent state capital. The session.s of tlie legislature were held at Chillicothe until 
1810; the sessions of 1810-11 and 1811-12, were held at Zanesville; after that, 
until December, 1816, they were again held at Chillicothe, at which time the leg- 
ishxture was first convened at Columbus. 

Among the various proposals to the legislature, while in session at Zanesville, 
fir the establishment of a permanent seat of government, were those of Lyne Star- 
ling, James Johnston, Alex. M'Laughlin and John Kerr, the after proprietors of 
Columbus, for establishing it on the " higli bank of the Scioto liivcr, opposite 
Franklinton," which site was then a native forest. On the 14th Fel)., 1812, the 
legislature passed a law accepting their proposals, and in one of its sections, 
selected Chillicothe as a temporary seat of government merely. By an act amend- 
atory of the other, passed F^eb. 17, 1816, it was enacted, " that from and after the 
second Tuesday of October next, the seat of government of this state shall be 
established at the town of Columbus." 




Ohio White Sulphur Springs. 

On the 19th of Feb., 1812, tlie proprietors signed and acknowledged their arti- 
cles at Zanesville, as partners, under the law for the laying out, etc., of the town of 
Columbus. The contract having been closed between the proprietors and the state, 
the town was laid out in the spring of 1812, under the direction of Moses Wright. 

For the first few years Columbus improved rapidly. Emigrants flowed in, appa- 
rentl}^ from all quarters, and the improvements and general business of the p.lace 
kept pace with the increase of population. Columbus, however, was a rough spot 
in the woods, off from any public road of much consequence. The east and west 



118 OHIO- 

travel passed throu;j;h Zanesville, Lancaster and Chillicothe, and the mails came in 
cross-line on horseback. The first successful attempt to carry a mail to or from 
Columbus, otherwise than on horseback, was by Philip Zinn, about the year 1S16, 
once a week l)etween Chillicothe and Columbus. The years from 1819 to 182-6, 
■were the dullest years of Columbus ; but soon after it began to improve. The lo- 
cation of the national road and the Columbus feeder to the Ohio canal, gave an 
impetus to improvements. 

The Oliio White SidjiJiur Sj)rwgs are beautifully situated on the Scioto 
River, in Delaware gounty, 17 miles north of Columbus, near the line of the 
Springfield, Mt. Vernon and Pittsburg Railroad. Upon the estate are four 
medicinal springs of different properties: one is white sulphur, one magne- 
sian, and two chalybeate. The spring property consists of 820 acres, part 
of it woodland, handsomely laid off in walks and drives. The healthiness 
of the location and the natural attractions of the spot, joined to the liberal 
and generous accommodations furnished by the proprietors, have rendered 
this, at the present time, the most popular watering place in the west. 

Newarh, the capital of Licking county, on the Central Ohio Railroad, 33 
miles easterly from Columbus, is a pleasant town of about 4,000 inhabitants. 
Six miles west of Newark is Granville, noted for its educational institutions, 
male and female, and the seat of Dennison University, founded in 1832, by 
the Baptists. This was one of the early settled spots in Central Ohio. The 
annexed historical items are from the sketches of Rev. Jacob Little: 

In lb'04, a company was formed at Granville, Mass., with the intention of niakinfr a 
settlement in Ohio. This, called " the Scioto Company,''^ was the third of that name which 
effected settlements in this stale. The project met with great favor, and much enthusiasm 
was elicited; in illustration of which, a song was composed and sung to the tune of "Fleas- 
ant Ohio,'' by the young people in the house and at labor in the field. We annex two 
stanzas, which are more curious than poetical: 
"When rambling o'er these mountains Our precious frientis that stay behind, 

And roeks, where ivies grow We're sorry now to leave ; 

Thick as the hairs upon your head, But if they'll stay and break their shins, 

'Mongst which you can not go; For them we'll never grieve; 

Great storms of snow, cold winds that blow, Adieu, my friends I come on my dears. 

We scarce can undergo; This journey we'll forego. 

Says I, my boys, we'll leave this place And settle Licking creek. 

For the pleasant Ohio. In j'onder Ohio. 

The Scioto company consisted of 114 proprietors, who made a purchase of 28,000 acres. 
In the autumn of 1805, 23-4 persons, mostly from East Granville, Mass., came on to the 
purchase. Although they had been forty-two days on the road, their first business, on their 
arrival, having organized a church before tliey left the east, was to hear a sermon. The 
first tree cut was that by which public worship was held, which stood just in front of the site 
of the Presbyterian church. On the first Sabbath, November 16th, although only about a 
dozen trees had be-n cut, they held divine worship, both lorenoon and afternoon, at that 
spot. The novelty of worshiping in the woods, the forest extending hundreds of miles 
every way, the hardships of the journey, the winter setting in, the fresh tliouglits of home, 
with all the friends and privileges left ))ehind, and the impression that such must be t.lie 
accommodations of a new country, all rushed on their nerves and made this a day of varied 
interest. When they began to sing, the echo of their voices among the trees was so dif- 
ferent from what it was in the beautiful meeting house they had left, that they could no 
longer restrain their tears. Thnj wept when they remembered Zioii. The voices of part of 
the choir were for a season suppressed with emotion. 

An incident occurred, which some Mrs. Sigourney should put into a poetical dress. 
Deacon Theophilus Reese, a Welsh Baptist, had two or three ye.irs before built a cabin a 
mile and a halt north, and lived all this time without public worship. He had lost his 
cows, and hearing a lowing of the oxen belonging to the company, set out toward them. 
As he ascended the hills overlooking the town-plot, he heard the singing of the choir. 
The reverberation of the sound from hill-tops and trees, threw the good man into a serious 
dilemma. The music at first seemed to be behind, then in the tops of the trees or the 
clouds. He stopped till, by accurate listenin<,\ lie caught the direction of the sound, and 
went on, till passing the brow of the hill, when he saw the audience sitting on the level 
holow. He went home and told liis wife that ''//it promise of God is a bond;" a Welsh 



OHIO. 



119 



phrase, signifying that we liave security, equal to a bond, that religion wi'.l prevail every- 
where. He said, "these ?nust he f;nod people. 1 am nut afraid to go among them.'* 
Though he could not understand English, he constantly attended the reading meeting. 
Hearing the uuisic on that occasion niaue such an impression uihui his mind, that when he 
bjcame old and met tlie hrst settlers, he would always tell over this story. 




Court Iloiisey ZancsfUIe. 

Zanesyillt:, tlie cnpltnl of Muskiiii;-uiii county, is beautifully f^ituated on 
the east bank of the ]\Iuskin>:am Kiver, oppo.sitc the mouth of the Licking 
creek, 54 miles E. of Coluuibus, 82 from "Wheeling, and 179 E.N.E. from 
Cincinnati. The Muskingum, in passing the town, has a natural descent of 
nine feet in a distance of about a mile, which is increased by dams to sixteen 
leet, thus aiforiyng groat water-power, which is used' by extensive manufac- 
tories of various kinds. The number of factories using steam power is also 
large, arising from the abundance of bituminous coal supplied from the sur- 
rounding hills. kStcauiboats can ascend from the Ohio to this point, and 
several make regular passages between Ziinesville and Cincinnati. The Cen- 
tral Ohio xlailroad connects it with Coluuibus on one hand and Wheeling on 
the other; the Zanosvillo, Wilmington and Cincinnati Railroad, about 130 
miles long, terminates here, and connects with another leading north to 
Cleveland. 

Five bridges cross the Muskingum here, including the railroad bridge, 
connecting the cit}^ v.'ith Putnam, South Zanesville and West Zanesville, all 
of which are intimately connected with the business interests of Zanesville 
proper. There are 5 flouring mills, also iron founderies and machine shops, 
which do an extensive business. The riiilroad bridge is of iron, 538 feet in 
length, and contains 07 tuns of wrought iron and 130 tuns of cast iron. 
The water of the river is raised, by a ibrcing pump, into a reservoir on a hill 
IGO feet high, containing nearly a million of gallons, and from thence dis- 
tributed through the city in iron pipes. Zanesville lias excellent schools, 
among which is the Free School, supported by a fund of from 6300,000 to 
8500,000, bequeathed by J. Mclntire, one of the founders of the place. 
AVithin a circuit of a mile from the court house are about 1G,000 inhabit- 
ants: within the city proper, about 10,000. 

In M:iy, 179G, congress passed a law authorizing Ebenezer Zane to open 



120 0"^0- 

a road from Wheeling, Va., to Limestone, now Maysville, Ky. In the fol- 
lowing year, Mr. Zane, accompanied by his brother, Jonathan Zanc, and his 
son-in-law, John Mclntire, both experienced woodsmen, proceeded to mark 
out the new road, which was afterward cut out by the latter two. As a eom- 
pcn.s:ition for opening this road, congress granted to Ebenezer Zaue the priv- 
ilege of locating military warrants upon three sections of land, not to exceed 
one mile square each. One of these sections was to be at the crossing of the 
Muskingum, and one of the conditions annexed to Mr. Zane's grant was, that 
he should keep a ferry at that spot. This was intrusted to Wm. M'CulIoch 
nnd H. Crooks. The first mail ever carried in Ohio was brought from 3Ia- 
rietta to M'Culloch"s cabin, by Daniel Con vers, in 1798. 

In 1799, Messrs. Zane and M'Intire laid out the town, which thev called West- 
hourn, a name which it continueil to bear until a post-offico was established by the 
postniiister general, under the name of Zanesvillo, and the village soon took the 
same name. A few families from the Kanawha, settled on the west side of the 
river soon after M'CulIoch arrived, and the settlement received pretty numerous 
accessions until it became a point of importance. It contained one store and no 
tavern. The latter inconvenience, however, was remedied by Mr. M'Intire, who, 
for public accommodation, rather than for private emolument, opened a house of 
entertainment. It is due to Mr. M'Intire and hi.s lady to say that their accommo- 
dations, though in a log cabin, were such as to render tlieir house the traveler's 
home. Prior to that time there were several grog shops where travelers iuiglit 
stop, and after partaking of a rude .supper, they could spread their blanlccts and 
bearskins on the floor, and sleep with their fei^t to the fire. But the openin;^ of 
Mr. M'Intire's house introduced the luxury of comfortable beds, and althoua:ii his 
board was covered with the fruits of the soil and the cliase, ratlier than the lu.\u- 
ries of foreign climes, the fare was various and alnindant. This, the first hotel at 
Zanesville, stood at what is now the corner of Market and Second streets, a few 
rods from the river, in an open maple grove, without any underbrush ; it was a 
pleasant spot, well shaded with trees, and in full view of the falls. Louis Phihippe, 
late king of France, was once a guest of Mr. M'Intire. 

At that time, all the iron, nails, castings, flour, fruit, with many other articles 
now produced here in abundance, were brought from Pittsburgh and Wheeling, 
either upon pack horses across the country, or by the river in canoes. Oats and 
corn were usuallv brouicltt about fifty miles up the river, in canoes, and were worth 
from 75 cents to $1 per bushel: flour, $6 to $S per barrel. In 1S!I2. David Har- 
vey opened a tavern at the intersection of Third and Main-streets, which was about 
the first shinirle rooieil house in the town. Mr. ]\t'lntire having only kept enter- 
tainment for public accommodation, discontinued after the opening of Mr. Har- 
vey's tavern. 

In 1804, when the legislature passed an act establishing the county of 'Slus- 
kiuiium, the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county seat, reported 
in fiivor of Zanesville. The county seat having been establislied, tlie town im- 
proved more rapidly, and as the unappropriated United ytatos military lands had 
been brought into market during the preceding; year (1803), and a land oi'Iice 
established at Zanesville, many purchases and settlements were made in the 
county. 

The seat of government had been fixed temporarily at Chillicothe, but for sev- 
eral reasons, many members of the legislafare were dissatisfied, and it was known 
tint a change of location was desired by them. 

In February, 1810, the desired law was passed, fixing the seat of government at 
Zanesville, until otherwise provided. The legislature sat here during the sessions 
of '10-' 11 and 'll-'l'J, when the present site of Columbus havinii been fixed upon 
for the permanent seat, t!ie Chillicothe interest prevailed, and the temporary seat 
was onee more fixed at that [ilace, until suitable buildings could be erected at 
Cohnnlius. 

Tiie project of removing the seat of government had been agitated as early as 
1S07 or '8, and the anticipation entertained that Zanesville would be selected, gave 



OHIO. ■j_>l 

increased activity to the progress of improvement. Much land was entered in the 
county, and many settlements made, although as late as 1813, land was entered 
within three miles of Zanesville. In 1809, parts of the town plat were covered 
with the natural growth of timber. 

The following inscriptions are copied from monuments, the first three in 
the ancient graveyard, on the hill at the head of Main-street, in Zanesville, 
the others in the extensive cemetery in Putnam, the village opposite : 

Sacred to the memory of Jonx McIntirk, who departed this life Jul}- 29, 1815, ascd 56 
years, lie was born at Alexandria, Virginia, laid out the town of Zanesville in 1800, of 
which ho was the Patmn and Father. He was a member of the Convention which formed 
the Constitution of Ohio. A kind husband, an obliging neighbor, punctual to his engage- 
ments; of liberal mind, and benevolent disposition, his death was sincerely lamented. 



Sacred to the memory of William Raynolds, a native of Virginia, he emigrated to Ohio 
in 1S04, and settled in the town at the foot of this hill, where he departed this life Nov. 11, 
1844, aged 50 years. 

Who, though formed in an ago when corruption ran high, 
And folly alone seemed with folly to vie ; 
When genius with traffic too commonly strain'd, 
Recounted her merits by what she had gain'd, 
Yet spurn'd at those walks of debasement and pelf, 
And in poverty's spite, dared to think for himself. 



Man goeth to his long home, and mourners go about the streets. Within this cacc lieth 
Ihe mortal part of David IIarvky, who was burn in the parish of Hngcn, county of Corn- 
wall, Engbind, June 21, 1746; arrived in Fredericktown, Md., June, 1774, and voted for 
the Independence of the United States; supported the war by furnishing a soldier during 
the term thereof, according to an act of the Assembly of that State. Arrived on the bank 
of the Muskingum River, at Zanesville, Ohio, 10th of Dec, 1800. Died May, 1845, aged 
€9 years. 



William Wellies, born in Glastonbury, Conn., 1754. Among the pioneers of the North 
West Territory, he shared largely in their labors, privations and perils. In 1790, he lo- 
cated at Cincinnati. As Cummissary ho was with the army of St. Clair, and was wounded 
in its memorable defeat. In 180U, he settled in Zanesville, subsequently he removed to 
Putnam, where he lived respected and beloved by all who knew him, and died universally 
lamented, on the 26th of Jan., 1814. 



Dr. Incuease Matthews, born in Braintree, Massachusetts, Dee. 22, 1772. Died Juno 
6, 185G. " Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile." Psalms xxxii, 2. Dr. 
Matthews emigrated to Marietta, Ohio, 1S03. In the spring of 1801 he removed to Zanes- 
ville, and the same year bought the laud which forms the cemetery, including the town j>lat 
of Putnam. For some time he was the only physician in the county. Among the early 
pioneers (jf the valley of the Muskingum, his many unostentatious virtues, and the purity 
and simplicity of his life and character were known and appreciated. 



Coshocton, the capital of Coshocton county, is a small village, 30 miles 
above Zanesville, at the forks of the Muskingum, and on the line of the 
Pittsburg, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad. This vicinity was a favorite 
residence of the Indians, especially the 8hawnees, and they had numerous 
villages on the Muskingum and its branches. 

Before the settlement of the country, there were several military expeditions into 
this region. The first was made in the fall of 1764, by Col. Henry Boquet, with a 
hirge body of British regulars and borderers of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Over- 
awed by his superiority, .^nd unable by his vigilance to effect a surprise, the 
combined tribes made a peace with him, in which they agreed to deliver up their 
captives. The delivery took place on the 9th of November, at or near the site of 
Cosliocton. The number brought in was llOG, men, women and children, all from 



122 



OHIO. 



the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Yirij;inia. The scene which then took place was 
very aS'ecting, as relatcl by Hutchins. 

Language, indeed, can but weakly describe the scene, one to which the poet or painter 
might havo repaired to enrich the highest colorings of the variety of the human passions, 
the philosopher, to find ample subject for the most serious rellection, and the man to exer- 
cise all the tender and sympathetic feelings of the soul. There Avere to be seen fathers 
and mothers recognizing and clasping their once lost babes, husbands hanging around the 
necks of their newly recovered wives, sisters and brothers unexpectedly meeting together, 
after a hnig separation, sctircely able to speak the same language, or for some time to be 
sure that they were the children of the same parents. In all these interviews joy and rap- 
ture inexpressible were seen, while feelings of a very diflerent nature were painted in the 
looks of others, flying from place to place, in eager inquiries after relatives not i'ound; 
trembling to re<;eive an answer to questions; distracted with doubts, hopes and fears on 
obtaining no account of those they sought for; or stift'ened into living monuments of hor- 
ror and woe, on learning their unhappy fate. 

The Indians, too, as if wholly forgetting their usual savageness, bore a capital part in 
hightening this most affecting scene. They delivered up their beloved captives with the 
utmost reluctance — shed torrents of tears over them — recommending them to the care and 
protection of the commanding officer. Their regard to them continued all the while Ihey 
remained in camp. They visited them from day to day, brought them what corn, skins, 
horses, and other matters had been bestowed ujion them while in their families, accompa- 
nied with other presents, and all the marks of tlie most sincere and tender affection. Nay, 
thev didn't stop here, but when the army marched, some of the Indians solicited and ob- 
tained permission to accompany their former captives to Fort Pitt, and employed them- 
selves in hunting and bringing provisions for them on the way. A young Mingo carried 
this still farther, and gave an instance of love which would make a figure even in romance. 
A young woman of Virginia was among the captives, to whom he had formed so strong 
anattachment as to call her his wife. Against all the remonstrances of the imminent 
danger to which he exposed himself by approaching the frontier, he persisted in following 
her, at the risk of being killed by the sui'viving relatives of many unfortunate persons who 
had been taken captive or scalped by those of his nation. 

But it must not be deemed that there were not some, even grov.-n persons, who showed 
an unwillingness to return. The Shawnees were obliged to bmd son;e of their prisoners, 
and force them along to the camp, and some women who had been delivered up, ai'terward 
found means to escape, and went back to the Indian tribes. Some who could not make 
their escape, clung to their savage acquaintances at parting, and continued many days in 
bitter lamentations, even refusing sustenance. 

In 1774, in Dunmore's war, a second expedition, of 400 Virginians, under 
Col. Angus M'Donnld, entered the country, and destroyed the Wakatoniica 
towns, and burnt the corn of the Indians. This was in the vicinity of ])res- 
den, a few miles below the forks. 

In the summer of 1780, a third expedition, called '^ the Coshocton campaign,^^ 
was made, under Col. Broadhead. The troops rendezvoused at Wheeling, and 
marclicd to the forks of the Muskingum. Tiiey took about 40 prisoners, whom they 
tomahawked and scalped in cold blood. A chief, who, under promise of protec- 
tion, came to make peace, was conversing with Broadliead, Avhen a man, named 
Wetzel, came behind him, and drawing a concealed tomahawk from the bosom of 
his hunting shirt, lifted it on high and then buried it in his brains. The couiiding 
savage quivered, fell and expired. 

In Tuscarawas county, which lies directly east and adjoining to Co.shoc- 
ton, as early as 1762, the Moravian missionaries, llev. Frederick Post and 
John Heckewelder, established a Mission among the Indians on the Tusca- 
rawas, where, in 1781, Mary Heckewelder, the first white child born in Ohio, 
fii'st saw the light. Other missionary auxiliaries were sent out by that 
society, for the propagation of the Christian religion among the Indians. 
Among these was the Rev. David Zeisbcrger, a man whose devotion to the 
cause was attested by the hardships he endured, and the dangers lie encoun- 
tered. Had the same pacific policy which governed the Friends of Penn- 
sylvania, in their treatment of the Indians, been adopted by the white set- 



OHIO. 123 

tiers of tlio west, the efforts of tlie Moravian missionaries in Ohio would 
have been more successful. 

Tliey liad three stations on the Tuscarawas River, or rather three Indian villaires, 
viz : Shoonbrun, Gnadenhutten and Salem. The site of the first is about two miles 
south of New Philadelphia; seven miles farther south was Gnadenhutten, in the 
immediate vicinity of the present village of that name ; and about five miles below 
that was Salem, a short distance from the village of Port Washington. The first 
and last mentioned were on the Avest side of the Tuscarawas, now near the margin 
of the Ohio canab Gnadenhutten is on the east side of the river. It was here 
that a massacre took place on the 8th of jMarch, 1782, which, for cool barbarity, is 
perhaps unequalcd in the history of the Indian wars. 

The Moravian villages on the Tuscarawas were situated about mid-way between 
the white settlements near the Oliio, and some warlike tribes of Wyandots and 
Delawores on the Sandusky. These latter were chiefly in the service of England, or at 
least opposed to the colonists, with whom she was then at war. There was a Brit- 
ish station at Detroit, and an American one at Fort Pitt (Pittsburg), Avhich were 
regarded as the nucleus of western operations by each of the contending parties. 
The jMoravian villages of friendly Indians on the Tuscarawas were situated, as the 
saying is, between two fires. As Christian converts and friends of peace, both 
policy and inclination led them to adopt neutral grounds. 

Several depredations had been committed by hostile Indians, about this time, on 
the frontier inhabitants of western Pennsylvania and V'irginia, who determined 
to retaliate. A company of one hundred men was raised and placed under the 
command of Col. Williamson, as a corps of volunteer militia. They set out for 
the iSIoravian towns on the Tuscarawas, and arrived within a mile of Gnad'^nhut- 
ten on the night of the 5th of j\Iarcli. On the morning of the 6th, finding the In- 
dians were employed in their corn-field, on the Avest side of the river, sixteen of 
Williamson's men crossed, two at a time, over in a large sap-trough, or vessel used 
for retaining sugar water, taking their rifles with them. The remainder went into 
the village, where they found a man and a woman, both of whom they killed. The 
sixteen on the west side, on approaching the Indians in the field, found them more 
numerous than they expected. They had their arms Avith them, Avhich Avas usual 
on such occasions, both for purposes of protection and for killing game. The 
whites accosted them kindly, told them they had come to take them to a place 
where they would be in future protected, and advised them to quit Avork, and re- 
turn Avith them to the neighborhood of Fort Pitt. Some of the Indians had been 
taken to that place in the preceding year, had been well treated by the American 
governor of the fort, and been dismissed Avith tokens of warm friendship. Under 
these circumstances, it is not surprising that the unsuspecting Moravian Indians 
readily surrendered their arms, and at once consented to be controlled by the ad- 
vice of Col. Williamson and his men. An Indian messenger was dispatched to 
Salem, to apprise the brethren there of the neAV arrangement, and both companies 
returned to Gnadenhutten. 

On reacliing the village, a number of mounted militia started for the Salem settlement, 
but e'er they reached it, found that the MoraA-ian Indians at that place had already left 
their corn-fields, by the advice of the messenger, and Avere on the road to join their breth- 
ren at Gnadenhutten. Measures had been adopted by the militia to secure the Indians 
Avhom tliey had at first decoyed into their poAver. They Avere bound, confined in two houses 
and well guarded. On the arrival of the Indians from Salem (their arms having been pre- 
viously secured Avithout suspicion of any hostile intention), they Avere also fettered, and di- 
vided between the tAvo prison houses, the males in one, and the females in the other. The 
number thus confined in both, including men, women and childi'en, have been estimated 
from ninety to ninety-six. 

A council Avns then held to determine hoAv the Moravian Indians should be disposed of. 
This self constituted military court embraced both officers and privates. The late Dr. 
Dodridge, in his published notes on Indian wars, etc., says: " Colonel Williamson put the 
question, Avhether the Moravian Indians should be taken prisoners to Fort Pitt, or put to 
deiith?'^ requesting those who Avere in favor of saving their lives to step out and form a 
second rank. Only eighteen out of the whole number stepped forth as the advocates of 
mercy. In these the feelings of humanity Avere not extinct. In the majority, which Avas 
large, no sympathy was manifested. They resolved to murder (for no other word can ex- 



124 



OHIO. 



press tbe act), the whole of the Christian Indians in their custod\'. Among these were 
several who had contributed to aid the missionaries in the work of conversion and civili- 
zation — two of whom emigrated from New Jersej' after the death of their spiritual pastor, 
Rev. David Brainard One woman, who could speak good English, knelt before the com- 
niLindor and begged his protection. Her supplication was unavailing. They were ordered 
to prejiare for death. But the warning had been anticipated. Their firm belief in their 
new creed was shown forth in the sad hour of their tribulation, by religious e.\ercises of 
preparation. The orisons of these devoted people were already ascending the thror.e of 
the Most Highl — the sound of the Christian's hymn and the Christian's prayer found an 
echo in the surrounding woods, but no responsive feeling in the bosoms of their execution- 
ers. With gun, and spear, and tomahawk, and scalping knife, the work of death pro- 
gressed in these slaughter houses, till not a sigh or moan was he.ird to ]jroclaini tho exist- 
ence of human life within — all, save two — tv,o Indian boys escaped, as if by a miracle, to 
be witnesses in after times of the savage cruelty of the white man toward their unfortu- 
nate race. 

Thus were upward of ninety human beings hurried to an untimely grave by those who 
should have been their legitimate protectors. After committing the barbarous act, Wil- 
liamson and his men set fire to the houses containing the dead, and then marched off for 
Shoenbrun, the upper Indian town. But here the news of their atrocious deeds had pre- 
ceded them. The inhabitants had all fled, and with them fled for a time the hopes of the 
missionaries to esta^jlish a settlement of Christian Indians on the Tuscarawas. The fruita 
of ten years' labor in the cause of civilization were apparently lost. 

Those engaged in the campaign, were generally men of standing at home. When the 
expedition was formed, it was given out to the public that its sole object was to remove 
the Moravians to Pittsburg, and by destroying the villages, deprive the hostile savages of 
a shelter. In their towns, various articles plundered from the whites, were discovered. 
One man is said to hare found the bloody clothes of his wife and children, who had re- 
cently been murdered. These articles, doubtless, had been purchased of the hostile Indi- 
ans. The sight of these, it is jaid, bringing to mind the forms of murdered relations, 
wrought them up to an uncontrollable pitch of frenzy, which nothing but blood could 
satisfy. 

In the year 1799, when the remnant of the Moravian Indians were recalled by the United 
States to reside on the same spot, an old Indian, in company with a young man by the 
name of Carr, walked over the desolate scene, and showed to the white man an excava- 
tion, which had formerly been a cellar, and in which were still some moldering bones of 
the victims, though seventeen years had passed since their tragic death — the tears, in the 
meantime, falling down the wrinkled face of this aged child of the Tuscarawas. 

The Mission, having been resumed, was continued in operation until the 
year 1823, when the Indians sold out their lands to the United States, and 
removed to a Moravian station on the Thames, in Canada. The faithful 
Zeisberger died and was buried at Goshen, the last abiding place of his flock. 
In a small graveyard there, a little marble slab bears the following inscrip- 
tion : 

David Zeisberger, who was born 11th April, 1721, in Moravia, and departed this life 7th 
Nov., 1308, aged 87 years, 7 months and 6 days. This faithful servant of the Lord labored 
among the Moravian Indians, as a missionary, during the last sixty years of his life. 



Steubenville, the capital of Jefferson county, is situated on the right 
bank of the Ohio, on an elevated plain, 150 miles from Columbus, 36, in a 
direct line, from Pittsburgh, and 75 by the river, and 22 above Wheeling, 
Va. It is surrounded by a beautiful country, and is the center of an exten- 
sive trade, and flourishing manufactories of various kinds, which are supplied 
with fuel from the inexhaustible mines of stone coal in the vicinity. The 
Female Seminary at this place, situated on the bank of the river, is a flour- 
ishing institution, and has a widely extended reputation. It contains about 
9,000 inhabitants. 

Steubenville was laid out in 179S, by Bezabel Wells and James Ross. It derives 
its name from Fort Steuben, which was ereeted in 17S9, on High-street, near the 
pite of the Female Seminary. It was built of block-houses connected by palisade 
fences, and was dismantled at the t-me of Wayne's victory, previous to which it 



OHIO. 



125 



had been garrisoned by the United States infantry, under the command of Colonel 
Ueattj. 

The old Mingo town, three miles below Stenbenville, was a place of note prior 
to the settlement of the country. It was the point where the troops of Col. Wil- 
liamson rendezvoused in the iniamous Moravian campaign, and those of Colonel 
Crawford, in his unfortunate expedition against the Sandusky Indians. It was 




^'iew in Sieiihenville. 

Tlio onKrnviiifi: shi)\vji tlie .'iniii-M'-OK-.' of >(Hrk"t-stre'!t, lonldiif? we<;tward, nowv the Court IIoiisp, wlii.-h 
rpiieiiis (>n the ri.'^hr; a p^u-lioii nl' ili- :M.irkat on tliK \o\\ ; tils' .St«u!)envir;« aii'l In.iianu RailroHil crosses 
.^ arket-street in the distance, ncai- wliidi ;ire Woolen Factories. 

also, at one time, the r'^sidence of Logan, the celebrated Mingo chief, whose form 
was strikinix and manly, and whose magnanimity and eloquence have seldom been 
equaled. He was a son of the Cayuira chief Sklkellimus, who dwelt at Shamokin, 
Fa., in 1742, and was converted to Christianity under the preaching of the Mora- 
vian missionaries. Skikeliimus highly esteemed James Logan, the secretary of the 
province, named his son from him, and probably had him baptized by the mission- 
f.ries. 

Logan took no part in the oLl French war, which ended in 1760, e.xcept that of 
a peace maker, and was always the friend of the white people until the base mur- 
der of his family to which has l)een attributed the origin of Dnnmore's war. 'J'hia 
event took place near the mouth of Yellow creek, in this county, about 17 miles 
above Steubenville. During the war which followed, Logan frequently showed hia 
magnanimity to prisoners who fell into his hands. 

Conneau/, in Ashtabula county, the north-eastern corner township of Ohio, 
is on Lake Erie, and on the Lake Shore Railroad, 67 miles east of Cleve- 
land ; it is distinguished as the landing pLice of the party who made the first 
settlement of northern Ohio, in 1796; hence it is sometimes called the PI^' 
vioitfh of the Western Reserve. Tiiere is a good harbor at the mouth of 
Conneaut creek, and a light house. 

On the 4th of July, 1796, the first surveying party of the Western Re- 
serve landed at the mouth of Conneaut creek. Of this event, John Barr, 
Ksq., in his sketch of the Western Reserve, in the National Magazine for 
December, 1845, has given the following sketch: 

The sons of revolutionary sires, some of them sharers of themselves in the great 
baptism of the i-epublic, they made the anniversary of their country's freedom a 



126 OHIO. 

day of coremoriial and rejoicinir. Thev felt that they had arrived at the place of 
their labors, the — to many of them — sites of home, as little allurini;;, ahiiost as 
crowded witli dancers, as were the levels of Jamestown, or thQ rocks of Plymouth 
to the ancestors who had preceded them in the conquest of the sea-coast wilderness 
of this continent. From old homes and friendly and social associations, they were 
almost as completely exiled as Avere the cavaliers who debarked upon the shores of 
Viririnia, or the Puritans who sought the strand of jNIassachusetts. Far awa}' as 
they were from the villatres of their birth and boyhood; before them the trackless 
forest, or the untraversed lake, yet did they resolve to cast fatigue, and privation 
and peril from their thoughts for the time being, and give to the day its due, to pa- 
triotism its awards. Clustering their numbers, they sat them down on the east- 
v.'ard shore of the stream now known as Conneaut, and, dipping from the lake the 
liquor in which they pledged their country — their goblets, some tin cups of no rare 
workmanship, yet every way answerable, with the ordnance accompaniment of two 
or three fowling pieces discharging the required national salute — the first settlers 
of the Reserve spent their landing-dav as became the sons of the Pilgrim Fatliers 
— as the advance pioneers of a population that has since made the then wilderness 
of northern Ohio to " ])lossom as the rose," and prove the homes of a people as re- 
markable for integrity, industry, love of countiy, moral truth and enlightened leg- 
islation, as any to bo found within the territorial limits of their ancestral New 
England. 

The whole party numbered on. this occasion, fifty-two persons, of whom two were fc- 
miles (.Mrs. Stiles and Mrs. Gunn, and a child). As these individuals were the adv;ince 
of after millions of popuhition, their names become worthy of record, and are theretore 
piven, viz: Moses Cleveland, agent of tlie comiiany; Augustus Porter, principal surveyor; 
Soth Pease, Mo.^es Warren, Amos Spaft'ord, Milton Hawley, Richard M. Stoddard, sur- 
veyors; Joshua Stowe, commissary; Theodore Shepard, physician; Joseph Tinker, ])rinci- 
pai boatman; Joscj.h Mclntyre, Goorcre ProudfoOt, Francis Gay, Samuel Forbes, Elijah 
Gunn, wile and child, Amos Sawten, Stephen Benton, Amos Barber, Samuel Hungeitbid, 
William B. Hall, Samuel Davenport. Asa Muson, Amzi Atwater, Michael Coffin, Elisha 
Ayres, Thomas Harris, Norman Wilcox, Timothy Dunliam, George Goodwin, Shadrach 
Beidiam, Samuel Agnew, W.arham Shepard, David Beard, John Briant, Titus V. Munson, 
Joseph Landnn, Job V. Stiles an<l wile, Charles Parker, F,zekiel Hawley, Nathaniel Doan, 
Luke Hanchet, James Hasket, J imes Hamilton, Olney F. Rice, John Lock, and four 
others wliose names are not mentioned. 

On the 5th of July, the workmen of the expedition were employed in the erection of a 
large, awkwardly constructed log building; locating it on the sandy beach on the east 
shore of the stream, and naming it " Stowe Castle," after one of the party. This became 
the storehouse of the provisions, etc., and the dwelling place of the families. No perma- 
nent settlement was mad§ at Conneaut until 1799, three years later. 

Judge James Kingsbury, who arrived at Conneaut shortly after the sur- 
veying party, wintered with his family at this place, in a cabin which stood 
on a spot now covered by the waters of the lake. This was about the first 
family that wintered on the Reserve. 

The story of the sufferings of this family have often been told, but in the midst of plenty, 
■where want is unknown, can with difficulty be appreciated. The surveyors, in the prose- 
cution of their labors westwardly, had pnncipally removed their stores to Cleveland, while 
the family of Judge Kingsbury remained at Conneaut. Being compelled by business to 
leave in the fall for the state of New York, with the hope of a speedy return to hisf\imily, 
the judge was attacked by a severe fit of sickness confining him to his bed until the setting 
in of winter. As soon as able he proceeded on his return as far as Buffalo, where he hired 
an Indian to guide him through the wilderness. At Presque Isle, anticipating the. wants 
of his family, he purchased twenty pounds of flour. In crossing Elk creek, on the ice, 
he disabled his horse, left him in the snow, and mounting his flour on his own back, pur- 
sued his way, filled witli glooniy forebodings in relation to the fate of his family. On his 
arrival late one evening, Ids worst apprehensions were more than realized in a scene ago- 
nizing to the husband and father. Stretched on her cot lay the partner of his cares, who 
had followed him throujih all the dangers and liardships of the wilderness without repin- 
ing, pale and emaciated, reduced by meager famine to the last stages in which life can be 
supported, and near the mother, on a little pallet, were the remains of his youngest child, 
born in his absence, who had just expired for the want of that nourishment which the 
mother, deprived of sustenance, was unable to give. Shut up by a gloomy wilderness, she 



OHIO. 



127 



was far distai^t alike from the aid or sympathy of friends, filled with anxiety for an absent 
husband, suffering with want, and destitute of necessary assistance, and lior children ex- 
piring iiround her with hunger. 

yuch is the picture presented, by which the wives and daughters of tlie present day may 
form some estimate of the hardships endured by the pioneers of this beautiful country. It 
appears that Judge Kingsbury, in order to supply the wants of his fimily, was under the 
necessity of transporting Ids provisions from Cleveland on a hand sled, and tliac himself 
and hired man drew a barrel of beef the whole distance at a single load. 

Mr. Kingsbury subsequently held several important judicinl and legislative trusts, and 
until \vithin a few years since, was living at Newburg, about fou.r miles distant from Cleve- 
land. He was the first who thrust a sickle into the tirst wheat field planted on the soil of 
the Reserve. His wife was interred at Cleveland, about the year 1^4.3. The fate of her 
child — the Jlrst lohilf child, born on the Rescrvr, starved to death for want of nourishment — • 
will not soon be forgotten. 




T7e(t' in Superior-street, Cleveland. 

The view kIiows tlie appoarann' of Snperiov-street looking westward. The Weddrl House is scon on tho 
rifiiit. Tlie Kailfoail, Canal, ami I'liyalioga Kivfi', all pass witliiu a lew ro«ls westward i>{ the I'or.r story 
building seen at the head of the street. 

Cleveland, the capital of Cuyahoga county, on the south shore of Lake 
Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga Kiver, is, next to Cincinnati, the most 
commercial city in the state, and with the exception of Chicago, Detroit and 
Buffalo, of all the lake cities. It has great natural facilities for trade, and 
is connected with the interior and Ohio River by the Ohio Canal and several 
railroads. The various railroads terminating here are, the Cleveland and 
Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Cleveland and Mahoning, Cleve- 
land and Pittsburg, Cleveland and Erie, and Cleveland, Zanesville and Cin- 
cinnati. It has a good harbor, which has been improved by piers extending 
into the lake. It is situated 135 miles E-N.E. from Columbus, 255 from 
Cincinnati, 130 from Pittsburg, 130 from Detroit, 183 from Buifalo, and 455 
from New York. The location of the city is beautiful, being on a gravelly 



128 



OHIO. 



plain elevated nearly lOO fett above the lake. The streets cross ear-li otlier 
at ri^ht anp;les, and vary from 80 to 120 feet in width. Near the center is a 
liandsonie public square of 10 acres. The private residences are mostly of 
a superior order, and in almost every street are indications of wealth and 
taste. Euclid-street is an avenue of extraordinary width, runninp; easterly 
from the city, and extending; for two miles into the country. There is no 
siii'^le street in any city in the Union, which equals it in the combination of 
defiant private residences, with beautiful shrubbery and park like grounds. 
The unusual amount of trees and shrubbery in Cleveland has given it tlic 
appellation of "the Forest City:" it is a spot where "tov.-n and country ap- 
pear to have met and shaken hands." The city is lighted with gas, and also 
supplied with the very best of water from the lake. The manufactures of 
the city are extensive and important, consisting of steam engines and vaiious 
kinds of machinery, mill irons, stoves, plows, carriages, cabinet ware, edge 
tools, copper smelting works, woolen goods, tanning and the manufacture of 
oils. The agricultural products of the interior of the state are forwarded 
here in large quantities, which are rcshippcd for eastern or European mar- 
kets. Ship and steamboat building is also carried on to a considerable ex- 
tent. The lumber trade is one of great prominence. The packing of beef 
and pork is largely carried on. The wholesale and jobbing business in the 
various mercantile departments is increasing daily. 

Cleveland has 2 medical colleges, one of which is the AVestern Reserve 
jVIcdieal College, the other is of the Homojnpathic school, a fine female sem- 
inary on Kinsman's-street, 2 Ivoman Catholic convents, and a variety of be- 
nevolent institutions. Ohio City, on tlie west side of the city, formerly a 
separate corporation, is now comprised in Cleveland. Population, in 179G, 
?>\ 1708, 16; 1825, 500; 1840, G,071; 1850,17.034; and in 18G0, it was 
43,550. 

As early ns 1755, thcro was a Froncli station witln'n the present limits of Cuya- 
Iioii'a countv, that in which Cleveland is situated. On Lewis Evans' map of the 

middle Uritish colonies, publislied 
that year, there is marked upon the 
west bank of the Cuyahoga, the 
words, ^'■French house," wliicli was 
doubtless the station of a French 
trader. The ruins of a house sup- 
posed to bo those of the one alluded 
to, have been discovered on Foot'a 
farm, in Brooklyn township, about 
five miles from tlie mouth of the 
Cuyahoga. The small cngfaving an- 
nexed, is fi-om the map of Evans, and 
delineates the geography as in r.lic 
original. 

In 17S6, the Moravian missionary 
Zidsheriier, with his Indian converts, 
left Detroit, and arrived at the month 
of the Cuyahoga, in a vessol called 
the Mackinaw. From thence, they 
i n ceeded up the river about ten miles from the site of Cleveland, and Kettlcd in 
iui abandoned villa;ic of the Ottawas, Avithin the present limits (jf Independence, 
which they called rih/ernih, i. e. Filgrlnis rest. Their stay was brief, for in the 
April follo'wing, they left for Huron Uiver, and settled near the site of Mihiu, Fh-ie 
county, at a locality they namod Neic Salcni. 

The British, who, after the revolutionary war, refused to yield possession of the 
lake country west of the Cuyahoga, occupied to its shores until 1790. Their tr.^ 




OHIO. 



129 



ders had a house in Ohio City, north of the Detroit road, on the point of the hill, 
aenr the river, when the surveyors first arrived here in 1796. From an early day, 
Washington, Jeiferson and other leading Virginia statesmen regarded the mouth 
of the Cuyahoga as an important commercial position. 

The city was oi'iginally comprised in lands purchased by the Connecticut Land 
Company," and formed a portion of what is tei'med the Western Eeserve. This 
company was organized in 1795, and in the month of May following, it commis- 
sioned Gen. Moses Cleveland to superintend the survey of their lands, with a stafi' 
of forty-eight assistants. On July 22, 1796, Gen. Cleveland, accompanied by Agu.s- 
tus Porter, the principal of the surveying department, and several others, entered 
the mouth of the Cuyahoga from the lake, but as they were engaged in making a 
traverse, they continued their progress to Sandusky I3ay. In the interim. Job P. 
Stiles and his wife and Joseph Tinker arrived in a boat with provisions, and were 
employed in constructing a house about half way from the top of the bank to the 
shore of the river, a short distance north of Main (Superior) street. On the re- 
turn of the party from Sandusky, they surveyed and made a plat of the present 
city of Cleveland. 

The first building erected in Cleveland, is supposed to have been in 1786, by Col. 
James Hillman, of Youngstown, Mahoning county, who was engaged in conveying 
flour and bacon from Pittsburg to the mouth of the Cuyahoga, for the use of the 
Ijritish army in the upper lakes. He visited the site of Cleveland six times, and 
on one occasion caused a small cabin to be erected " near a spring in the hill side, 
within a short distance of what is now the western termination of Superior-street." 
It is probable that Stiles and Tinker availed themselves of this site, and possibly 
it furnished a part of the materials to erect their hut. 

In the winter of 1796-7, the population consisted of three inhabitants. Early 
in the spring of 1797, James Kingsbury and family, from New England, and Elijah 
Gunn removed to Cleveland. The next families who came here were those of Maj. 
Carter and Lzekiel Hawley, from Kirtland, the family of the major being accom- 
panied by Miss Cloe Inches. In the spring of the following year (1798), Maj. Car- 
•t,er sowed two acres of corn on the west side of Water-street. He was the first 
person Avho erected a frame building in the city, which he completed in 1802. On 
the 1st of July, 1797, William Clement was married to Cloe Inches. The ceremony 
of this first marriage was performed by Seth Hart, who was regarded by the sur- 
veying party as their chaplain. In 1 799, Rodolphus Edwards and Nathaniel Doane 
with their ftimilies, emigrated from Chatham, Conn., to Cleveland, being ninety-two 
days on their journey. In the autumn of this year, the whole colony, without ex- 
ception, were afflicted Avith the fever and ague. 

The following historical items were taken from the Traveler, and pub- 
lished in the Cleveland Weekly Herald, Jan. 5, 1859: 

The first city school was held in Maj. Carter's house in 1802, and the children 
were taught by Anna Spafibrd. The first postoffice was established here in 1804, 
when letters were received and transmitted every seven days. In the same year 
the first militia training occurred. The place of rendezvous was Doane's corner, 
and the muster amounted to about fifty men. In 1805, the harbor Avas made a 
port of entry, and classed within the Erie district. In the same year the territory 
on the west side of the Cuyahoga was ceded to the states by treaty. In 1809, Joel 
Thorpe and Amos Simpson each built a boat at Newberg, of six or seven tuns, and 
conveyed them in wagons to the harbor, where they were launched. The first 
judicial trial took place in 1812. It was held in the open air, beneath the shade 
of a cherry tree, which then stood at the corner of Water and Superior-stre ;ls: it 
being a charge of murder against an Indian, called John O'Mic, who was convicted 
and executed. A court house was erected this year on the public square, opposite 
the place where the stone church now stands. It was an unique structure; dun- 
goons were excavated underneath for a city jail. In 1815, Cleveland was incor- 
porated with a village charter, and Alfred Kelley was the first president. Mr. 
Kflley was the first attorney in Cleveland. The first brick house in the city was 
that of J. R. and J. Kelley, in 1814, in Superior-street. This edifice was soon suc- 
ceeded bv .another, built by Alfred Kelley, still standing in Water-street. In 1816 

9 



130 



OHIO. 



the first bank was established in tho city, under the title of the "Commercial Bank 
of Lake Erie." The number of vessels enrolled as hailini: this j'ear from Cleve- 
land was but seven, and their airtrreprate burden 430 tuns. In 1817, the first church 
was organized, wliicli was the Episcopal church of Trinity. On July 31, 1818, the 
first newspaper, "j?'/te Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Begister" was issued. 
On the 1st of Sept., the same year, steamed in the " VValk-in-the- Water," the first 
steamI)oat which entered the harbor. It was commanded by Capt. Fish, hailed 
from lUiffalo, and was on its way to Detroit. 

In 1819. Mr. I'arber built a \o% hut on the west side of the harbor, and may.be 
considered as tlie first permanent settler in Ohio City. The first Presbyterian 
church was oriranized in 1820, and the stone church was erected on the public 
S'luare in 1834 In 1821, the first Sunday school was established in Cleveland, 
which was attended by twenty scholars. In 1825, an appropriation of $5,00U was 
made by the government for the improvement of the harljor, and during this year 
the first steamboat was built here, and the Ohio Canal commenced. In 1827, the 
Cuyahoga Furnace Company commenced tlieir manufactory, being the first iron 
works erected in' the city. In 1830, the light house was built at the termination of 
Water-street, the lantern of which is 13") feet above the water level. In 1832, the 
Ohio Canal was completed. It hail occupied seven years in its construction, is 307 
miles in lenirth, and cost So, 000,000. In 1 83ti, Cleveland was incorporated a city: 
the fii-st mayor was John Wiiley. In 1840, the population had increased to 6,071 ; 
in 184."), to 12,206. In IS.") I, Feb. 23d, the Cleveland, Cokimbus and Cincinnati 
Railroad was opened for travel, and on the same day, forty miles of the Cleveland 
and Pittsburg Railroad were likewise completed. Population, this year, 21,140. 
The United States Marine Hospital, on the Ijanks of the lake, was completed in 
1852; it was commenced in 1844. 




E'i-'<ti'iii ricir iif Toledo. 

Th<" vifw sliowM tlie Hiiiicaranre i.f part of Tol.-ilo. n» seen frcin tlie oppo,sitc bank of the Mauraee, at one 
of til.- ¥ r:y Ijiiuliiigs. The Island House, the IJuioii I'lLsseiiijer Depot, aii<l tlie Tel«sr,iph Station appear 
on tin- K ft." 

Toi,Kr.o, is a city and port of entry, in Lucas county, on the western 
b;iuk of the ;Mauniec, 4 miles from its mouth, and 10 miles from Lake Erie, 
134 miles N.W. of Columbus, GG S.S.W. of Detroit, and 100 W. of Cleve- 
land, and 246, bv canal, N. of Cincinuf ti. It is tlie terminu.s of the Wabash 
and Erie Canal, "the longest in the Union; also of the Miami and Erie Canal. 



OHIO. 



131 



It is the port of north-eastern Indiana, and of a hirge region in north-western 
Ohio. It is eminently a commercial town, has not only great natural f;i- 
eilities, but has also communication by canals and railroads in all direc- 
tions. 

The Michigan Southern Railroad and the air-line railroad passing through 
northern Indiana, the Toledo, Wabash and Western Road, the Toledo and 
Detroit Road, the northern and southern divisions of the Cleveland and To- 
ledo Road, and the Dayton and Michigan Road, all terminate here in a com- 
mon center at the Union Depot. The i-iver is about half a mile wide here, 
and forms a harbor admitting the largest lake vessels. Population in 18C0, 
13,784. 

Toledo covers the site of a stockade fort, called Fort Industry, erected 
about the year 1800, near what is now Summit-street. The site of the town 
originally was two distinct settlements — the upper, Port Lawrence, the lower, 
Vistula. 

In the summer of 1832, Vistula, under the impetus given it by Captain 
Samuel Allen, from Lockport, N. Y., and Major Stickney, made quite a 
noise as a promising place for a town. At the same time arrangements were 
being made by Major Oliver and Micajah T. Williams, of Cincinnati, with 
Daniel 0. Comstoek and Stephen B. Comstock, brothers, from Lockport, for 
the resuscitation of Port Lawrence, at the mouth of Swan creek. The Com- 
stocks took an interest, and became the agents of the Port Lawrence prop- 
erty. 

No sales of any importance were made before 1833. In Vistula, the first 
store was started by Mr. E. Briggs ; W. J. Daniels was his clerk. Soon after 
Flagg & Bissell opened a more extensive store of goods — probably the first 
good assortment for the use of white people. In 1833, not much progress 
was made toward building a town in Vistula or Port Lawrence. In 1834, 
speculation in lots began, and with slight intermission continued until the 
spring of 1837. Mr. Edward Bissell, from Lockport, a man of enterprise 
and activity, became a part owner, and gave a great impetus to the growth 
of Vistula. Through him and the Port Lawrence owners, many men of in- 
fluence became interested in the new towns. Among these, Judge Mason, 
from Livingston county, N. Y., deserves mention, as he became agent of 
Mr. Bissell and the other chief owners, and made Vistula his place of resi- 
dence. 

In Port Lawrence the first T<jledo steamer was built, and called the De- 
troit. She was of one hundred and twenty tuns, and commanded by Capt. 
Baldwin, son of i\ sea captain of that name, who was one of the earliest set- 
tlers in that place. 

In 1836, Toledo was incorporated as a city. The same year the Wabash 
and Erie Canal was located, but was not so far finished as to make its busi- 
ness felt until 1845, when the Miami and Erie Canal was opened through 
from Lake Erie to the Ohio, at Cincinnati. 

In 1835, Toledo Avas the center of the military operations in the " Ohio and 
Michigan war" — originating in the bouailary dispute between the two states. The 
militia of both states were called out and laarched to the disputed territory, under 
their respective governors — Lucas, of Ohio, and Mason, of Michigan. No blood 
was shed, although, at one time, serious results werp threatened. Michigan claimed 
a narrow strip on her southern border of eight miles wide, which brought Toledo 
into that state. The matter was referred to congress, who ceded to Michigan the 
large peninsula between Lakes Huron, Superior and Michigan, now known as the 
copper region in lieu of the territory in dispute. 



132 



OHIO. 



PLAN ILLUSTRATING THE BATTLES OF THE MAUMEE. 

[^Explanations. — The map slio'wa 
about eight miles of the country along 
each side of the Maumee,' including 
the towns of Perrysburg, Maumee 
City and Waterville. 

Just previous to the battle of the 
Fallen Timbers, in August, 1794-, 
Wayne's army was encamped at a lo- 
cality called Roche de Boeuf, a short 
distance above the present site of 
Waterville. The battle commenced at 
the Fresque Isle hill. The routed In- 
dians were pursued to even under the 
guns of the British Fort 3Iiami. 

Fort jlleiqs, memorable from having 
sustained two sieges in the year 1813, 
is shown on the east side of the Mau- 
mee, witli the British batteries on both 
sides of the river, and near the Brit- 
ish fort, is the site of Frocturs en- 
campment. ~\ 




The Maumee Valley in which Tole- 
do is situated, is noted in the early his- 
tory of the country. It was a favorite 
point with the Indians, particularly 
that part in the vicinity of the vil- 
lages of Maumee City and Perrysburg, 
about nine miles south of Toledo. As 
early as IGSO, the French had a trading 
station just below the site of Maumee 
City; and in 1794, the British built 
Fort Miami on the same spot. This 
was within American territory, and 
from this point the British traders in- 
stigated the Indians to outrages upon 
the American settlements. Two im- 
portant events occurred in this vicinity 
— the victory of Wayne, August 20, 
1794, and the siege of Fort Meigs, 
\ in the war of 1812. 

\ Wayne's battle ground is about three 

f miles south of Maumee City, on the 

west side of the river. He approached 
from the south, having with him about 
three thousand men, of whom sixteen 
hundred were Kentuckians under Gen. 
Scott. From Wayne's official report we make the annexed extract, which 
contains the principal points of this important victory : 

The legion was on the right, its flanks covered by the Maumee : one brigade of 



OHIO. 



133 




WaVNK's BvTTl,E GUUL'NI). 

The view is from tha iiortli, sliowing on the loft the Mau- 
inee and in front Presque Isle Hill. On the right by the road- 
side, is the noted Turkey Foot Rock.* 



mounted volunteers on the left, under Brig. Gen. Todd, and the other in tlie rear, 
under Brig. Gen. Barbee. A select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front 
of the legion, commanded by Major Price, who was directed to keep sufficiently 
advanced, so as to give timely notice for the troops to form in case of action, it be- 
inii- yet undetermined whether the Indians would decide for peace or war. 
° After advancing about five miles, 

Major Price's corps received so 
severe afire from the enemy, who 
were secreted in the woods and 
high grass, as to compel them to 
retreat. The legion was immedi- 
ately formed in two lines, princi- 
pally in a close thick wood, which 
extended for miles on our left, and 
for a very considerable distance 
in front; the ground being cov- 
ered with old fallen timber, prob- 
ably occasioned by a tornado, 
which rendered it impracticable 
for the cavalry to act with effect, 
and afforded the enemy the most 
favorable covert for their mode of 
warfare. The savages were form- 
ed in three lines, within supporting distance of each other, and extending for near 
two miles at right angles with the" river. 1 soon discovered, from the weight of 
the fire and extent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force in front, in 
possession of their favorite ground, and endeavoring to turn our left flank. I there- 
fore gave orders for the second line to advance and support the first; and directed 
-Alajor General Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the savages, with the whole 
force of the mounted volunteers, by a circuitous route; at the same time 1 ordered 
the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, and rouse the Indians 
from their coverts at the point of the bayonet, and when up, to deliver a close and 
well-directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them 
time to load again. 

I also ordered Captain j\Ils Campbell, who commanded the legionary cavalry, to 
turn the left flank of the enemy next the river, and which afforded a favorable 
field for that corps to act in. All these orders were obeyed with spirit and prompt- 
itude; but such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry, that 
the Indians and Canadian militia and volunteers were driven from all their coverts 
in so short a time, that although erery possible exertion was used by the officers 
of the second line of the legion, and by Generals Scott, Todd and Barbee, of the 
mounted volunteers, to gain their proper positions, but part of each could get up in 
season to participate in the action ; the enemy being driven, in the course of one 
hour, more than two miles through the thick woods already mentioned, by less than 
one half their numbers. From every account the enemy amounted to two thousand 
combatants. The troops actually engaged against them were short of nine hun- 
dred. This horde of savages, with their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and 
dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet pos- 
session of the field of battle, which terminated under the influence of the guns of 
the British garrison. 

The loss of the enemy was more than that of the federal army. The woods were 



»At this spot says tradition, an Indian chief named Turliey Foot, rallied a few of his 
men and stood upon it fighting until his strength becoming exhausted from loss of blood, he 
fell and breathed his last. Upon it have been carved by the Indians, representations of tur- 
key's feet, now plainly to be seen, and it is said "the early settlers of and travelers through the 
Maumee valley, usually found many small pieces of tobacco deposited on this rock, which 
had been placed there by the Indians as devotional acts, by way of sacrifices, to agpeasa 
the indignant spirit of the departed hero." 



134 OHIO. 

strewed for a considerable distance with the dead bodies of Indians and their white 
auxiliaries, the latter armed with British muskets and bayonets. 

We remained three days and nights on the banks of the Maumee, in front of the 
field of battle, during which time all the houses and corn-fields were consumed 
and destroyed for a considerable distance, both above and below Fort Miami, as 
well as within pistol-shot of the garrison, who were compelled to remain tacit spec- 
tators to this general devastation and conflagration, among which were the houses, 
stores and property of Colonel M'Kee, the British Indian agent and principal stim- 
ulator of the war now existing between the United States and the savages." 

The loss of the Americans in this battle, was 33 killed and 100 wounded, inclu- 
ding 5 officers among the killed, and 19 wounded. One of the Canadians taken in 
the action, estimated the force of the Indians at about 1400. He also stated that 
about 70 Canadians were with them, and that Col. M'Kee, Capt. Elliott and Simon 
Girty were in the field, but at a respectable distance, and near the river. 

When the broken remains of the Indian army were pursued under the British 
fort, the soldiers could scarcely be restrained from storming it. This, independent 
of its results in bringing on a war with Great Britain, would have been a desper- 
ate measure, as the fort mounted 10 pieces of artillery, and was garrison by 450 
men, while Wayne had no armament proper to attack such a strongly fortified place. 
While the troops remained in the vicinity, there did not appear to be any commu- 
nication between the garrison and the savages. The gates were shut against them, 
and their rout and slaughter witnessed with apparent unconcern by the British. 
That the Indians were astonished at the lukewarmness of their real allies, and re- 
garded the fort, in case of defeat, as a place of refuge, is evident from various cir- 
cumstances, not the least of which was the well known reproach of Tecumseh, in 
his celebrated speech to Proctor, after Perry's victory. The near approach of the 
troops drew forth a remonstrance from Major Campbell, the British commandant, 
to General Wayne.^ A sharp correspondence ensued, but without any special re- 
sults. The morning before the army left. General Wayne, after arranging his force 
in such a manner as to show that they were all on the alert, advanced with his nu- 
merous staff and a small body of cavalry, to the glacis of the British fort, recon- 
noitering it with great deliberation, Avhile the eari-ison were seen Avith lighted 
matches, prepared for any emergency. It is said that Wayne's partj' overheard 
one of the British subordinate officers appeal to Major Campbell, for permission to 
fire upon the cavalcade, and avenge such an insulting parade under his majesty's 
guns; but that officer chided him with the abrupt exclamation, "i^e a gentleman ! 
be a gentleman .' "f 

x\fter the defeat and massacre of the Kentuckians under Winchester at the 
River Raisin, near the site of Monroe, Michigan, in February, 1813, Gen. 
Harrison cominander-in-chief of the army of the north-west, established his 
advance post at the foot of the Maumee Rapids and erected a fort, subse- 
quently named Meigs, in honor of Governor Meigs. 

"On the breaking up of the ice in Lake Erie, General Proctor, with all his dispo- 
sable force, consisting of regulars and Canadian militia from Maiden, and a large 
body of Indians under their celebrated chief, Tecumseh, amounting in the whole 
to two thousand men, laid siege to Fort ^Meigs. To encourage the Indians, he had 

*Gen. Wayne was a man of most ardent impulses, and in the heat of action apt to forget 
that he was the general — not the soldier. AVhen the attack on the Indians who were con- 
cealed behind the fallen timbers, was commencing by ordering the regulars up, the late Gen. 
Harrison, then aid to AVayne, being lieutenant with the title of major, addressed his superi- 
or — "Gen. Wayne, I am afraid you will get into the fight yourself, and forget to give mo 
the necessary field orders." "Perhaps I may, replied Wayne, "and if I do, recollect the 
standing order for the day is, charge the rascals with the bayonet." 

"("That the Indian war was in a great measure sustained by British influences, admits of 
ample proof. Gen. Ilarri.son, in his letter to Hon. Thomas Chilton, shows this from his own 
personal observation, and concludes it with this sentence. "If then the relation I have giv- 
en is correct, the war of the revolution continued in the western country, until the j^eacc of Green- 
oille, in 1795." 



OHIO. 135 

promised them an easy conquest, and assured them that General Harrison should 
be delivered up to Tecumseh. On the 26th of April, the British columns appeared 
on the opposite bank of the river, and established their principal batteries on a 
commanding eminence opposite the fort. On the 27th, the Ijidians crossed the 
river, and established themselves in the rear of the American lines. The garrison, 
not having completed their wells, had no water except what they obtained from the 
river, under a constant firing of the enemy. On the first, second, and third of May, 
their batteries kept up an incessant shower of balls and shells ujion the fort. On 
the night of the third, the British erected a gun and murtcr battery on the left bank 
of the river, within two hundred and fifty yards of the American lines. The Indi- 
ans climbed the trees in the neighborhood of the fort, and poured in a galling fire 
upon the garrison, in this situation General Harrison received a summons from 
Proctor for a surrender of the garrison, greatly magnif^ying his means of annoy- 
ance; this was answered by a prompt refusal, assuring the British general that if 
he obtained possession of the fort, it v.'ould not be by capitulation. Apprehensive 
of such an attack. General Harrrison had made the governors of Kentucky and 
Ohio minutely acquainted witli his situation, and stated to them the necessity of 
reinforcements for the relief of Fort .Meigs. His requisitions had been zealously 
anticipated, and General Clay was at this moment descending the Miami with twelve 
hundred Kentuckians for his relief. 

"At twelve o'clock in the ni:j;ht of the fourth, an officer* arrived from General 
Clay, with the welcome intelligence of his approach, stating that he was just above 
the rapids, and could reach them in two hours, and requesting iiis orders. Harri- 
son determined on a general sally, and directed Clay to land eight hundred men on 
the right bank, take possession of the British batteries, spike their cannon, imme- 
diately return to their boats, and cross over to the American fort. The remainder 
of Clay's force were ordered to land on the left bank, and figiit their mhj to the 
fort, while sorties were to be made from the garrison in aid of these operations. 
Captain Hamilton Avas directed to proceed up the river in a pirogue, land a sub- 
altern on the left l)ank, who should be a pilot to conduct Gen. Chiy to the fort: and 
then cross over and station his pirogue :!t the place designated for the other di- 
vision to land. General Clay, havnig received these orders, descended the river in 
order of battle in solid columns, each officer taking position according to his rank. 
Col. Dudley, being the eldest in couima,nd, led the van, and was ordered to take the 
men in the twelve front boats, and execute General Harrison's orders on the right 
bank. He effected his landing at the place designated, without difficulty, (ieneral 
Clay kept close along the left bank until he came opposite the place of Col. Dudley's 
landing, but not finding the subaltern there, he attempted to cross over and join 
Col. Dudley; this was prevent by the violence of the current on the rapids, and he 
again attempted to land on the left bank, and effected it, with onl}^ fifty men amid 
a brisk fire from the enemy on shore, and made their way to the fort, receiving their 
fire until within the protection of its guns. The other boats under the command 
of Col. Boswell, were driven further down the current, and landed on the right 
to join Col. Dudley. Here they were ordered to re-embark, land on the left bank, 
and proceed to the fort. In the mean time two sorties were made from the garri- 
son, one on the left, in aid of Col. Boswell, by Avliich the Canadian militia and In- 
dians were defeated, and he was enabled to reach the fort in safety, and one on the 
right against the British batteries, which was also successful." 

"Col. Dudley, Avith his detachment of eight hundred Kentucky militia, complete- 

*This messenger was Capt. William Oliver, post master at Cincinnati in Taylor's admin- 
istration, then a young man, noted for his heroic bravery. He had previou.^ly been tent 
from the fort at a time when it was surrounded by Indians, through the wildernes.*, with 
instructions to General Clay. His return to the fort was extremely dangerous. Capt. Les- 
lie Coombs, now of Lexington, K.y., had been sent by Col. Dudley to communicate with Har- 
rison. He approached the fort, and when within about a mile, was attacked by the Indians 
and after a gallant resistaUfCe was foiled in his object and obliged to retreat with the loss of 
nearly all of his companions. Oliver managed to get into the fort through the cover of the 
darkness of the night, by which he eluded the vigilance of Tecumseh and his Indians, who 
were very watchful and had closely invested it. 



136 OHIO. 

ly succeeded in driving the British from their batteries, and spikin>j; the canno-<. 
Havini!; accomplished this object, his orders were peremptory to return immedi- 
ately to his boats and cross over to the fort: but the bhnd confidence whicli j^ener- 
ally attends militia when successful, proved their ruin. Although repeatedly or- 
dered by Col. Dudley, and warned of their danger, and called upon from the fort to 
leave the ground; and although there was abundant time for that jjurpose, before 
the British reinforcements arrived; yet they commenced a pursuit of the Indians, 
and suSered themselves to be drawn into an ambuscade by some feint skirmishing, 
while the British troops and large bodies of Indians were brought up, and inter- 
ce{)ted their return to the i-iver. Elated with their first success, they considered 
the victory already gained and pursued the enemy nearly two miles into the woods 
and swamps, where they were suddenly caught in a defile and surrounded by 
double their numbers. Finding themselves in this situation, consternation pre- 
vailed ; their line became broken and disordered, and huddled together in unre- 
sisting crowds, they were obliged to sui-render to the mercy of the savages. For- 
tunately for these unhappy victims of their own rashness. General Tecumseh com- 
manded at this ambuscade, and had imbibed since his appointment more humane 
feelings than his brother Proctor. After the surrender, and all resistance had 
ceased, the Indians, finding five hundred prisoners at their mercy, began the work 
of massacre with the most savage delight. Tecumseh sternly forbade it, and buried 
his tomahawk in the head of one of his chiefs who refused obedience. This order 
accompanied with this decisive manner of enforcing it, put an end to the massacre. 
Of eight hundred men only one hundred and fifty escaped. The residue were slain 
or made prisoners. Col. Dudley was severely wounded in the action, and after- 
ward tomahawked and scalped." 



*This defeat was occasioned by the impetuous valor of bis men. In one of the general 
orders after the 5th of May, Harrison takes occasion to warn his men against that rash 
bravery which he says " is characteristic of the Kentucky troo]}s, and if persisted in is as fatal 
in its results as cowardice." 

After Dudley had spiked the batteries, which had but few defenders, some of his men 
loitered about the banks and filled the air with cheers. Harrison, and a group of officers, 
who were anxiously watching them from the grand batterj', with a presentiment of the hor- 
rible fate that awaited them, earnestly beckoned them to return. Supposing they were re- 
turning their cheers, they reiterated their shouts of triumph. Harrison seeing this, ex- 
claimed in tones of anguish, " they are lost ! they are lost! — can I never get men lO obey my 
orders? " He then ofl'ered a reward of a thousand dollars to any man who would cross the 
river and apprise Col. Dudley of his danger. This was undertaken by an officer, but he 
was too late. 

Hon. Joseph R. Underwood, then a lieutenant, has given some e.vtremely interesting de- 
tails of the horrible scenes which ensued ; says he: 

"On our approach to me oid garrison, the Indians formed a line to the loft of the road, 
there being a perpendicular bank to the right, on the margin of which the road passed. I 
perceived that the prisoners were running the gauntlet, and that the Indians were whipping, 
shooting and tomahawking the men as they ran by their line. When I reached the start- 
ing place, I dashed off as fast as I was able, and ran near the muzzles of their guns, know- 
ing that they would have to shoot me while I was immediately in front, or let me pass, for 
to have turned their guns up or down their lines to shoot me, would have endangered them- 
selves, as there was a curve in their line. In this way I passed without injury, except some 
strokes over the shoulders with their gun-sticks. As I entered the ditch around the garri- 
son, the man before me was shot and fell, and I fell over him. The passage for a while 
was stopped by those who fell over the dead man and myself. How many lives were lost 
at this place I can not tell — probably between 20 and 40. The brave Captain Lewis was 
among the number. When we got within the walls, we were ordered to sit down. I lay 
in the lap of Mr. Gilpin, a soldier of Captain Henry's company, from Woodford. A new 
scene commenced. An Indian, painted black, mounted the dilapidated wall, and shot one 
of the prisoners next to him. He reloaded and shot a second, the ball passing through him 
into the liip of another, who afterward died, I was informed, at Cleveland, of the wound. 
The savage then laid down his gun and drew his tomahawk, with which he killed two 
others. When he drew his tomahawk and jumped down among the men, they endeavored 
to escape from him by leaping over the heads of each other, and thereby to place others 
between themselves and danger. Thus they were heaped upon one another, and as I did 
not rise, they trampled upon me so that I could see nothing that was going on. The con- 
fusion and uproar of this moment can not be adequately described. There was an excite- 



OHIO. 137 

Proctor seeinpt no prospect of taking the fort, and finding liis Indians fast leav- 
ing him, raised the siege on the 9th of May, and returned with precipitation to 
Maiden. Tecumseh and a considcraLIe portion of the Indians remained in ser- 
vice; but large numhers left in disgust, and were ready to join the Americans. 
On the lefi bank, in the several sorties of the 5th of May, and during t!ie sioue, 
the American loss was eightv-one killed and one liundred and eighty-nine wounded. 

The British force under Proctor, durinir the siege, amounted, as nearly as could 
be ascertained, to 3, '200 men, of whom 600 Avere British regulars, 800 Canadian 
militia, and 1,800 Indians. Those under Harrison, including the troops who a)Tivcd 
on the morning of the 5th, under Gen. Clay, were about 1,200. The number of 
his men fit for duty, was, perhaps, less than 1,100."" 

On the 20th of July, the enemy, to the number of 5,000, again appeared 
before Fort Meigs, and conmienced a second siege. The garrison was, at 
the time, under the command of Gen. Green Clay, of Kentucky. Finding 
the fort too strong, they remained but a few days. 



Sandusky City, port of entry, and capital of Erie county, is situated an 
the southern shore of Sandusky Bay, 3 miles from Lake Erie, 105 miles N. 
from Columbus, 47 E. from Toledo, 210 N.N.E. from Cincinnati, and 60 
from Cleveland and Detroit. It is also on the northern division of the Cleve- 
land and Toledo Railroad, and is the terminus of the Sandusky, Mansfield 
and Newark, and Sandusky, Dayton and Cincinnati Eailroads. The bay 
is about 20 miles long and 5 or 6 wide, forming an excellent harbor, into 
which vessels of all sizes can enter with safety in storms. The ground on 
which the city stands, rises gently from the shore, commanding a fine view 
of the bay with its shippir-g. The town is based upon an inexhaustible 
quarry of fine limestone, whi'ch is not only used in building elegant and sub- 

mcnt among thu Imlians, and a ficrconess in their conversation, which betokened on the 
part of some a .stronf; disposition to mas.saere the whole of us. The British officers and 
soldiers ."eotned to interpose to prevent the further effusion of blood. Their expression was 
" Oh,'vichfe, u-ah!" meaning, "oh! brother, quit!" After the Indian who had occasioned 
this horrible scene, had scalped and stripjied his victims, he left us, and a compnrativo calm 
ensued. The prisoners resumed their seats on the ground. 'While thus situated, a tall, 
stout Indian walked into the midst of us, drew a long butcher knife from his belt and com- 
menced whetting it. As he did so, ho looked around among the prisoners, apparently se- 
lecting one for the gratification of his vengeance. I viewed his conduct, and thought it 
probable that he was to give the signal for a general massacre. But after exciting our fears 
sufficiently for his satisfaction, he gave a' contemptuous grunt and went out from among us. 

When it was near r.ight, we were taken in open boats about nine miles down the river, 
to the British shipping. On the day after, we were visited by the Indians, in their bark 
canoes, in order to make a dis^day of their scalps. These they strung on a pole, perhaps 
two inches in diameter, and about eight feet high. The pole was set up perpendicularly in 
the bow of their canoes, and near the top the scalps were fastened. On some poles I saw 
four or five. Each scalp was drawn clci^cly over a hoop about four inches in diameter ; and 
the flesh sides, I thought, were painted red. Thus their canoes vrere decorated with a flag- 
staff of a most approjDriate character, bearing human scalps, the horrid ensigns of savago 
warfare." 

®" During the siege," says an eye witness, "one of our militia men took his station on 
the embankment, and gratuitously forewarned us of every shot. In this he became so 
slvillful that he could, in almost every case, predict the destination of the ball. As soon as 
the smoke issued from the muzzle of the gun, he would cry out, "shot," or " lomb," as the 
case might be. Sometimes he would exclaim. " block-house No. I," or " look-out main bat- 
tery ; " "now for the ineat-houne ; " " ijood-b;/, if you will pass." In spite of all the expostu- 
lations of his friends, he maintained his post. One day there came a shot that seemed to 
defy all his calculations. He stood silent — motionless — perplexed. In the same instant he 
was swept into etcrniti/. Poor man I he should have considered, that when there is no ob- 
liquity in the issue of the smoke, either to the right or left, above or below, the fatal mes- 
senger would travel in the direct line of his vision. He reminded me of the peasant, in 
the siege of Jerusalem, who cried out, " woe to the city I looe to the temple I xooe to myself 1 " 



138 



OHIO. 



stantial edifices in the place, but is an extensive article of export. It has a 
large trade, and its manufactures, cliiefly of heavy machinery, are important. 
Population, about 12,000. 




^^^ Z . ERIE 



Korth-casferii view of ruhlic Square, Sandituhj. 

The \iew slinws, first, bpjriiiniiig at the left, tlie Episcopal Clinrch, then successively the Dutch Reformed 
Church, the Court House, Cathulic Church, the High School, Coiigregatioiuil Church, Methodist, Baptist, 
aud the Presbyterian Churches. 

The French established a small tradini;; post at the mouth of Huron Eiver, and 
anotlu^r on the shore of the hay on or near the site of Sandusky City, which were 
abandoned before the war of the revolution. Tiie small map annexed is copied 
from part of Evans' map of the Middle British Colonies, published in 1755. The 

rt;ader will perceive upon the east ])ank 
of Sandusky Kiver, near the bay, a French 
fort there described as " Fort Jiincaidat, 
huilt ill 1754." The words Wandots are, 
doubtless, meant for Wyandot towns. 

Erie, Huron, and a small part of Otta- 
wa counties comprise that portion of the 
Western Reserve* known as " the fire 
hinds," beino; a tract of about 500,000 
acres, granted by the state of Connecticut 
to the sufferers by fire from the British in 
their incursions into that state. 

It is quite difficult to ascertain who the first 
settlers were upon the fire lands. As early, 
if not prior to the organization of the state, 
several persons had squatted upon the lands, 
at the mouth of the streams and near the 
shore of the lake, led a hunter's life and 
tratlicked with the Indians. But they were a 
race of wanderers and gradually disappeared 
before tlie regular progress of the settlements. 
Those devoted missionaries, the Moravians, made a settlement, which they called New 




■» The Western, or Connecticut Reserve, comprises the following counties in northern Ohio, 
viz: Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Eric, Huron, Medina, Summit, Portage, Trum- 
bull, and the northern part of Mahoning. 



OHIO. 



139 



Salem, as early as 1790, on Huron River, about two miles below Milan, on the Hathaway 
farm. They afterward settled at Mihin. 

The first regular settlers upon the fire lands were Col. Jerard Ward, who came in the 
spring of 180^, and Almon Ruggles and Jabez Wright, in the autumn succeeding. Ere the 
close of the next year, quite a number of families had settled in the townships of Huron, 
Florence, Berlin, Oxford, Margaretta, Portland and Vermillion. These early settlers gen- 
erally erected the ordinary log cabin, but others of a wandering character built bark huts, 
which were made by driving a post at each of the four corners, and one higher between 
each of the two end corners, in the middle to support the roof, which were connected to- 
gether by a ridge pole. Layers of bark were wound around the side of the posts, each up- 
per layer lapping the one beneath to shed rain. The roof was barked over, strips being 
bent across from one eave over the ridge pole to the other, and secured by poles on them. 
The occupants of these bark huts were squatters, and lived principally by hunting. They 
were the semi-oivilized race that usually precedes the more substantial pioneer in the west- 
ern wilderness. 

Fremont, formerly Lower Sandusky, on the west bank of Sandusky Hiver, 
is the county seat of Sandusky county, 30 miles easterly from Toledo, by the 
Cleveland and Toledo Railroad. Population about 4,000. 

The defense of Fort Stephenson, At this point, Aug. 2, 1813, just after 
the siege of Fort Meigs, was a memorable event in the war of 1812. 

This post had been established by Gen. Harrison, on Sandusky River, eighteen 
miles from its mouth, and forty east of Fort Meigs. It was garrisoned by one 

hundred and fifty men, under Major 
George Croghan, a young Kentuckian, 
just past twenty-one years of age. This 
fort being indefensible against heavy 
cannon, which it was supposed would 
be brought against it by Proctor, it was 
judged best by Harrison and his officers 
in council, that it should be abandoned. 
But the enemy appeared before the gar- 
rison on the 3 1st of July, before the or- 
der could be executed; they numbered 
thirty-three hundred strong, including 
the Indians, and brought with them six 
pieces of artillery, which, luckily, were 
of light caliber. To Proctor's summary 
demand for its surrender, he Avas informed that he could only gain access over the 
corpses of its defenders. The enemy soon opening their fire upon them, gave 
Croghan reason to judge that they intended to storm the north-west angle of the 
fort. In the darkness of night, he placed his only piece of artillery, a six pounder, 
at that point, and loaded it to the muzzle with slugs. On the evening of the 2d, 
three hundred British veterans marched up to carry the works by storm, and 
when within thirty feet of the masked battery it opened upon them.f The effect 
was decisive, twenty-seven of their number was slain, the assailants recoiled, and 
having the fear of Harrison before them, who was at Fort Seneca, some ten miles 
south, with a considerable force, they hastily reti'eated the same night, leaving be- 
hind them their artillery and stores. 

Ujyper SandnsJx't/, the county seat of Wyandot county, is a village of about 




Fort Sandi'sky.* 



^'^ References to the Fort. — Line! — Pickets. Liue 2 — Embankment from the ditch to and 
against the picket. Line 3 — Dry ditch, nine feet wide by six deep. Line 4 — Outward em- 
bankment or glacis. A — Block-house first attacked by cannon, h. B — Bastion from which 
the ditch was raked by Croghan's artillery. C — Guard block-house, in the lower left cor- 
ner. D — Hospital during the attack. E E E — Military store-houses. F — Commissai-y's 
Btore-house. G — Magazine. H — Fort gate. K K K — Wicker gates. L — Partition gate. 

fCol. Short, who commanded this party, was ordering his men to leap the ditch, cut down 
the pickets, and give the Americans no quarters, when he fell mortally wounded into the 
ditch, hoisted his white handkerchief on the end of his sword, and begged for that mercy 
which he had a moment before ordered to be denied to his enemy. 



140 OHIO. 

1,500 intabitauts, G3 miles N. of Columbus, on the W. ban^ of the Sandus- 
ky, and on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. It was for- 
merly the chief town of the Wyandot Indians, who coded their land to the 
United States in 1813. 

About three miles north of the town is the battle ground, Avhere Col. Crawford 
Avas defeated by the Indians, in 1782. After the massacre of the Moravian Indi- 
ans on the Tuscarawas, the remainder settled in this vicinity among the hostile In- 
dians. A second expedition was projected on the upper Ohio, to mvade the Wy- 
andot country, finish the destruction of the Christian Indians, and then destroy 
the Wyandot towns in the vicinity. Four hundred and eighty men assembled at 
the old ]Mingo towns, near the site of yteubenville, and elected Col. Wm. Craw- 
ford, a resident of Brownsville, as their commander. This officer was a native of 
Virginia, and an intimate friend of Washington. At this time he was about 50 
years of age. 

It was determined to carry on a war of extermination — "?io qvarier was to 
be given to any man, tooman or child." On the 7th of June, while marching 
through the Sandusky plains, they Avere .attacked by the Indians, concealed in the 
high grass. The action continued until night closed in upon them. It was then 
determined to retreat. Unfortunately, instead of doing so all in a body, one part 
broke up into small parties, and these being pursued by detachments of Indians, 
mostly fell into the hands of the enemy. Some were "killed and scalped at the 
time, while others were reserved for torture. Among the latter was Col. Crawford, 
who perished at the stake.*' 



* The account of the burninq: of Crawford is thus given by Dr. Knight, his companion, 
who subsequently escaped. When we went to the fire, the colonel was stripped naked, or- 
dered to sit down by the fire, and then they beat hiin with sticks and their fists. Presently 
after, I was treated in the same manner. They then tied a rope to the foot of a post about 
fifteen feet high, bound the colonel's hands behind his back and fastened the rope to the 
ligature between his wrists. The rope was long enough for him to sit d^own or walk round 
the post once or twice, and return the same way. The colonel then called to Girtj', and 
asked him if they intended to burn him ? Girty answered, yes. The colonel said he would 
take it all patiently. Upon this. Captain Pipe, a Delaware chief, made a speech to the In- 
dians, viz: about thirty or forty men, and sixty or seventy squaws and boys. When the 
speech was finished, they all yelled a hideous and hearty assent to what had been said. The 
Indian men took up their guns and shot powder into the colonel's body, from his feet as far 
up as his neck. I think that not less than seventy loads were discharged upon his naked 
body. They then crowded about him, and to the laest of my observation, cut off his ears; 
when the throng had dispersed a little, I saw the blood running from both sides of his head 
in consequence thereof. 

The fire was about si.^ or seven yards from the post to which the colonel was tied ; it was 
made of small hickory poles, burnt quite through in the middle, each end of the poles re- 
maining about six feet in length. Three or four Indians, by turns, would take up, indi- 
vidually, one of these burning pieces of wood, and apply it to his naked body, already 
burnt black with powder. These tormentors presented themselves on every side of him 
with the burning fagots and poles. Some of the squaws took broad boards, upon which 
they would carry a quantity of burning coals and hot embers, and throw on him, so that in 
a short time, he had nothing but coals of fire and hot ashes to walk upon. In the midst of 
these extreme tortures, he called to Simon Girty, and begged of him to shoot him ; but 
(iirty making no answer, he called to him again. Girty then, by way of derision, told the 
colonel that he had no gun, at the same time turning about to an Indian who was behind 
him, laughed heartily, and by all his gestures, seemed delighted with the horrid scene. 
Girty then came up to me and bade me prepare for death. He said, however, I was not to 
die at that place, but to be burnt at the Shawnese towns. He swore by G — d I need not 
exjieet to escape death, but should suffer it in all its extremities. 

Col. Crawford, at this period of his sufferings, besought the Almighty to have mercj' on 
his soul, spoke very low, and bore his torments with the most manly fortitude. He con- 
tinued in all the extremities of pain for an hour and three quarters or two hours longer, as 
near as I can judge, when at last, being almost exhausted, lie lay down on his belly ; they 
then scalped him, and repeatedly threw the scalp in my face, telling me, " that was my great 
captain." An old squaw (whose appearance every waj' answered the ideas people entertain 
of the devil) got a board, took a parcel of coals and ashes and laid them on his back and 
bead, after he had been scalped; he then raised himself upon his feet and began to walk 



OHIO. 



141 



Neartlie town of Upper Sandusky stands the old Wyandot Mission Church, 
iuilt about the year 1824, from government funds, by Rev. James B. Fin- 
ley. The Methodists here sustained the mission among the Indians for many 
years. In 1816, John Stewart, a mulatto, a Methodist, came here, and gain- 
ing much influence over the na- 
tives, paved the way for a regular 
mission, which was soon after 
formed by Mr. Finley, who es- 
tablished both a church and a 
school. This was the first Indian 
mission formed by the Methodists 
in the Mississippi Valley. Mr. 
Finley was very happy in his 
efforts, and in his interesting his- 
tory of the mission, gives the fol- 
lowing touching anecdote of the 
chief Summundewat, one of his 
converts, who Avas subsequently 
murdered by some vagabond 
whites in Hancock county, while 
extending to them hospitalities : 

" Sum-mun-de-wat amused me after 
he came home by relating a circumstance that transpired one cold evening, just before 
sun-down. ' I met,' said he, • on a small path, not far from mj- camp, a man who ask me 
if I could talk English.' I said. • Little.' He ask me, ' How far is it to a house? ' I an- 
s\ver, ' I don't know — may be I'l miles — may be 8 miles.' ' Is there a path leading to it?' 
* No — by and by dis go out (pointing to the path they were on), den all woods. You go 
home me — sleep — me go show you to-morrow.' Then he come my camp — so take liorse 
— tie — give him some corn and brush — then my wife give him supper. He ask where I 
come. I say, 'Sandusky.' He say,' You know Finley? ' ' Yes,' I say, ' he is my brother 
— my father.' Then he say, ' He is my brother.' Then 1 feel something in my heart burn. 
I say, ' You preacher? ' He say, ' Yes; ' and I shook hands and say, ' My brother! ' Then 
we try talk. Then I say, ' You sing and pray.' So he did Then he say to me, ' Sing 
^and pray.' So I did; and I so much cry I can't pray. No go to sleep — I can't — I wake — 
my heart full. All night I pray and praise God, for his send me preacher to sleep my 
camp. Next morning soon come, and he want to go. Then I go show him through the 
woods, until come to big road. Then he took my hand and say, 'Farewell, brother; by 
and by we meet up in heaven.' Then me cry, and my brother cry. We part — I go hunt. 
All day I cry, and no see deer jump up and run away. Then I go and pray by some log. 
My heart so full of joy, that I can not walk much. I say, ' I can not hunt.' Sometimes 
I sing — then I stop and clap my hands, and look up to God, my heavenly Father. Then 
the love come so fast in my heart, I can hardly stand. So I went home, and said, ' This 
is my happiest day.' " 




WVANDOT IMlSSIOX ClIlRCII. 



Dayton, a city, and capital of Montgomery county, is situated on the E. 
bank of the Great Miami, at the mouth of 3Iad River, 60 miles from 
Cincinnati, 67 from Columbus, and 110 from Indianapolis. This is the 

round the post ; they next put a burning stick to him, as usual, but he seerced more insen- 
sible of pain than before. 

The Indian fellow who had me in charge, now took me away to Captain Pipe's house, 
about three quarters of a mile from the place of the colonel's execution. I was bound all 
night, and thus prevented from seeing the last of the horrid spectacle. Next morning, 
being June 12th, the Indian untied me ; painted me black, and we set off for the Shawnee 
town, which he told me was somewhat less than forty miles distant from that place. Wo 
soon came to the spot where the colonel had been burnt, as it was partly in our way ; I saw 
his bones lying among the remains of the fire, almost burnt to ashes; I suppose, after he 
was dead, they laid his body on the fire. The Indian told me that was my big captain, and 
gave the scalp halloo. 



142 



OHIO. 



tliird city in Ohio, in population and wealth, and has extensive manufac- 
tuTcs and respectable commerce. Its manufactures consist principally of 
r;iilro;id equipments, iron ware, paper, cotton, and woolen fabrics, etc. 
The city is laid out with streets 100 feet wide, crossing each other at right 





North-eastern vieic of the Covrt House, I)a;/ton. 

Erected at an expense of about SKiO,OnO, and 127 feet in length by 02 in bi'eadtli. The stylo of architecr 
tnre is that of the I'artlieuon, with some sliglit variations. 

angles. The public buildings are excellent, and much taste is displayed in 
tie construction of private residences, many of which are ornnniented by 
fine gardens and shrubbery. The abundant water power which Dayton pos- 
sesses is one of the elements of its prosperity. In 1845, a hydraulic canal 
was made, by which the water of jMad River is brought through the city. 
Numerous macadamized roads diverge from the town, and radiate in all di- 
rections ; several railroads terminate at Dayton, and by this means communi- 
cation is had with every point in the Union. The Southern Ohio Lunatic 
Asylum is established here. There are 27 churches, in 7 of which the Gor- 
man language is used. Population in 1860, 20,132. 

The first families who made a permanent residence in the place, arrived on 
the 1st day of April, 1796. The first ID settlers of Dayton, were Wm. Ga- 
hagan, Samuel Thompson, Benj. Van Cleve, Wm. Van Cleve, Solomon Goss, 
Thomas Davis, John Davis, James M"Clure, John M'Clure, Daniel Ferrell, 
"William Ilanier, Solomon Hamer, Thomas Hamer, Abraham Glassniirc, John 
Dorough, Wm. Chenoweth, Jas. Morris, Wm. Newcom and George Newcom. 

In 1803, on the organization of the state government, Montgomery county 
was established. Dayton was made the seat of justice, at which time only 
five families resided in the town, the other settlers having gone on to farms 
in the vicinity, or removed to other parts of the country. The increase of 
the town was gradual, until the war of 1812, which made a thoroughfare for 
the troops and stores on their way to the frontier. 

SpriiK/Jield, a beautiful city and capital of Clarke county, is situated on 
the National Road, on Mad River, 43 miles W. from Columbus, and 84 N. 
from Cincinnati. It has great water power, well improved by a variety ol' 
mills and manufacturing establishments. It is surrounded by a rich ar 
populous country. Several macadamized roads terminate here, and railroa^i.s 



OHIO. 



143 



connect it with the principal towns in the state. Witteniberg College, un- 
der the patronage of the Lutheran Church, chartered in 1845, is a short dis- 
tance without the town, and is surrounded with spacious grounds. Popula- 
tion, 8,000. 

Springfield was laid out in 1803, by James Demint. The old Indian town, 
Piqua, the ancient Piqua of the Shawnees, and the birth-place of Tecumseh, 
the celebrated Indian warrior, was situated on the N. side of Mad River, 
about five miles W. from Springfield. 

Xejiia, tbe county seat of Green, is a well built town on the Little IMiam: 
Railroad, G4 miles north of Cincinnati, in a rich country. The town was 
laid off in 1803, by Joseph C. Vance. The name, Xenia, is said to be an 
old French word, signifying a New Year's gift. Wilberforce University is 
three and a half miles north-east of Xenia, an institution under the care of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church North, for the special purpose of educating 
colored youth of both sexes. Population about 5,000. 

About three miles north, on the Little Miami, is the site of the Shawnee 
town, Old Chillicothe. It was a place of note in the early history of the 
country, and a point to which Daniel Boone, with 27 other Kenjfuckians, 
were brought prisoners in 1778. 

Antlocli College is at Yellow Springs, 9 miles north of Xenia. It is an 
institution of considerable celebrity, the one over which the late Horace 
Mann presided, with so much reputation to himself and benefit to his pupils. 




First Court House in Greene couniij. 

The ena;ravin!i is a correct representation of the first court house in Greene. It 
was erected five and a half miles north of the site of Xenia, near the Dayton road. 
It was built by Gen. Benj. Whitcman, as a residence for Peter Borders. 

The first court for the trial of causes was held in it, in August, 1S03, Francis 
Dnnlavy, presiding judge. A grand jury of inquest were sworn " for the body of 
Greene county." After receiving the charge, "they retired out of court" — a cir- 
cumstance not to be wondered at, as there was but one room in the house. Their 
place of retirement, or jury room, was a little squat shaped pole hut, shown on the 
right of the view. But it appears there was nothing for them to do. 

"But they were not permitted to remain idle long: the spectators in attendance 
promptly took the matter into consideration. They, doubtless, thought it a great 



144 owio. 

pit}- to have a learned court and nothin;;; for it to do; so they set to and cut out 
employment for their honors by en^agin;!; in divers hard fights at fisticufTs, right 
on the ground. ISo it seems our pioneers fought for the benefit of the court. At 
all events, while their honors were waiting to settle differences according to law, 
they were making up issues and settling them by trial " hij combat^' — a process by 
which they avoided the much complained of " laws' delay," and incurred no other 
damages than black eyes and bloody noses, which were regarded as mere trifles, 
of course. Among the incidents of the day, characteristic of the times, was this: 

A Mr. , of Warren county, was in attendance. Owen Davis, the owner of a 

mill near by, and a brave Indian fighter, as well as a kind-hearted, obliging man, 
charged this Warren county man with speculatiny in pork, alias stealing his 
neighbor's hogs. The insult was resented — a combat took place forthwith, in which 
Davis pi'oved victorious. He then went into court, and planting himself in front 
of the judges, he observed, addressing himself particularly to one of them, ' TFeZZ, 

Ben, I've tohipped that hog thief- — what's the damage — what's to pay? and, 

thereupon, suiting the action to the word, he drew out his buckskin purse, contain- 
ing 8 or 10 dollars, and slammed it down on the table — then shaking his fist at the 

judge whom he addressed, he continued, ' Yes, Ben, and if you'd steal a hog, 

ynv, r cl tchip yoii too.' lie had, doubtless, come to the conclusion, that, as there 
was a court, the luxury of fighting could not be indulged in gratis, and he was for 
paj'ing up as he went. Seventeen witnesses were sworn and sent before the grand 
jury, and nine bills of indictment were found the same dny — all for affrays and 
a.^saults and batteries committed after the court was organized. To these indict- 
ments the parties all pleaded guilty, and were fined — Davis among the rest, who 
was fined eight dollars for his share in the transactions of the day." 

Greenville, the capital of Darke county, on tlie Greenville and Miami 
Kailroad, is about 121 miles W. from Columbus. It contains some 1,500 
inhabitants. In 1793, Gen. Wayne built Fort Greenville on the site of the 
present town, and here the treaty of Greenville was concluded, between Gen. 
Wayne and the Indians. Gen. St. Clair, at the head of 1,400 men, was de- 
feated by the Indians in the north-west corner of Darke county, upward of 
20 miles from Greenville, Nov. 4, 1791. The great object of St. Clair's 
campaign was to establish a line of military posts between Fort Washington 
(Cincinnati), and the junction of St. i^Iary and St. Joseph Rivers, now Fort 
Wayne. The description of the battle is fi'om Monette's history: 

On the 3d of November, the army encamped in a wooded plain, among the 
sources of a Wabash tributary, iipon the banks of several small creeks, about fifty 
miles south of the Miami towns. The winter had already commenced, and the 
ground was covered with snow three inches deep. 

Next morning, Nov. 4th, just before sunrise, and immediately after the troops 
had been dismissed from parade, the Indians made a furious attack upon the mili- 
tia, whose camp was about a quarter of a mile in advance of the main camp of 
the regular troops. The militia immediately gave way, and fled with great pre- 
cipitation and disorder, with the Indians in close pursuit; and, rushing through the 
camp, they threw the battalions of IMajors Butler and Clark into confusion. The 
utmost exertions of those oflicers failed to restore complete order. The Indians, 
pressing close upon the militia, immediately engaged Butler's command with great 
intrepidity and fury. The attack soon became general both in the front and second 
lines, but the weight of the enemy's fire was directed against the center of each 
line, wliere the artillery was stationed. Such was the intensity of the enemy's fire, 
that the men were repeatedly driven from their guns with great loss. Confusion 
was spreading among the troops, from the great numbers who were constantly fall- 
ing, while no impres.^-.ion wns made by their fire upon the enemy. "At length re- 
sort Wivs had to the bayonet. — Col. Darke was ordered to charge with part of the 
second line, and endeavor to turn the left flank of the enemy. This order was ex- 
ecuted with great spirit. The Indians instantly gave way, and were driven back 
three or four hundred yards; but, for want of a sufficient number of riflemen to 
pursue this advantage, they soon rallied, and the troops were obliged in turn to 



OHIO. 



145 



Hill back. At this moment, the Indians had entered our camp by the left flank, 
having driven back the troops that were posted there. Another charge was made 
here by the second regiment, F^utler's and Clark's battalions, with equal effect, and 
it was repeated several times, and always with success; but in each charge several 
men were lost, and particularly the oiEcers; which, with raw troops, was a loss 

altogether irremedia- 
ble." In the last cliarge 
Major Butler was dan- 
gerously wounded, and 
every officer of the 
second regiment fell 
except three. The ar- 
tillery being now si- 
lenced, and all the of- 
ficera killed except 
Capt. Ford, who was 
severely wounded, and 
more than half the 
army having fallen, it 
became necessary to 
make a retreat, if pos- 
sible. This was im- 
mediately done, while 
Major Clark protected 
the rear witli his bat- 
talion. The retreat 
was precipitous : it was 
a perfect flight. Tho 
camp and artillery was 
abandoned; not a horse 
was alive to draw the 
cannon. The men, in 
their flight and conster- 
nation, threw away their arms and aecouterments after pursuit had ceased, and 
the road was strewed with them for more than four miles. The rout continued to 
Fort Jefl'er son, twenty-nine miles. The action began half an hour before suni-ise, 
the retreat commenced at half past nine o'clock, and the remnant of the army 
reached Fort .lefferson just after sunset. The savages continued the pursuit for 
four miles, when, fortunately, they returned to the scene of action for scalps and 
plunder. 

In this most disastrous battle, thirty-eight commissioned officers were killed on 
the field. Six hundred non-commissioned officers and privates were either killed 
or missing. Among the wounded were twenty-one commissioned officers, and two 
hundred and forty-two non-commissioned officers and privates. Many of the 
wounded died subsequently of their wounds. The Indian loss did not exceed sixty 
warriors killed. 

The grand error in this campaign was the impolicy of urging forward on a dan- 
gerous service, far into the Indian country, an army of raw troops, who were un- 
willing to enter upon the campaign, as was fully evinced by frequent desertions as 
they approached the hostile towns. The army was fatally reduced by the detach- 
ment sent to overtake the deserters from the Kentucky militia; and Gen. St. Clair 




Plan or St. Clair's Battle Field. 



* References. — A — High ground, on which the militia were encamped .it the commence- 
ment of the action. B C — Encampment of the main army. D — Retreat of the militia at 
the beginning of tho battle. E — St. Clair's trace, on which the defeated army retreated. 
F — Place where Gen. Butler and other officers were buried. G — Trail to Girty's Town, on 
the River St. Marys, at what is now the village of St. Marys. H — Site of Fort Recovery, 
built by Wayne ; the line of Darke and Mercer runs within a few rods of the site of the 
fort. I — Place where a brass cannon was found buried, in 1830 ; it is on the bottom where 
the Indians were three times driven to tho high land with the bayonet. 

10 



146 OHIO. 

himself was quite infirm, and often unable to attend to his duties as commander- 
in-chief. On the fatal day of his defeat, he was scarcely able to be mounted upon 
his horse, eitlier from physical intinnity or culpable intemperance.* 

The Indians eni;;af:;ed in this terrible battle comprised about nine hundred war- 
riors. Among them were about four hundred Sliawnese, commanded by Blue 
Jacket, and chiefly from the waters of the Wabash. The remainder were com- 
manded by Little Turtle, Buckongahelas, consisting of Delawares, Wyandots, Pota- 
watamies, and ^Vlingoes. Tiie Delawares alone numbered nearly four hundred war- 
riors, who fought with great fury. On the ground, during tlie battle, were seen 
several iU-itish officei-s in full uniform from Detroit, who had come to witness the 
strife which they had instigated. Simon Girty commanded a party of Wyandots. 

Among the camp-followers in this campaign were nearly two hundred and fifty 
women, of whom fifty-six were killed during the carnage; the remainder were 
chiefly captured the Indians. 

Wayne's troops subsequently built a fort, called Fort Recovery, on the site 
of the battle ground. In the summer of 1794, a second battle was fought 
under the walls of the fort, between 140 Americans, under Major McMahon, 
and a party of Indians, led on by British officers. McMahon and 22 others 
were killed, but the survivors gained the fort, which the enemy also attacked 
but were driven off with severe loss. 



Within Ohio, beside those already noticed are a large number of city- 
like towns, most of which are on the lines of railroads, are capitals of their 
respective counties, have numerous churches, literary institutions, manufac- 
tories, and varied branches of industry — some are lighted with gas, have 

•■'•St. Clair was an unfortunate officer in the Revolution, but still retained the confidence 
and friendship of Washington. In Rush's " Washington in Domestic Life," is an account 
of the intervioiv between Mr. Tobias Lear, his private secretary, and Washington, imme- 
diately after the reception by the latter of the news of St. Clair's defeat: 

" The general now walked backward and forward slowly for some minutes without speak- 
ing. Then he sat down on a sofa by the fire, telling Mr. Lear to sit down. To this moment 
there had been no change in his manner since his interruption at table. Mr. Lear now per- 
ceived emotion. This rising in him, he broke out suddenly, ' It's all over — St. Clair's de- 
feated — routed; the ofiiccrs nearlj' all killed, the men by wholesale; the rout complete — 
too shocking to think of — and a surprise in the bargain 1 ' 

lie uttered all this with great veliemence. Then he paused, got up from the sofa and 
walked about the room severaj times, agitated but saying nothing. Near the door he stopped 
short, and stood still a few seconds, when his wrath became terrible. 

' Yes,' he burst forth, ' hrre on this very spot, I took leave of him ; I wished him success 
and honor; you have your instructions, I said, from the secretary of war, I had a strict eye 
to them, and will add but one word — hcroare of a surprise. I repeat it, bew'ake op a sur- 
prise — you know how the Indians fight us. lie went off with that ns my last solemn warn* 
ing thrown into his ears. And yet! to suffer that army to be cut to pieces, hack'd, butch- 
ered, tomahaw'd by a surprise — the very thing I guarded him against I 1 Oh, God, oh, God, 
he's worse than a murderer 1 how can he answer it to his country: — the blood of the slain is 
upon hiin — the curse of widows and orphans — the curse of Heaven?' 

This torrent came out in tones appalling. His very frame shook. It was awful, said 
Mr. Lear. More than once he threw his hands up as he hurled imprecations upon St. Clair. 
Mr. Lear remained sjieechless, awed into breathless silence. 

Washington sat down on the sofa once more, lie seemed conscious of his passion, and 
uncomi'ortable. He was silent. His warmth beginning to subside, be at length said in an 
altered voice : 'This must not go beyond this room.' Another pause followed — a longer 
one — when he said, in a tone quite low, 'General St. Clair shall have justice; I looked 
hastily through the dispatches, saw the whole disaster, but not all the particulars; I will 
receive him without displeasure ; I will hear him without prejudice ; he shall have full jus- 
tice.' 

He was now, said Mr. Lear, perfectly calm. Half an hour had gone by. The storm was 
over; and no sign of it was afterward seen in his conduct, or heard in his conversation. 
The result is known. The whole case was investigated by congress. St. Clair was excul- 
pated and regained the confidence Washington had in him when appointing him to that 
command. lie had put himself into the thickest of the fight and escaped unhurt, though 
so ill as to be carried on a litter, and unable to mount his horse without help." 



OHIO. 



147 



fire companies, and are, indeed, small cities. We mention the more promi- 
nent, givin<^- their popuhitions, according to the census of 1860. 

Mount Ff?-»o?i 6Y(y, Knox county. Population 4,147. Five miles east of 
it, is G-rambier, the seat of Kenyon College, founded in 1827, and named 
after Lord Kenyon, one of its principal benefactors. 

Mansfield C'dij^ Kichland county, a manufacturing town, a great railroad 
center, with 11 churches, 70 stores, six manufactories, and a population of 
4,540. Woo&te}\ Wayne county, has 60 stores, 10 churches, and in 1858, 
4,837 inhabitants. Canton^ Stark county, has 4,042 people. Massillon^ in 
the same county, has a population of 3,680. Youngstoion, in Mahoning 
county has 2,758 inhabitants. All of the above are in the northern section 
of the state, in the richest wheat counties of Ohio. 

Akron, Summit county,hadlOOstores of various kinds, and 7,000 inhab- 
itants. It is on the summit level of the Ohio canal, and has abundance of 
water power from the canal and Cuyahoga River, which is employed in a 
variety of manufactures. The manufacturing village of Cuyahoga Falls, is 
six miles north-east of Akron : the river falls there, in the space of two and 
a half miles, more than 200 feet. Western Reserve College is at Hudson, 
eight and a half miles northerly from the last. Norwallc, Huron county, 
has 2,867 inhabitants, ^(///-/a, Lorain county, has 1,615 inhabitants, Oberlin 
in the same county, 2.,0i2 inhabitants : the collegiate institute at Oberlin is 
a flourishing institution, numbering several hundred pupils of both sexes.* 
Warri'Ji., Trumbull county, lias 2,402 inhabitants. Ravenna, Portage county, 
has 36 stores, and a population of 1.797. Painesville, Lake county, has 
2,615 inhabitants. ^is/t^(6«/(f, in Ashtabula county, 1,427 inhabitants. The 
above are on the Western Reserve. 

Tiffin, Seneca county, is the seat of Heidelberg College, and a theological 
seminary of the German Reformed Church. It has 12 churches and 4,010 
inhabitants. Buci/rus, Crawford county, has 40 stores and 2,210 inhabitants. 
Delaware, Delaware county, has 14 churches and 3,895 inhabitants. It is 
the seat of the Ohio Wesleyan L^niversity and two female colleges. Belle- 
fontaine, Logan county, has 2,600 inhabitants. tSidnei/, Shelby county, has 
2,055 inhabitants. Urbana, Champaign county, the seat of Urbana Univer- 
sity and a female seminary, has a population of 3,429. I^iqua, Miami 
county, has 40 stores, numerous manufactories, mechanic shops, and 4,620 
inhabitants. Troi/, in the same county, has 2,640 inhabitants. Lima, in Allen 

* Many of the pupils at Oberlin, male and female, are of African origin, and mingle on 
terms of social equality with the others. This singularity is in accordance with the an- 
nexed published synopsis of the institution: 

1. To educate youths of both se.ves, so as to secure the development of a strong mind in 
a sound body, connected with a permanent, vigorous, progressivo piety — all to bo aided by a 
judicious system of manual labor. 

2. To beget and to confirm in the process of education the habit of self-denial, patient 
endurance, a chastened moral courage, and a devout consecration of the whole being to 
God, in seeking the best good of man. 

3. To establish universal liberty by the abolition of every form of sin. 

4. To avoid the debasing association of the heathen classics, and make the bible a text- 
book in all the departments of education. 

5. To raise up a church and ministers who shall be known and read of all men in deep 
sympathy with Christ, in holy living, and in eflBcient action against all which God forbids. 

6. To furnish a seminary, affording thorough instruction in all the branches of an edu- 
cation for both sexes, and in which colored persons, of both sexes, shall be freely admitted, 
and on the terms of equality and brotherhood. 



148 OKio- 

county, has 2079 inhabitants. All of the above are in the north-western 
quarter of the state, north of the national road and west of Columbus. 

Lebanon, Warren county, has 2,498 inhabitants. Eaton, Preble county, 
and Germantown, Montgomery county, have each about 1,500 inhabitants, 
as also have Wilmington, HUlshoro' and Greeyifield. Ripley, on the Ohio 
River in Brown county, has 2,715 inhabitants. The above are all in the 
south-western quarter of Ohio. 

Lancaster, Fairfield county, has 4,320 inhabitants. Logan, Hocking 
county, M' ConnelhviUe, in Morgan, Wellsville, in Columbiana, I^^ew Lisbon, 
in Columbiana, and Cambridge, in Guernsey county, have each about 1500 
inhabitants. Fomeroij, on the Ohio Kiver, in Meigs county, is in the midst 
of the great coal producing region of the state, to which it owes its impor- 
tance ; its population is 6,480. L-onton, on the Ohio lliver, in Lawrence 
county has 3,700 inhabitants. This town was laid out in 1849, by the Ohio 
Iron and Cpal Company, and derives its importance from the iron business, 
the principal furnaces of the Ohio iron district being in its vicinity. All of 
the above, excepting Wellsville and New Lisbon, are in the south-eastern 
quarter of Ohio. 

Beside the above, Otiio contains many villages ranging from 1,000 to 
2,000 inhabitants. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC. 

Tectimseh, the renowned warrior and chieftain of the Shawnees, was born 
about the year 1768, at the Indian town of Piqua, situated on the north side 

_ • _ __ - ^ . ^ of Mad River, some five miles 

^-^:i'^^i:^:^^^ ^js^ ^---, ^-^:= ~z.z= =^^ ^E^ ^ •^vest of the site of Springfield, 

' " ~ X}^^ f^^^rT^^^?^^^^^ horror, and by his eloquence 

Site of Piqua. persuaded them never to be 

An Indian village and the birth-place of Tecumsch. gyiUy of a like act again. In 

1795, he became a chief, and soon rose to distinction among his people. 

In 1805, Tecumseh and his brother Laulewasikaw, the prophet, established 
themselves at Creenville and gained a great influence over the Indians, through 
the pretended sorcery of the latter. Shortly after the great project of Tecumseh 
was formed of a confederacy of all the western tribes against the whites. In this 
he was backed, it is supposed, by the insiduous influence of British agents, who 
presented the Indians with ammunition, in anticipation, perhaps, of hostilities be- 
tween the two countries, in which event the union of all the tribes against the 
Americans was desirable. 

The battle of Tippecanoe, fought Nov. 7, ISll, with the brother of Tecumseh, in 
which the prophet was defeated, for a time annihilated the hopes of the brothers. 
Tecumseh Avaa not iu this battle. In the war which soon after ensued with Eng- 
land, Tecumseh was the ally of King George, and held the r.ank of brigadier- 
general, having, under his command, about 2,000 Indians. He was present at 
several engagements, and was eventually killed in the battle of Moravian towns, 
in Canada, near Detroit, Oct. 5, 1813. 

" Thus fell the Indian warrior Tecumseh, in the 44th year of his as;e. He was five feet 
ten inches high, and with more than usual stoutness, possessed all the agility and perse- 



OHIO. 



149 



verance of the Indian character. His carriage was dij^nified, his eye penetrating, his 
countenance, whicli even in death, betrayed the indications of a lofty spirit, rather of the 
sterner cast. Had he not possessed a certain austerity of manners, he could never have 
controlled the wayward passions of those who followed him co battle. He was of a silent 
habit; but when his eloquence became roused into action by the reiterated encroachment 
of the Americans, his strong intellect could supply him with a flow of oratory that enabled 
him, as he governed in the held, so to prescribe in the council." 

" William Henry Harrison was boru in Charles county, Virginia, Feb. 9, 1773 ; 
was educated at Hampden Sidney College, and afterward studied medicine. He 

received, from Washington, a military com- 

y' •// j//i- mission in 1791, and fought under Wayne in 

/^Xy^. ^y^ //(^iyTyty^'^A^H^-^ 1792. After the battle of Maumee Rapids, he 

// was made captain, and placed in command of 

Fort Washington. In 1797, he was appointed 
Becretary of the North-west Territory; and in 1799 and 1800, he was a delegate to 
congress. Being appointed governor of Indiana, he was also superintendent of 
Indian affairs, and negotiated thirteen treaties. He gained a great victory in the 
battle of Ti]ipecanoe, Nov. 7, 1811. In the war with Great Britain, he was com- 
mander of the North-west army, and was distinguished in the defense of Fort 
Meigs, and the victory of the Thames. From 1816 to 1819, he was a representa- 
tive in congi-ess, from Ohio; and from 1825 to 1828, United States Senator. In 
1828, he was. minister to the Republic of Colombia; and on his return he resided 
upon his farm, at North Bend, Oliio. In 1840, he was elected president of the 
United States, by 23-1 votes out of 294, and inaugurated March 4, 1841. He died 
in the presidential mansion, April 4, 1841." 



In traveling throug]i tlie west, one often meets with scenes tliat remind 
him of another laud. The foreigner who makes his home upon American 

soil, does not at once assimilate 
in language, modes of life, and 
current of thought with those 
congenial to his adopted coun- 
try. The German emigrant is 
peculiar in this respect, and so 
much attached is he to his 
i'aiherland, that year's often 
elapse ere there is any percepti- 
ble change. The annexed en- 
it graving, from Howe's Ohio, il- 
- lustvates these remarks: ''It 
shows the mud cottage of a 
German Swiss emigrant, now 
standing in the neighborhood 
of others of like character, in 
the north-western part of Co- 
lumbiana county, Ohio. The 
frame work is of wood, with the interstices filled with light colored clay, and 
the whole surmounted by a ponderous shingled roof, of a picturesque form. 
Beside the tenement, hop vines are clustering around their slender support- 
ers, while hard by stands the abandoned log dwelling of the emigrant — de- 
serted for one more congenial with his early predilections." 

Return Jonathan i/isi^s ^ was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1740. He 




Swiss Emigrant's Cottage. 



* Lossing gives this pleasant anecdote of the origin of his name. Return. "A bright-eyed 
Connecticut girl was disposed to coquette with her lover, Jonathan Meigs ; and on one oc- 



150 OHIO. 

was a colonel in the army of the revofution, and saw much service. He was with 
Arnold at Quebec, was one of the first to mount the parapet at the storming of 
Stony Point, and received an e]e,<i;ant sword and a vote of thanks for a gallant ex- 
ploit at Sagg Harbor, where, with 70 of his "Leather Cap Battalion," composed of 
Connecticut men, he stormed a British post, and carried off nearly a hundred pris- 
oners. After the war he became a surveyor for the Ohio Land Company, and was 
one of the first settlers of Marietta. He drew up a system of laws for the first emi- 
grants, which were posted on a large oak near the mouth of the Muskingum. He 
was appointed a judge by Gen. St. Clair, and in 1801 Indian agent by Jefferson 
among the Cherokees, among whom he continued to reside until his death, in 1823, 
at the age of 83 years. The Indians loved and revered him as a father. His son, 
Return Jonathan Meigs, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, from 1808 to 
1810; was governor of the state from 1810 to 1814, and post-master-general of the 
United States from 1814 to 1823. He died at Marietta in 1825. 

Riifit^ Putnam, who has been styled "the Father of Ohio," was born at Sutton, 
Massachusetts, in 1738. He was distinguished in the war of the revolution, hold- 
ing the office of brigadier-general. From 1783 to 1787, he was busy organizing a 
company for emigrating to, and settling, the Ohio country. On the 7tli of April, 
1788, he landed witK the first pioneer party at the mouth of the Muskingum, and 
there founded Marietta, the first settlement in Ohio. He wiis appointed surveyor- 
general of the United States by Washington, in 179G, was a member of the con- 
vention which formed the first Constitution of Ohio, and died in 1824. 

Gen. Duncan McArthur, was born of Scotch parentage, in Dutchess county, N. 
Y., in 1782, and at tlie age of 18 entered the army, and was in several Indian cam- 
paigns. By force of talent he rose, in 1808, to the post of major general of the 
state militia. At Hiill's surrender he was second in command, but on his release 
as a prisoner of war, tlie democratic party, by an overwhelming majority, elected 
him to congress. On the resignation of Gen. Harrison, in 1814, he was in supreme 
commaml of the north-west ai-niy, ami projected an expedition into Canada, where, 
at or near ^Malcolm's ]\lill, he defeated a liody of Canadians. He w;ia a represent- 
ative in congress again from 1823 to 1825; in 1830, was chosen governor of the 
state, and died a few years later. He was a strong-minded, energetic man, and 
possessed a will of iron. 

Gen. Nathaniel Massie was born in Virginia, in 1763, and was bred a surveyor. 
In 1791, he made the first settlement within the Virginia Military District, the 
fourth in Ohio, and the only one between the Scioto and Little Miami, until after 
the treaty of (Jreenville in 1795. This was at Manchester, on the Ohio, opposite 
Maysville, Ky. His business, for years, was the surveying of lands in the military 
district His payments were liberal, as he received in many cases one half of the 
land for making the locations; yet the risk was immense, for, during the Indian 
hostilities, every creek that was explored and every line that was run, was done 
by stealth and at the risk of life from the lurking Indians, from whom he had sev- 
eral narrow escapes. 

After the defeat of the Indians by Wayne, the surveyors wore not interrupted 
by the Indians; but on one of their excursions, still remembered as " the starving 
tour" the whole party, consisting ■■; IIS -uen, suffered extremely in a driving snow 
storm for about four days. They Aol^ in a wilderness, exposed to this severe 
storm, without hut, tent, or covering, and what was still more appalling, without 
provision, and without any road or even track to retreat on, and were neai'ly 100 
miles from any place of shelter. On the third day of the storm, they luckily killed 

casion, when he had pressed his suit with great earnestness, and asked for a positive an- 
swer, she feigned coolness, and would give him no satisfaction. The lover resolved to be 
trifled with no longer, and bade her farewell, forever. She perceived her error, but he was 
allowed to go far down the lane before her pride would yield to the more tender emotions 
of her heart. Then she ran to the gate and cried, " Return, J^nathnn I Return, Jonathan I " 
lie did return, they were joined in wedlock, and in commemoration of these happy words 
of the sorrowing girl, they named their first child, Return Jonathan — afterward a hero in 
our war for independence, a noble western pioneer, and a devoteid frinnd of the Cherc2ieo3 " 



OHIO. 



151 




Geave of Simon Kentok. 



two wild turkeys, which were boiled and divided into 28 parts, and devoured with 
great avidity, heads, feet, entrails and all. 

In 1796, Massie laid the foundation of the settlement of the Scioto valley, by lay- 
ing out on his own land the now large and beautiful town of Chillieothe. The 
progress of the settlements brought large quantities of his land into market. 

Gen. Massie was a member of the convention which formed the first state consti- 
tution. In 1807, he was a competitor witii Return Jonathan Meigs for governor, 
they being the two most popular men in Ohio. Meigs was elected by a sliglit 
majority. Massie contested the election, Meigs having lost his residence by absence. 
The legislature decided in Massie's favor, whereupon he magnanimously resigned. 
In 1813, this noble pioneer was gathered to his fathers. 

Simon Kenton, a native of Culpepper county, Virginia, and one of the 

bravest and noblest of 
western pioneers, and the 
friend of Daniel Boone, 
resided in the latter part 
of his life, on the head 
waters of Mad River, 
about five miles north of 
Bellefontaine, in Logan 
county. His dwelling 
was tlie small log house 
shown on the extreme 
riglit of the annexed view. 
There he died, in 1836, 
at the advanced age of 
81 years. When 16 years 
of age, he had an affray 
with a young man who had married his lady love. Supposing, erroneously, 
that he had killed his rival, he fled to the wilderness of Kentucky. This 
was in the year 1771. From tliat time, during the whole of the revolution- 
ary war, down to the treaty of Greenville, in 1795, he was probably in more 
expeditions against the Indians, encountered greater peril, performed more 
heroic feats, and had more narrow escapes from death, than any man cf his 
time. 

In 1778, he was captured ]>y tlie Indians, compelled to run the gauntlet, and then 
condemned to be burnt at the stake. He was saved by the interposition of Simon 
Girty, a renegade white, who had known Kenton in Dunmore's campaign. Shortly 
after he was again sentenced to death, and a second time was saved by a Canadian 
Frenchman, who prevailed upon the Indians to send him to the British at Detroit. 
From thence ho finally escaped, and again engaged in Indian warfare. 

In 1782, hearing he had not killed his rival in love, he returned to Virginia, in 
order to remove his father's family to his new home in Kentuck}^ Notwithstand- 
ing the great services he ha'l rendered his country, on account of some defect in 
his land titles, he lost his property, and was imprisoned twelve months for debt, on 
the very spot whore he had built his cabin in 1775. In 1802, he settled in Urbana, 
Ohio, where he remained some years, and -was elected brigadier general of militia. 
He was in the war of 1812, under Harrison, at the battle of Moravian town, where 
he displayed his usual intrepidity. About the year 1820, he removed to the head 
of Mad River. At the time of his death the frosts of more than SO winters had 
fallen on his head without entirely whitening his locks. His b'iographer thus de- 
scribes his personal appearance and character : 

" General Kenton was of fair complexion, six feet one inch in bight. He stooil 
and walked very erect; and, in the prime of life, weighed about one hundred and 
ninety pounds. He never was inclined to be corpulent, although of sufficient full- 
ness to form a graceful person. He had a soft, tremulous voice, very pleasing to 



152 



OHIO. 



the hearer. lie had hxughing gray eyes, which seemed to fascinate the beholder. 
He Avas a pleasant, good-liumored and obliging companion. When excited, or pro- 
voked to anger (which was seldom the case), the iiery glance of his eye would al- 
most curdle the blood of those with whom he came iu contact. Ilis rage, when 
roused, was a tornado. In his dealing, he was perfectly honest; his confidence in 
man, and his credulity, were such, that the same man might cheat him twenty 
times; and if he professed friendship, he might cheat him still." 

Jacob Burnet was born in Newark, N. J., in 1770, educated at Princeton, and 
in 1796 admitted to the bar. He then emigrated to Cincinnati, and commenced 
the practice of his pi-ofession. Until the formation of the constitution of Ohio, in 
1802, he attended court regulai-ly at Cincinnati, Marietta and Detroit, the last of 
which was then the seat of justice for Wayne county. The jaunts between these 
remote places were attended with exposure, fatigue, and hazai-d, and were usually 
performed on horseback, in parties of two or more, through a wilderness country. 
At that period the whole white population between Pennsylvania and the Missis- 
sippi, the Ohio and the lakes, was only aljout 5,000 souls. Mr. Burnet at once rose 
to tlie front rank in his profession. He was appointed, in 1799, a member of the 
first territorial legislature of the North-West Territory; and the first code of laws 
were almost wholly framed by him. In 182J, he became one of the judges of the 
supreme court of Ohio; and in 1828, was elected to the national senate, as suc- 
cessor of Oen. Harrison. Nearly his entire life was passed in positions of honor 
and responsibility. On the recommendation of Lafayette, he was elected a mem- 
l)er of the Freneli Academy of Sciences. II is Notes upon the North-West Terri- 
torv are am<Mig tiie m(jsfc valuable contributions to the history of the west extant 
Judge Burnet died in 1853, aged S3 years. 



BRADY S LEAF. 

It was across the Cuyahoga River, in northern Ohio, near the site of Fraiiklhi Mills, 
and a few miles east ot the village of Cuvahoga Falls, that the noted Capt. Sum'l Brady 

made bis famous leap for Hie, about 
the year 1780, when jmisiied by a 
party of Iiidhuis. Brady was the 
-^ffl Daniel Boune of the north-east part 
of the valley of the Ohio, which is 
tts*^F - .* ^ ^'"'^ *'' traditions of his hardy adveu- 
.v-^gj).^^^*^ ^-'^ J T\,<J^"4 tares and hairbreadth escapes. Bra- 
3^-"4^/^''%^3^^ dy's Poiid is the spot where Brudy 
~''^-— ' coi:ct'aled liiinse'f after his leap, tlie 
circiuustuuces of which we quote be- 
low. It is a small, beautilul sheet of 
water, two and a half miles from the 
^illa,l:e,a little north of the Ravenna 
road : 

" Having in peaceable times often 
hunted over this ground with the In- 
dians, and knowing every turn of the 
Cuyahoga as familiarly as the villager 
knows the streets of his own hamlet, Brady directed his course to the river, at a spot where 
the whole stream is compressed, by the rocky cliffs, into a narrow channel of only 22 feet 
across the top of the chasm, although it is considerably wider beneath, near the water, and 
in highth more than twice that number of feet above the current. Through this pass the 
water ru.she.s like a race hor.se, chafing and roaring at the confinement of its current by the 
rocky channel, while, a short distance above, the steam is at least fifty yards wide. As he 
approached the chasm, Brady, knowing that life or death was in the effort, concentrated 
his mighty powers, and leaped the .stream at a single bound. It so happened, tluit on the 
opposite cVif^", the leap was favored by a low place, into which he dropped, and grasping the 
bushes, he thus heli)cd himself to asceud to the top of the cliff. The Indians, for a few- 
moments, were lost in wonder and admiration, and before they had recovered their recol- 
lection, he was lialf way up the side of the opjiosite liill, but still within reach of their 
rifles. They could easily have shot him at any moment before, but being bent on taking 
him alive for torture, and to glut their long delayed revenge, they forliore to use the riHe; 
but now seeing him likely to escape, thev all fired upon him: one bullet severely wounded 




BuAuv's roM> 



OHIO. 



153 



him ill the hip, but not so badly as to prevent his progress. The Indians having to make 
a considerable circuit before they could cross the stream, Brady advanced a good distance 
ahead. His limb was growing stiff from the wound, and as the Indians gained on him, he 
made for the pond which now bears his name, and plunging in, swam under water a con- 
siderable distance, and came up under the trunk of a large oak, which had fallen into the 
pond. This, although leaving only a small breathing place to supjxirt life, still com|ieteIv 
slieltered him from their sight. The Indians, tracing him by the blood to the water, made 
diligent search all round the pond, but finding no signs of his exit, finally came to the 
conclusion that he had sunk and was drowned. As they were at one time standing on the 
\ciy tree, beneath which he was concealed, Brady, understanding their language, was very 
glad to liear the result of their deliberations, and ai'ter they had gone, wearv, lame, and 
hungry, he made good his retreat to his own home. His followers also returned in safety. 
The chasm across which he leap.ed is in sight of tlie bridge where we crossed the Cuya- 
hoga, and is known in all that region by the name of ' Brady's Leap.' " 



In the center of the beautiful puhlie square in CleveUvnd stands the statue 
of Oliver Hazard Perry, the '' Heru of Lake Erie." It was inaugurated with 

great ceremony on the 10th 
. of September, 18G0, the an- 
niversary of his signal vic- 
tory. Among those pres- 
ent were the governor and 
legislature of Ehode I.^land, 
Perry's native state, soldiers 
of the last war, survivors 
of the battle of Lake Erie, 
military from Rhode Island, 
New Y(n-k, Pennsylvania, 
and about 70,000 visitors 
i'lom the surrounding coun- 
try. Among the ceremo- 
nies of the occasion was a 
moik battle on the lake in 
imitatiui) of th;it which ter- 
minated in the victory of 
I'erry. Hon. Geo. Bancroft 
was the orator or the day. 
The statue is of Carrara 
marble, standing upon a 
high pedestal of llhode 
Island granite. The figure 
can not be better described 
than in the words of Mr. 

Thk I'ekuy Stati'e, at Clevelami. -itt i . . . , i.- i. px i 

Walcutt, the artist, after he 
had unvailed tlie statue: "It is the Commander — bold and confident — giving 
directions to his men, while watching through the smoke of battle the effect 
of his broadsides on the enemy. Figuratively, it is the impersonation of 
the triumphant hero, gazing with pride and enthusiasm over the beautiful 
land he saved by his valor, and pointing to the lake as if reminding us of 
the scene of his victory." The drapery represents the official dress of a 
commodore in the United States navy. On the front of the pedestal is an 
alto-relievo, representing the incident of Perry's passage from the Lawrence 
to the Niagara, with an inscription i-ecording the date of the engagement. 
On either side of the pedestal is a figure, representing a sailor-boy and mid- 
shipman. 




154 OHIO- 

Arthur St. Clair, the first governor of the Xorth--\vest Territory, was a native 
of Scothmd. He was a lieutenant under Wolfe, and a major fjeneral in the Kevo- 
lution; subsequently was a delegate to congress from Pennsylvania, and, in 1787, 
was chosen its president. While governor of the North-west Territory, from 1788 
to 1802, he was much esteemed by the people, being easy and frank in his address, 
of great integrity and uprightness of purpose, and of extensive information. He 
had the respect and friendship of Washington. The great misfortune of his life 
was his sore defeat by tJie Indians, Nov. 4, 1791. Ho died in abject poverty, in 
1818, in a cabin among the mountains of Pennsylvania. 

Col. Jared Mansfield was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1759. He was edu- 
cated at Yale College, and was subsequently professor of natural philosophy at 
West Point. He was appointed, by Pi-esident Jefferson, surveyor general of the 
United States, upon which he introduced and perfected the present admirable sys- 
tem of dividing the public land, by north and south and east and west lines, into 
ranges, townships and sections. This simple plan has been of an untold benefit to 
the "rapid and easy settlement of the west. He died in 1830. Ed. D. Mansfield, 
Esq., the commissioner of statistics for the state of Ohio, is his son. 

Charles Hammond was born in Maryland in 1779, and died in Cincinnati in 
1840, where most of his life was passed. He was one of the most able of lawyers 
and as a journalist acquired a greater reputation than any man who ever resided 
in the west. For many years he edited the Cincinnati Gazette. 

Nathan Guilford, lawyer and journalist of Cincinnati, was born in Spencer, 
Mass., in 1786, and died in 1854. His memory is especially revered for his long 
and eminent services iu laying the foundation of the common schools of Ohio — 
"a state which has one thii-d of a million of men capable of bearing arms, but 
keeps no standing army but her school teachers, of whom she pays more than 
20,000, which provides a library for every school district, and registers as students 
more than 600,000 children. These growing in beauty and strength in this land 
of the wheat, the corn and the vine, where the purity of domestic morals is main- 
tained by the virtue and dignity of woman, constitutes its present glory and its 
future hope." 



INDIANA. 




Indiana was originally included in the limits of "New France," and 
afterward in the " North-west Territory." Its territory was traversed by the 

French traders and Catholic mission- 
aries at an early period. According 
to some historians, Vincennes was 
occupied as a Fi'ench military post in 
1716, and as a missionary station as 
early as 1700. The first original 
settlers were, probably, mostly, or en- 
tirely, French soldiers from Canada, 
belonging to the army of Louis XIV. 
Their descendants remained an almost 
isolated community, increasing very 
'slowly for nearly one hundred years, 
and in the mean time they imbibed a 
taste for savage life, from habits of 
intercourse with their Indian neigh- 
bors exclusively, with whom they 
often intermarried. In consequence 
of this fraternization with the In- 
dians, they became somewhat degenerated as a civilized community. 

By the treaty of peace between France and Great Britain in 1763, all the 
French possessions in this region were transferred to Great Britain, but the 
settlers still retained their original rights. During the revolutionary war, 
the French settlers displayed their hereditary animosity against the English. 
In 1778, a Spanish resident gave such information respecting the strength 
and position of the British force at Vincennes, that by his directions. Gen. 
Clark, of Virginia, easily obtained possession. By the treaty of 1783, the 
territory comprised in the limits of Indiana came into the possession of the 
United States. 

In the Indian war which succeeded the first settlement of what is now the 
state of Ohio, several military expeditions were sent into the present limits 
of Indiana. The first, in order of time, was that of Gen. Harmar, who 
marched, in the autumn of 1790, with a large body of troops from Fort 
Washington, at Cincinnati, against the Indian towns on the Maumee, on or 
near the site of Fort Wayne. The towns were destroyed, but detached par- 
ties of the army were defeated in two separate engagements. 
155 



Arjis of Indiana. 



]^5(J INDIANA. 

In May, of the next year, 750 Keiituckians, under Gen. Charles Scott, 
rendezvoused at the mouth of the Kentucky lliver, and, crossing the Ohio 
on the 2od, marched northward with great rapidity. In about three weeks 
the expedition returned to Kentucky, without the loss of a man, after hc.v- 
ing surprised and destroyed several towns on the Wabash and Eel Hivers, 
killed 32 of the enemy in skirmishes, and taken 58 jjrisoners. 

In the succeeding August, Col. James Wilkinson left Fort Washington 
with 550 mounted Kentucky volunteers, to complete the work w^hieh had 
been so successfully begun by Gen. Scott, against the Indians on the Wabash 
and its tributaries. The expedition was suecessful. Several towns were de- 
stroyed, the corn was cut up and 3-4 prisoners taken. 

By the treaty of Greenville, in 1795, the United States obtained valuable 
tracts of land, for which they paid the Indians money and goods. Other 
tracts were obtained, afterward, in the same manner. But, notwithstanding 
this, a part of the Indians still remained hostile, and being excited by the 
eloquence of Tecumseh, the celebrated Shawnee warrior, several of the Indian 
tribes united in resistance to the progress of the whites at the west. 

Although by the ordinance of 1787, slavery was forever prohibited in the 
territory north-west of the Ohio, strong and repeated efibrts were made to es- 
tablish the in.stitution temporarily within the Indiana Territory. The first 
of these was made in 1802-3, through the instrumentality of a convention 
presided over by the territorial governor, William Henry Harrison, which 
petitioned congress to temporarily suspend the operation of the anti-slavery 
clause of the ordinance. These attempts were repeated through a succession 
of years, until the winter of 1806-7, when a final effort was made by the ter- 
ritorial legislature to this end. All were without avail, although some of the 
committees of congress, to whom the subject was referred, reported in favor of 
the measure. * 

Just previous to the war of 1812^ with Great Britain, Indiana was ha- 
rassed by the hostile movements of the Shawnees, led on by Tecumseh and 
his brother the Prophet. . To oppose these proceedings, bodies of regular 
troops -and militia were concentrated at Vinceniies, and placed under the 
command of William Henry Harrison, then governor. On Nov. 7, 1811, the 
governor appeared before Prophet's town, or Tippecanoe, on the Wabash, 
and demanded restitution of the property which the Indians had carried off. 
After a conference it was agreed that hostilities should not commence until 

•"The arguments by which this policy was advocated, are thus set forth in the following 
extract of a report of a congressional committee, made iu favor of the prayer of the peti- 
tioners on the 14th of February, 1806. " That, having attentively considered the facts 
stated in the said petitions and memorials, they are of opinion that a qualified suspension, 
for a limited time, of the sixth article of compact between the original states, and the peo- 
ple and states west of the River Ohio, would be beneficial to the people of the Indiana Ter- 
ritory. The suspension of this article is an object almost universally desired in that terri- 
tory. 

It appears to your committee to be a question entirely different from that between slavery 
and freeilom ; inasmuch as it would merely occasion the removal of persons, already slaves, 
from one part of the country to another. The good effects of this suspension, in the pres- 
ent instance, would be to accelerate the population of that territory, hitherto retarded by 
the operation of that article of compact, as slave-holders emigrating into the western coun- 
try might then indulge any preference which they might feel for a settlement in the Indiana 
Territory, instead of seeking, as they are now compelled to do, settlements in other states 
or countries permitting the introduction of slaves. The condition of the slaves themselves 
would be much ameliorated by it, as it is evident, from experience, that the more they are 
separated and diffused, the more care and attention are bestowed on them by their masters, 
each proprietor having it in his power to increase their comforts and conveniences, iu pro- 
portion to the smallnoss of their numbers." 



INDIANA. 157 

li^-vt morning. The enemy, however, attempted to take Harrison by sur- 
prise the night after the conference. The governor knowing the character of 
his wily foe, arranged his troops in battle order as they encamped. Just be- 
fore day they were attacked by the Indians, but the Americans being pre- 
pared for the onset, they successfully repelled the savages. The conflict, 
though short, was unusually severe; the Indians fought with desperate cour- 
age, but the fate of the battle was soon decided, and the Indians fled in every 
direction, having lost, it is supposed, about 150 of their number. Harrison 
now laid waste their country, and soon afteward the tribes sued for peace. 

The war of 1812, with Great Britain, gave a fresh impetus to Indian hos- 
tilities. Seduced into the British service, the Indians, after committing 
great cruelties, received full retribution from the Americans; their villages 
were destroyed and their country laid waste. 

The outline of the military events which occurred within the present boun- 
daries of the state, are as follows : 

Fort Harrison, situated on the "Wabash, 60 miles above Vincennes, was attacked 
on the night of the 4th of September, 1812, by several hundred Indians from the 
Prophet's town. In the evening previous, 30 or 40 Indians appeared before the 
fort with a flag, under the pretense of obtaining pi'ovisions. The commander, 
Capt. Zachary Taylor (since president), made preparations for the expected at- 
tack. In the night, about 11 o'clock, the Indians commenced the attack by firing 
on the sentinel. Almost immediately, the lower block-house was discovered to 
have been set on fire. As this building joined the barracks which made part of 
the fortifications, most of the men panic stricken, gave themselves up for lost. In 
the mean time, the yells of several hundred savages, the cries of the women and 
children, and the despondency of the soldiers, rendered it a scene of confusion. 
But the presence of mind of the captain, did not forsake him. By the most stren- 
uous exertions on his part, the fire was prevented from .spreading, and before day 
the men had erected a temporary breast-work seven feet high, within the spot 
where the building was consumed. The Indians kept up the attack until morning, 
when, finding their efforts ineffectual, they retired. At this "time, there were not 
more than 20 men in the garrison fit for ifuty. 

Shortly after. Gen. Hopkins, with a large force, engaged in two difi'erent expe- 
ditions against the Indians on the head waters of the Wabash and the Illinois. 
The first was in October. With 4,0U0 mounted volunteers from Kentucky, Illi- 
nois and Indiana, he left Vincennes early in the month, relieved Fort Harrison on 
the 10th, and from thence, marched for the Kickapoo villages, and the Peoria 
towns — the first 100, and the last 160 miles distant. But his men mutinizing, he 
was obliged to return before reaching the hostile towns. On the 11th of Novem- 
ber, he marched from Fort Harrison, on his second expedition, with a detachment 
of regular troops and volunteers. On the 20th, he arrived at the Prophet's town, 
at which place and vicinity, he destroyed 300 wigwams, and large quantities of 
Indian corn. Several other expeditions were successfully accomplished, against 
the Indians on the Wabash, the Illinois, and their tributaries, by which the se- 
curity of that frontier was eflected. 

Immediately after the massacre at Chicago, Fort Wayne was closely besieged 
by several hundred Miami and Pottawatomie Indians. The garrison numbered 
only .some 60 or 70 effective men. The siege continued until near the middle of 
September, when Gen. Harrison marched to its relief with 2,500 men, upon which 
the Indians fled. 

From Franklinton, in Central Ohio, Harrison, in November, sent Col. Camp- 
bell, with 600 men, against the Indian towns on the Missininneway, a branch of 
the Wabash. They destroyed several of their towns, and defeated the Indians in 
a hard fought battle, but the severity of the weather compelled them to return. 

Until 1800, the territory now included in Indiana, remained a portion of 
the North-west Territoi-y. In this year it was, including the present state 



158 ' INDIANA. 

of Illinois, organized under the name o? Indiana Territory. In 1809, the 
western part of the territory was set off as " Illinois Territory." In 1816, 
Indiana was admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. In 1851, a new 
constitution was adopted by the people. 

Until 1818, the central part of Indiana was an unbroken wilderness, in- 
habited by the Miami, Delaware, and Shawnee Indians. By a treaty at St. 
Mary's, Ohio, October 2, 1818, between Lewis Cass, Jonathan Jennings, 
and Benjamin Park, commissioners, and the Delaware Indians, the latter 
ceded all their territory in Indiana to the United States, covenanting to de- 
liver the possession in 1821. This region was afterward called "the New 
Purchase." Its reported fertility and beauty attracted settlers, who imme- 
diately entered the country and made settlements at various points. 

Indiana is bounded N. by Michigan and Lake Michigan, W. by Illinois, 
E. by Ohio, and S. by the Ohio Eiv'er. It lies between 37° 45' and 41° 52' 
N. Lat., and 85° 49' 30" and 88° 2' 30" W. Long. Its extreme length from 
north to south is 276 miles, and its greatest width 176, containing 33,809 
scfuare miles, or 21, 637,760 acres. The soil of the state is generally good, 
and much of it highly fertile. The richest lands are found in the river bot- 
toms, where the soil is very deep. This is especially the case in the valleys 
of the Wabash and its tributaries, and in some parts of the Ohio valley. 

There are no mountains in Indiana, but the country bordering on the Ohio, 
and in some other parts is hilly and broken. It is estimated that about two 
thirds of the state is level, or at most slightly undulating. Bordering on all 
the principal streams, except the Ohio, are strips of bottom and prairie land 
from three to five miles in width. Kemote from the rivers, the country is 
broken and the soil light. Between the Wabash and Lake Michigan, the 
surface is generally level, interspersed with woodlands, prairies and swamps. 
On the shores of Lake Michigan are sand hills 210 feet high, back of which 
are sandy hillocks with a growth of pine. The prairies bordering on the 
Wabash have a soil from two to five i'eet in depth. 

The principal agricultural production of Indiana is Indian corn : great 
quantities of pork and flour are annually exported. It is stated that Indiana 
has beds of coal within her limits covering 7,700 square miles, capable of 
yielding 50,000,000 bushels to the square mile. The population of Indiana 
in 1800 was 4,875; in 1820, 147,178; in 1840, 685,886; in 1850, 988,393 ; 
and in 1860, 1,359,802. 



ViNCENNES, the county seat of Knox county, is pleasantly situated on the 
left bank of Wabash River, 120 miles S.W. of Indianapolis, 192 from Cin- 
cinnati, 147 from St. Louis, and 56 N. of Evansville, on the Ohio. It is on 
the line of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, and is connected with Evans- 
ville at the south, and with Terra Haute and other places at the north, by 
railroad. The town is regularly laid out on a fertile level prairie. The 
Wabash is navigable for steamboats to this point. Vincennes contains eight 
churches. It is the seat of a Catholic bishopric, and a large, spacious Cathe- 
dral is erected here. Considerable attention is paid to education, and of the 
principal institutions, several are Catholic, viz: an ecclesiastical seminary, 
female academy, and two orphan asylums. The Vincennes University has 
125 students. Population about 6,000. 

Vincennes is the oldest town in the state: it was settled by a colony of 
French emigrants from Canada, in 1735. Some historians claim that it was 
occupied as a French post as early as 1720. It received its present name in 



INDIANA. 



159 



1735, from M. de Vincennes, a French officer who was killed that year among 
the Chickasaws. For a long period nothing of much moment seems to have 
occurred in the history of St. Vincent, as Vincennes was sometimes called. 
At the commencement of the American Revolution, most of the old French 




South view of the Harrison House, Vincennes. 

The house here lejire^iented was erected by Gen. Harrison, when governor of tlie territory. Tt stands 
on the lianks of tln' Wabush, a few rods easterly from the railroad bridge. The grove in which Tecuniseh 
met the council is immediately in front of the house, two trees of which, seen on the left, are the only ones 
remaining. The track of the Jhio and Mississippi Kailroad appears in the foreground. 

posts were garrisoned with British troops, who incited the Indian tribes in 
their vicinity to take up arms against the Americans. In 1778, Col. Greorge 
Rogers Clark was sent by the legislature of Virginia, with a small force, to 
take possession of the British posts on the western frontiers. By his address 
he succeeded in obtaining possession of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Viucenn'es, 
without bloodshed. 

In Dec, 177S, Hamilton, the British governor at Detroit, came down upon 
St. Vincent, or Vincennes, with a large body of troops in an unexpected 
manner. At this time, Post Vincennes was garrisoned by two men only, 
Capt. Helm, of Virginia, and one Henry. " Helm, however, was not dis- 
posed to yield, absolutely, to any odds; so, loading his single cannon, he 
stood by it with a lighted match. When the British came nigh he bade 
th^m stand, and demanded to know what terms would be granted the garri- 
son, as othei'wise he should not surrender. The governor, unwilling to lose 
time and men, offered the usual honors of war, and could scarcely believe 
his eyes when he saw the threatening garrison to be only one officer and one 
private." On the 24th of Feb., 1779, Col. Clark, with a force of one hun- 
dred and seventy men, including pack-horsemen, etc., re-appeared before 
Vincennes, and demanded its surrender. It was garrisoned at this time by 
seventy-nine men, under the command of Lieut. Gov. Hamilton, who was 
called the "hair hiiyer" for his offering the Indians a certain sum for each 
scalp they brought in. He was compelled to give up '"Fort Sackville," and 
with some others, was sent prisoner to Virginia. 

With the capture of Vincennes and the other British posts, of Kaskaskia, 



160 



INDIANA. 



Caliokia, etc., in the Illinois country, by Clark, Virginia acquired the coun- 
try then known as the North-west Territory, which she ceded to the gen- 
eral government, in 1789. When the Indiana Territory was organized in 
1800, Vincennes was made the capital, and so remained until 1S13, when 
Corydon became the capital of the Territory and in 1816 of the state. In 
1825, Indianapolis, within the " New Purchase," became the state capital. 



The following account of the celebrated interview between Tecumseh and 
Gen. Harrison, in front of the Harrison House, now standing in Vincennes, 
is from Judge Law's " Colonial History of Post Vincennes, etc.:" 

In the spring of 1810, Gen. Harrison, being governor of the North-western Ter- 
ritory, and residing at Vincennes— the scat of government — had learned from va- 
rious quarters that Tecumseh had been visiting the different Indian tribes, scat- 
tered along the valleys of the Wabash and Illinois, with a view of forming an alli- 
ance and making common cause against the whites, and that there was great prob- 
abilitv that his mission had been successful. Aware, as he was, that if this Avas 
the casQ, and that if the combination had been formed, such as was represented, 
the settlements in the sonthern portion of Indiana and Illinois were in great dan- 
ger; that Vincennes itself would be the first ol)ject of attack, and that, with a 
handful of troops in the territory, a successful resistance might not be made; and 
not probably fully aware of the extent of the organization attempted by Tecu.iiseh, 
and desirous of avoiding, if he could, the necessity of a call to arms, he sent a 
messnge to him, then residing at the "Prophet's Town," inviting him to a council, 
to be held at as early a period as possi])le, for the purpose of talking over and 
amicably settling all difficulties which might exist between the whites and the 
Shawnees. It was not until the month of August of the same year, that Tecum- 
seh, accompanied by about seventy of his warriors made his appearance. They 
encamped on the banks of the Wal)ash, just above the town, and Tecumseh gave 
notice to the governor that, in pursuance of his invitation, he had come to hold a 
talk " with him and his braves." The succeeding day was appointed for the meet- 
ing. The governor made all suitable preparations for it. The officers of the ter- 
ritory and the leading citizens of the town wore invited to be present, while a por- 
tion of a company of militia was detailed as a guard — fully armed and equipped 
for anv emergency. Notice had been sent to Tecumseh, previous to the meeting, 
that it was expected that himself and a portion of his principal warriors would be 
present at the council. The council was held in the open lawn before the gov- 
ernor's house, in a grove of trees which then surrounded it. But two of these, t 
reuret to say, are now remaining. At the time appointed, Tecumseh and some 
fifteen or twenty of his warriors made their appearance. With a firm and elastic 
step, and with a proud and somewhat defiant look, he advanced to the place where 
the governor and those who had been invited to attend the conference were sitting. 
This place had been fenced in, with a view of preventing the crowd from encroach- 
ing upon the council during its deliberations. As he stepped forward he seemed 
to "scan the preparations which had been made for his reception, particularly, the 
military part of it, with an eye of suspicion — by no means, however, of fear. As he 
came in front of the dais, an elevated portion of the place upon which the governor 
and the officers of the territory were seated, the governor invited him, through his 
interpreter, to come forward and take a seat with him and his counsellors, premis- 
ing; the invitation by saying: " That it was the wish of their 'Great Father,' the 
President of the United States, that he should do so." The chief paused for a 
moment, as the words were uttered and the sentence finished, and raising his tall 
form to its greatest bight, surveyed the troops and the crowd around him. Then 
with his keen eyes fixed upon the governor for a single moment, and turning them 
to the sky al)ove, with his sinewy arm pointing toward the heavens, and with a tone 
and manner indicative of supreme contempt for the paternity assigned him, said, 
in a voice whose clarion tone was heard throughout the whole assembly : 

"My Father? — The sun is my father — the earth is my inother — and on her bosom 



INDIANA. IQI 

I will recline." Having finished, he stretched himself with his warriors on the 
green sward. The effect, it is said, was electrical, and for some moments there was 
perfect silence. 

Tlie governor, through the interpreter, then informed him, " that he had under- 
stood he had complaints to make and redress to ask for certain wrongs which he, 
Tecumseh, supposed had been done his tribe, as Avell as the others; that he felt 
disposed to listen to the one and make satisfaction for the other, if it was proper 
he should do so. That in all his intercourse and negotiations with the Indians, he 
iiad endeavored to act justly and honorabl}'' with them, and believed he had done 
so, and had learned of no complaint of his conduct until he learned that Tecumseh 
was endeavoi'ing to create dissatisfaction toward the government, not only among 
the Shawnees, but among the other tribes dwelling on the Wabash and Illinois; 
and had, in so doing, produced a great deal of trouble between them and the 
whites, by averring that the tribes whose land the governmert had lately purchased, 
had no right to sell, nor tlicir chiefs any authority to convey. That he, the gov- 
ernor, had invited him to attend the council, with a view of learning from his own 
lips, whether there was any truth in the reports which he had heard, and to learn 
whether he, or his tribe, had any just cause of complaint against the whites, and, 
if so, as a man and a warrior, openly to avow if That as between himself and as 
great a warrior as 'J'ecumseh, there should be no concealment — all should be done 
by them under a clear sky, and in an open path, and with these feelings on his own 
part, he was glad to meet him in council." Tecumseh arose as soon as the gov- 
ernor had finished, 'i'hose who knew him speak of him as one of the most splen- 
did specimens of his tribe- — celebrated for their physical proportions and fine forms, 
even among the nations who surrounded them. Tall, athletic and manly, digni- 
fied, but graceful, he seemed the l)eau ideal of an Indian chieftain. In a A-oice 
first low, Init witii all its indistinctness, musical, he commenced his reply. As he 
warmed with his suhject, his clear tones might be heard, as if " trumpet-tongued," 
to the utmost limits of the assembled crowd who surrounded him. 'l"he most per- 
fect silence prevailed, except when the warriors who surrounded him gave their 
gutteral assent to some eh)quent recital of the red man's wrong and the white 
man s injustice. Well instructed in the traditions of his tribe, fully acquainted 
with their history, the councils, treaties, and battles of the two races for half a 
century, he recapitulated the wrongs of tlie red man from the massacre of the Mo- 
ravian Indians, during the revolutionary war, down to the period he had met the 
governor in council. lie told him "he did not know how he could ever again be 
the friend of the white man." In reference to the public domain, he asserted 
"that the Great Spirit had given all the country from the Miami to the Mississippi, 
from the lakes to the Ohio, as a common property to all the tribes that dwelt within 
those borders, and that the land could not, and should not be sold without the con- 
sent of all. . That all the tribes on the continent formed but one nation. That if 
the United States would not give up the lands they had bought of the Miamis, the 
Delawares, the I'ottowatomies, and other tribes, that those united with him were 
determined to fall on those tribes and annihilate them. That they were deter- 




termined to resist all further aggressions of the whites, and that with his consent, 
or that of the Shawnees, they should never acquire another foot of land. To those 
who have never heard of the Shawnee language, I may here remark it is the 
most musical and euphonious of all the Indian languages of the west. When 
spoken rapidly by a fluent speaker, it sounds more like the scanning of Greek and 
Latin verse, than anything I can compare it to. The effect of this address, of 
which I have simply given the outline, and which occupied an hour in the delivery, 
may be readily imagined. 

William Henry Harrison was as brave a man as ever lived. All who knew him 
will acknowledge his courage, moral and physical, but he was wholly unprepared 
for such a speech as this. There was a coolness, an independence, a defiance in 
the whole manner and matter of the chieftain's speech which astonished even him. 
He knew Tecumseh well. He had learned to appreciate his high qualities as a 



1^2 INDIANA. 

man and warrior. He kneAV his power, liis skill, his influence, not only over his 
own tribe, but over those who dwelt on the waters of the Wabash and Illinois. He 
knew he was no bragirart — that what he said ho meant — what he promised he in- 
tended to perform. He was fully aware that he was a foe not to be treated light — 
an enemy to be conciliated not scorned — one to be met with kindness not contempt. 
There was a stillness tliroughout the assembly when Tecumseh had done speaking 
which was painful. Not a whisper was to be heard — all eyes were turned from 
the speaker to the governor. The unwarranted and unwarrantable pretensions of 
the chief, and the bold and defiant tone in which he had announced them, stag- 
gered even him. It Avas some moments before he arose. Addressing Tecumseh, 
who had taken his seat with his warriors, he said : ''That the charges of bad faith 
made against the government, and the assertion that injustice had been done the 
Indians in any treaty ever made, or any council ever held M'ith them by the United 
States, had no foundation in fact. That in all their dealings with the red man, 
they had ever been governed ]>y the strictest rules of right and justice. That 
while other civilized nations had treated them with contumely and contempt, ours 
bad always acted in good faith with them. That so fiir as he individually was con- 
cerned, he could say in the presence of the 'Great Spirit,' who was watching over 
•their deliberations, that his conduct, even with the most insignificant tribe, had 
been marke<l with kindness, and all his acts governed by honor, integrity and fair 
dealing. That he had uniformly been the friend of the red man, and that it was 
the first time in his life that his motives had been questioned or his actions im- 
peached. It was the first time in his life tiiat he had ever heard such unfounded 
claims put forth, as Tecumseh had set up, by any chief, or any Indian, having the 
least regard for truth, or the slightest knowledge of the intercourse between the 
Indian and the white man, from the time this continent was first discovered." 
What the governor had said thus far had been interpreted by Barron, the inter- 
preter to the Shawnees, and he was about interpreting it to the Miamis and Potta- 
watomies, who f(jrmed part of the cavalcade, when Tecumseh, addressing the in- 
terpreter in Shawnee, said, " he lies !" Barron, who had, as all subordinates (es- 
pecially in the Indian department) have, a great reverence and respect for the 
"powers that be," commenced interpreting the language of Tecumseh to the 
governor, but not exactly in the terms made use of when Tecumseh, who under- 
stood but little English, perceived from his embarrassment and awkwardness, that 
he was not giving his words, interrupted him and again addressing him in Shaw- 
nee, said: "No, no; tell him he lies." The gutteral assent of his party showed 
they coincided Avith their chief's opinion, (ien. Gibson, secretary of the territory, 
who understood Shawnee, had not been an inattentive spectator of the scene, and 
understanding the import of the language made use of, and from the excited state 
of 'I'eciimseh and his party, was apprehensive of violence, made a signal to the 
troops in attendance to shoulder their arms and advance. They -did so. The 
speech of Tecumseh was literally translated to the governor. He directed Barron 
to say to him, "Ae icovkl hold no further council iciih him," and the meeting broke 
up. 

One can hardly imagine a more exciting scene — one which would be a finer sub- 
ject for an " historical painting," to adorn the rotunda of the capitol, around which 
not a single picture commemorative of western history is to be found. On the 
succeeding day, Tecumseli requested another interview with the governor, which 
was granted on condition that he should make an apology to the governor for his 
language tlie day before. This he made through the interpreter. Measures for 
defense and protection were however taken, lest there should be another outbreak. 
Two companies of militia were ordered from the country, and the one in town 
added to them, while the governor and his friends went into council fully armed 
and prepared for any contingency. The conduct of Tecumseh upon this occasion 
was entirely different from that of the day before. Firm and intrepid, showing 
not the slightest fear or alarm, surrounded as he was with the military force quad- 
rupling his own, he preserved the utmost composure and equanimity. No one 
conld have discerned from his looks, although he must have fully understood the 
object of calling in the troops, that he was in the slightest degree disconcerted. 
He was cautious in his bearing, dignified in his manner, and no one from observ- 



INDIANA. 2g3 

ino; fiim would for a moment have supposed he was the principal actor in the 
thrilling scene of the previous day. 

In the interval between the sessions of the first and second council, Tecumseh 
had told Barron, the interpreter, "that he had been informed by the ivhites, that 
the people of the territory were almost equally divided, half in favor of Tecumseh, 
and the other adhering to the governor." The same statement he made in council. 
He said " that ''Wo Americans had made him a visit, one in the course of the pre- 
ceding winter, the other lately, and informed him that Governor Hax-rison had pur- 
chased land from the Indians without any authority from the government, and that 
one half of the people were opposed to the purchase. He also told the governor 
that he, Harrison, had but two years more to remain in office, and if he, Tecumseh, 
could prevail upon the Indians who sold the lands not to receive their annuities 
for that time, that when the governor was displaced, as he would be, and a good 
man appointed as his successor, he would restore to the Indians all the lands pur- 
chased from them." After Tecumseh had concluded his speech, a Wyandot, a 
Kickapoo, a Pottawatomie, an Ottowa, and a Winnebago chief, severally spoke, and 
declared that their tribes had entered into the " Shawnee Confederacy," and would 
support the principles laid down by Tecumseh, whom they had appointed their 
leader. 

At the conclusion of the council, the governor informed Tecumseh " that he 
would immediat'dy transmit his speech to the president, and as soon as his answer 
was received would send it to him; but as a person had been appointed to run the 
boundary line of the new purchase, he wished to know whether there would be 
danger in his proceeding to run the line." Tecumseh replied, " that he and his 
allies Were determined that the old boundary line should continue, and that if the 
whites crossed it, it would be at their peril." The governor replied, "that since 
Tecumseh had been thus candid in stating his determination, he would be equally 
so with him. The president, he was convinced, would never allow that the lands 
on the Wabash were the property of any other tribes than those who had occupied 
them, and lived on them since the white people came to America. And as the title 
to the lands lately purchased was derived from those tribes by fair purchase, he 
might rest assured that the right of the United States would be supported by the 
sword." 

"vSo be it," was the stern and haughty reply of the "Shawnee chieftain," as he 
and his braves took leave of the governor and wended their way in Indian file to 
their camping ground. And thus ended the last conference on earth between the 
chivalrous and gallant Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief, and he who since the period 
alluded to has ruled the destinies of the nation as its chief magistrate. The bones 
of the first lie bleaching on the battle-field of the Thames — those of the last are 
deposited in the mausoleum that covers them on the banks of the Ohio. 



Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana, and seat of justice for Marion 
county, is on the west fork of White River, at the crossing of the National 
Road, 109 miles N.W. from Cincinnati, 8G N.N.W. from Madison, on the 
Ohio, and 573 W. by N. from Washington. The city is located on a fertile 
and extensive plain, two miles N.W. of the geographical center of the state, 
which was formerly covered with a dense growth of timber. The original town 
piat was a mile square, but it has extended itself on all sides. Washington- 
street through which the National Road passes, the principal street in thecity,is 
120 leet wide. Circle-street 80 feet, the others 90 feet. On the 1st of Jan., 
182."), the public offices of the state were removed from Corjdon, the former 
capital, to Indianapolis, and the seat of government established here ; but 
the legislature held its sessions in the county court house, until Dec, 1834, 
when the state house was completed. This showy structure, 180 feet long 
by SO wide, is on the model of the Parthenon at Athens, and was built at - 
cost of about $60,000. 



164 



INDIANA. 



Indianapolis is one of tlie greatest railroad centers in the world, nearly 
one hundred diiFerent trains pass in and out of the city daily, and from 3,000 
to 5,000 persons visit the place in twenty-four hours. It is stated that the 
citizens of 80 of the 91 counties in the state, can come to Indianapolis, attend 




View of Vie Slate House, from Wjuhinjton-slreel, Iii<h'unrtpolis. 

to business, and return the same da}'. The completion of the Madison and 
Indianapolis Kailroad gave a great impetus to the growth of the jdacc : then 
the population was about 4,000, in 1860, 18,612." 

The streets of the city are broad, laid out at right angles, well shaded and 
adorned with a number of very superior buildings. The benevolent institu- 
tions of the state, for the insane, deaf and dumb, and the blind, are located 
at this place, and are an ornament to the city and state. The city has, 16 
churches, a system of free graded schools, and is the seat of the North-west- 
ern Christian University, a flourishing institution under the patronage of 
the Christian Church. The university buikling is an elegant edifice in the 
Gothic style. 



The following historical items are extracted from Howard's Historical 
Sketch of Indianapolis, in the city directory for 1857 : 

In 1SI8, Dr. Dau'i;lass ascended White River from the lower counties, tarrying 
at the bluffs for a short time, and Col. James Paxton descended it from its head- 
waters, reaching this place in January or February, 1819. He a;j;ain returned in 
1820, and made some preparations for settlement, hut never completed them. The 
honor due to the ' tirst settler,' belongs to John Pogue, who came from White- 
water and settled here on the 2d day of March, 1819. His cabin stood by a large 
spring, close to the east bank of 'Fogue's Run,' near the present residence of W. 
P. Noble. Its ruins were visible until within a few years, and perhaps exist at 
this time. Pogue was killed by the Indians in April, 1821. His horses were 
missing one morning in that month, and as some disturbance had been heard 
among them during the night, he concluded the Indians had stolen them, and 
armed himself for pursuit. When last seen he was near the Indian camp, and as 
his horses and clothes were afterward seen in their possession, little doubt re- 



INDIANA. 



165 



mained as to his fate. His death greatly excited the settlers, but their numerical 
weakness prevented an effort to avenge it. The little stream which once pursued 
a very torturous course tlirough the south-east part of the city, alarming the few 
inhahitiints of that section by its high floods, but which is now so changed that its 
old character is utterly lost, was named after Pogue, and will be a memorial of 
hira as ' the first settler ' of Indianapolis. 




Main Passenger Railroad Station, Union Depot, Indianapolis. 

Showing the appearance of the Stiitinn as it is eiitei-ei! from the west. 

In February, 1820, John and James ^IcCormick built a cabin near the present 
river bridge. In the early part of March, John Maxwell and John Coweri built 
caldns in the north-west ciirner of the donation, near the Miciiigan road, P'ali 
creek bridge. In April, 1S2I, Mr. .Max-well was appointed a justice of t!ie peace 
by Gov Jennings, and was the first judicial ofHcer in ' tlie New Purchase.' lie 
retained the office until June, and then resigned. The citizens held an informal 
election, and selected James Mcllvaine, who was thereupon appointed a justice by 
Gov. Jennings, in Oct., 1821. 

In tiie latter part of March, and in April and !May of 1 S20. a number of emi- 
grants arris-ed, and at tiie end df the latter month there were In families on the 
donation. Among tiii'm were Messrs. Davis, Bainliill, Corbley, Wilson, Van Ulari- 
cuin ami Harding. Emigrants now began to turn their faces toward the infant 
settlement, o,nd it rIowI}^ and steadily increased for a year afterward. 

The eagerness of the settlers to appropriate lands in the New Purchase, found 
its counterpart in the action of the state, concerning the location of the new seat 
of government. The act of Congress, of April 19, 1816, authorizing the formation 
of a state government, donated four sections of the unsold pulilic lands to the 
state, for a permanent seat of government, giving the privilege of selection. The 
subject was considered immediately after the treaty at St. Marys, and on the 11th 
of January, 1820, the legislature, by law, appointed George Hunt, John Conner, 
John Gillihmd, Stephen Ludlow, Joseph Bartholomew, John Tipton, Jesse B. Dun- 
ham, Frederick Rapp, Wm. Prince, and Thomas Emerson, commissioners to select 
a location for a permanent seat of government. * * * The present site was selected, 
which gave the place instant reputation, and in the spring, and summer, and fall 
of 1819. it rapidly increased in population. Morris Morris, Dr. K G. Mitchell, J. 
and J. Given, Wm. Reagan, M. Nowland, J. M. Ray, James Blake, Nathaniel Cos, 
Thomas Anderson, John Hawkins, Dr. Dunlap, David Wood, D. Yandes, Col. Rus- 
sell, N. M. Clearty, Dr. Coe, D. Maguire, and many others arrived, and the cabins 

16 



166 



INDIANA. 



rapidly increased alono; the river bank. On January 6, 1821, the legislature con- 
iirmod the selection of the site and named it Indianapolis. 

The settlement afterward moved east, the unparalleled sickness of 1821 con- 
vincing the settlers that a i-esidence away from the river was the best for them. A 
fine grove of tall straight sugar trees stood on the 'Governor's Circle.' On Sun- 
days the eai-ly settlers assembled there to hear preaching by Kev. John McClung. 
They sat on the logs and grass about him in Indian style. This gentleman was 
probably flie tirst preacher in the place, and preached the first sermon on this spot 
in the summer or fall of 1821. Other authorities say that the first sermon was 
preached this year where the state house now stands, by Kev. Risen Hammond. 

Calvin Fletcher, Esq., who now lives just north of the city, was then the only 
attorney-at-law in the new settlement, and the ultimate judge in all knotty cases. 
There was no jail nearer than Connersville, and the culprit sentenced to imprison- 
ment, had to be conveyed by the constable and his posse, on horseback through 
the woods to that place. This involved much time, trouliJe and expense, and the 
shorter plan was afterward adopted to scare them away. An instance occurred on 
Christmas day, 1821. Four Kentucky boatmen, who had 'whipped their weight 
in wild-cats,' came from ' the bluffs' to 'Naples' (as they called the town), to have 
a jolly Christmas spree. The 'spree' began early, and the settlers were aroused 
before the dawn, by a terrible racket at i)aniel Larken's grocery. A hasty recon- 
noissance revealed the four heroes busily engaged in the laudable work of 'taking 
it down.' A request to desist provoked strong expletives, attended by a display of 
large knives, Avhich demonstration caused the citizens to 'retire' to consult. They 
Avere interested in tiie grocery, and besides that, such lawless proceedings could 
not be tolerated. They therefore determinetl to conquer at all hazards. James 
Klakc volunteered to grapple the ring leader, a man of herculean size and strength, 
if the rest would take the three others. The attack was made at once, the party 
conijuered, and maix-hed under guard through the woods to Justice Mcllvaine's 
cabiii. They were tried and heavily fined, and in default of payment ordered to 
jail. They could not pay, and it was deemed impossible to take them through the 
woods to Connersville at that season of the year. A guard was, therefore, placed 
over tliem, with the rerjulsite instructions, and dui-ing the night the doughty he- 
roes escaped to more congenial climes. 

Toward the end of the summer [1821], and during the fall, epidemic, remittent, 
and intermittent fevers and agues assailed the people, and scarcely a person was 
left untomdiiMl. Although several hundred cases occurred, not more than five ter- 
minated fatally. 

After escaping death by disease, the people Avere threatened Avith starvation. 
\n consequence of sickness, tiie influx of people and the small amount of grain 
raised, the supply of provisions in the settlement became very meager in the fall 
and winter of 1821. No roads had been opened to the town, and all goods and 
provisions had to be packed on horseback, 50 or GO miles thi-ough the woods, or 
brought up the river in keel boats. The latter method was adopted in 1822, and 
the arrival of each boat was greeted by a concourse of ' the whole people,' and duly 
announced in the 'Indianapolis Gazette.' Coflfee was Avorth 50 cents a pound, 
tea, $2 00; corn,$l 00 per bushel; flour, $4 00 to $5 00 per hundred; coarse 
muslin, 45 cents per yard, and other goods in proportion. To relieve the people 
and prevent starvation, flour and other articles Averc brought from the White- 
AA'atcr Valley, and corn was purchased at the Indian villages up the river and 
boated down to the town. The nearest mill Avas Goodlandin on Whitewater River, 
and the arrival of a cargo of meal and flour, or of other articles from that quarter, 
produced general joy in the settlement. The settlers generously relieved each 
other's distress in this case, as in the preceding sickness, and many pecks of meal, 
sacks of flour, parcels of fish, meat, and other articles of food, Avere distributed to 
some more destitute neighbor. 

After the October sale of lots, the AA'eather, Avhieh, during the summer, had been 
A-ery Avet and changeal)le, and in the fall cold and gloomy, changed, and a long and 
beautiful Indian summer began. The sick quickly recovered their health, strength 
and spirits. The settlement rapidly tended to the east, for the sickness had been- 
AVjrse near the river, and the new comers and older settlers built their cabins 



INDIANA. 



167 



along Washington street much farther from it than before. The dreary appear- 
ance of the settk^ment during the fall, no longer clung to it, and notwithstanding 
the threatened famine, the hopes of the settlers rose higher than ever. Washing- 
ton-street was the first street cleared, and during the fall of 1821, was completely 
blocked up by felled trees and prickly ash bushes. John Hawkins built a large 
log tavern where the Capitol House now stands, using logs cut from the site and 
adjoining street in its erection. The main settlement was still west of the canal, 
near the spot now occuipied hy the Carlisle House-. A group of cabins in this vi- 
cinity, was dignified by ' Wilmot's Row,' from a man of that name who kept a store 
in the vicinity, and who was one of the first merchants of the place. The first 
merchant was a man named Nicholas Shatfer. He had a little store on the high 
ground, south of Pogue's Run, commencing in the spring of 1S21. He was the 
first person who died on the donation. He died in May or June. 1821, and was 
buried in Pogue's Run Valley, near the present site of the si.xth ward school 
house. 

The first marriage, the first birth, and the first death, occurred in 1821. The 
first wedding was between INliss lieagan and Jeremiah Johnson. He walked to 
Connersville and back, 120 miles, for his marringe license; and others did the 

same until the county was organized 'I'he first Presl)yterian minister was 

0. P. Gaines, who came in Aug. 1821 : the first Baptist minister was John Water, 
who came in the fall of 1821 : tlie first jVIethodist minister was James Scott, who 
came in Oct. 1822. The first physician was Isaac Coe, who came in 1821. 'J'he 
first attorney was Calvin Fletcher, who came in Sept., l'^21. Joseph C. Reed, who 
came in 1821, was the first school teacher: the first school house stood iust north 
of the State Bank, near a large pond. The first market house was built in 1822, 
in the maple grove on the Governor's Circle. The first brick house was b^^'lt in 
1822, by John Johnson, on the lot east of Robert's Chapel: the first frnine house 
■ras built by James Blake, in 1821-2, on the lot east of the Masonic Hall, it was 

also the first plastered house On Jan. 28, 1822, the first number of the 

' Indiana Gazette ' was published in a cabin south-east of the Carlisle House, and west 
of the canal. This paper, the first in the town or in the 'New Purchase,' was edited 
and printed by George Smith and Nathaniel Bottom In 1823, the Presbvterians 
erected the first church on the lot just north of Maj. A. F. Morrison's residence. 
It cost, with the lot, about $1,200, and was regarded as a very fine and expensive 
one for the town. It now forms p:n-t of a carriage manufactory. 



The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave-yard 
in this place : 

Xo.^H Noble, born in Virginia, Jan. 15, A. D., 17941 Governor of Jncliiina from 1831 to 
1837. Died at Indiauajjolis Feb. A. D. 1844. 



AsrvREW Kennedy, late a Representative to Congress from Indiana, born July 24, 1810. 
Died Dee. 31, 1847. This stone is erected to liis memory by his friends, in token of their 
love of the man, and their respect for his ability and integrity as a Statesman. 



James Whitcomb, a native of Vermont, Born Dec. 1795, brought to Ohio when 11 years 
old. Self-taught, conimenced practice of Law 1822, at Bloomington, Indiana, was State 
and Circuit Attorney ; State Senator ; Commissioner of General Land Office ; twice Governor 
of Indiana. Died Oct. 1852, at the City of New York, while Senator of the United States. 
Eminent in learning, Devoted to Country and God. 



Isaac Coe, M.D., born July 25, 1782, died July 30, 1855, the founder of Sabbath Schools 
in Indianapolis. 



Terre Haute, city, and the county seat for Vigo county, is situated on 
the left or eastern bank of the Wabash River, 73 miles west of Indianapolis; 
109 N. from Evansvillej 69 N. from Vincennes, and 187 E. from St. Louis 



168 



INDIANA. 



The town site is elevated about 60 feet above low water, and somewK^t above 
the contiguous prairie which is about 10 miles long and two wide. It is on 
the line of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The National Road here crosses 
the river on a fine bridge. Being situated in a fertile district, having steam- 
boat and railroad communication in various directions. Terre Haute is the 




Court Huvse and oiher bailduKj^, Terre Haute. 

As swii from the north-west corner of the Public Square. The State Bank and the spire of the Metho- 
dist Church aiipearon the risiht ; the. Mayor's office, or Town Hall, and the tower of the Universalist 
(Jhiirch on the left. A grove of Locust trees formerly surrounded tlie Couit House. 

center of large business operations, among which pork packing is extensively 
carried on. Several fine educational establishments are also in operation, 
among which are two female colleges. In the vicinity, some three or four 
miles distant, is the nunnery and highly popular Ciitholic Female College, 
named "St. Mary of the Woods." Great taste is displayed here in the 
grounds, shrubbery and lawns surrounding the private dwellings. Its early 
settlers made their homes attractive by a generous attention to the planting 
of shade trees on the stree*:s, and throughout the public grounds. 

Terre Haute offers great inducements for all kinds of manufacturing busi- 
ness; fuel and labor are cheap and abundant. It is surrounded by extensive 
coal fields; good quarries of building stone lie near; iron ores of superior 
quality are in close proximity, and with every facility for transportation by 
canal, river and railroad. The city contains 10 churches, and about 10,000 
inhabitants. 

Terre Haute (French words for liigli land), was founded in 1816; in 1830 
it contained 600 inhabitants: in 1840, about 2,000. The first settlement 
was made on the river bank. Fort Harrison was situated about three miles 
to the north: and in the war of 1812, was successfully defended by Capt. 
Zachary Taylor, from an attack by th3 Indians as related on page 1017. 

The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave yard 
at this place : 

W1LI.IA.M C. LiXTO.v, b.orn in 1795, died Jan. ?>l, 1835. lie was one of the earliest settlers 



INDIANA. 



169 



of Terra Haute, one of the most successful merchants. The Friend and Patron of the j'l ung. 
Hundreds yet survive to revere his memory, and their children rise up to call it blessed. 
Tlie impress of his genius and his enterprise, will long survive all that is mortal of the up- 
right citizen, the kind friend and the public benefactor. 



Here lie the remains of Thomas H. Blake, born in Calvert Co., Md., July 25, 1792, died 
in Cincinnati Nov. 28, 1849. Ho was one of the earliest settlers of this place; h;iil been 
Presiding Judge of a circuit ; a Representative in Congress; Commissioner of the Gener'i.l 
Land Office ; tilled other offices of responsibilit}' under the State and General Governments, 
and was, at the time of his death, the President Trustee of the AV abash and Erie Canal. 
For honor, frankness, and integrity, as a firm and generous friend, he was extensively 
known, and died without reproach upon his name, leaving a memory for noble manly vir- 
tues that will long be cherished. 



Richmond, in Wayne count}', is situnted 4 miles from tlie eastern bound- 
ary of the state, on the cast fork of Whitewater River, -where it is crossed 

by the National Road and Cen- 
tral Railroad, 08 miles from In- 
dianapolis. 40 from Dayton, 0., 
and ()4 N.N.W; from Cincin- 
nati. It is the center of an ac- 
tive trade, possesses railroad 
communications in various di- 
rections, and has flourishing 
manufactories of cotton, wool, 
flour, iron, paper, etc., for which 
the river affords abundant mo- 
tive power. In the vicinity are 
22 flourini;:: mills and 24 saw 
mills. A large number of agri- 
cultural implements are manu- 
factured here. The principal 
street is the old National Road, 
running cast and west, which is 
thickly built upon for about a 
mile. There is a fine bridge 
erected here, with stone abut- 
ments, over which the National Uoad passes, containing tablets or monu- 
ments erected by the citizens, on which are engraved the names of the con- 
tractors and builders of the bridge. The Friends Boanlinr/ School, about a 
mile from the post-office, is the principal literary institution, and has about 
100 students of both sexes. Population about 7,000. 

The first emiiirants to the ncigliborhood were principally from Kentucky, North 
Carolina, and Ohio. RiohmnndWas laid out in 1S16, and the lands patented to 
John Smith and Jeremiah Co.k. Jn 1818, Ezra Boswell, Thomas Swain, Robert 
Morrison, and John McLane were electeil trustees, the number of voters at the 
time being twenty-four. The town was first called Sinithjield, from the n-ame of 
the proprietor. 

Until 1817, the earl^^ emigrants procured their flour at Germantown, or some 
other distant settlement in the Miami valley. In the year named a " tub mill" was 
erected by Jeremiah Cox, where the present oil mill stands. The first opening in 
the forest was made by Woodkirk, on the land now owned by C. W. Starr, near 
where J. Cox built his brick house. The making of the National Road through 
Richmoud, in 1828, gave an impulse to the place. Dr. J. T. Plummer, in his His- 
torical Sketch of Richmond, states, "1 hold in distinct remembrance the old log 
meeting house of 1823, standing near the site of the present large brick one. I re- 




FniF.NDs' DOARMNG ScIlOOL. 



170 



INDIANA. 



member its leaky roof, letting the rain through upon the shxb benches with three 
pair of legs and no backs; its charcoal fires, kept in sugar kettles (for as j'et no 
stoves were procured), and the toes pinched with cold of the young who sat re- 
mote from the kettles," etc. 

The first post oflice was established in 1818, Robert Morrison being the first post- 
master. The first tavern stood at the north-east corner of Main and Pearl-streets, 
with the sign of a green tree: it was kept by Jonathan Bayles. The first lawyer, 
savs Dr. Piummer, ''was one Hardy, who boarded at Ephraim Laccy's tavern, and 
walked the pavement (such as it was) with his thumbs stuck in the arm-holes of 
his vest, and his head pompously thrown back spouting the phrase 'Qui facit per 
aUvm, facit per se:' but still no business came, and he concluded to go further 
south where merit was better rewarded." A Dr. Cushman came here in 1820, who 
afterward returned to Fort Wayne, where he was an associate judge. He opened 
a distillery at the south part of the town, on the side of the hill on Front-street, 
near a spriijg. A large portion of the inhabitants at that time being Friends (com- 
monly called Quakers), this entcrprize did not succeed, and the establishment 
passed into the hands of Dr. Ithamer Warner, who also soon abandoned it, and it 
went down to rise no more. Dr. Warner was the principal physician for many 
years. He came into the county about 1815, and died in Marcli, 183.5. Dr. Thos. 
Carroll, now of Cincinnati, settled in Richmond in 181'J, and left in 1823; he was 
probably the first regular physician in liichmond. 

The first newspaper published in Richmond was the Eichmond Weekh/ IntelJi- 
qencer. This was in 1821. The printing office was on Front-street; the editor 
was Elijah Lacy. The second was i\\Q Puhlic Ledger, ^n-i^i issued in 1824; the 
Richmond ralfadium was first issued in 1831. The Jeffersoniaii was established 
in 1836, by a democratic association, under the title of "Hickory Club," and was 
principally edited by S. E. Perkins, now a judge of the supreme court. The In- 
diana Farmer was commenced in 1851 : the Broad Axe of Freedom was first 
issued by .lamison k Johnson, in 1855. The Richmond Library was incorporated 
and estahlislied in 1:^26. In 1853 a railroad communication was opened to Cin- 
cinnati, by way of Dayton. 

Most of the "earliest residents of Wayne county, were members of the Society 
of Friends. The first meeting of the society was held in 1807, in a log building 
vacated by Jeremiah Cox. Jesse Jiond, John ^Ifirrow and Wm. Williams were 
among their earliest ministers. The next religious society was the Methodist Epis- 
copal, who held their first meeting in 1819, in a small log house on Front-street. 
Daniel Fraley was, perhaps, the first Methodist preacher in this section. John W. 
Sullivan was" the first stationed minister in Richmond. The first Presbyterian 
church was established in 1837, by T. E. Hughes and P. H. Golliday, with_ 28 
members; their first preacher was Charles Sturdovant. The English Evangelical 
Lutheran congregation was organized in 1853. The Catholic church was organized 
in 1846. St. Paul's Episcopal church was organized in 1838. George Fiske was 
their first- minister. The German Evangelical Lutheran was organized in 1845. 
The African Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1836. The gas works 
were built in 1S55. 



EvANSViLLE, the county seat of Vanderburgh county, is situated on the 
high northern bank of the Ohio Ptiver, 200 miles from its entrance into the 
Mississippi, 200 miles below Louisville, Ky., and 144 -S.S.W. of Indianapo- 
lis. The Wabash and Erie Canal, 4G2 miles in extent, the longest on the 
continent, terminates here. It is a place of much trade, being the chief 
mart of the rich valley of Green River, in Kentucky. The annual exports 
of the city exceed seven millions of dollars in value, of which pork, lard 
and tobacco are the principal articles. It has four extensive iron founderies, 
several large flour mills, a brass foundery, and upward of sixty steam engines 
are employed in the various manufactories. The Bodian coal mine, about a 
mile from the court house, supplies the work-shops with fuel. It contains 
14 churches, in about half of which the German language is used. The 



INDIANA. 



171 

Popu- 



Marine Hospital here is a fine building, erected at a cost of ^75,000. 
lation about 13,000. 

Evansville received its name from Robert Morgan Evans, a native of Virginia, 
who, with James W. Jones, of Kentucky, and Hngh McGary, were the three orig- 
inal proprietors of the place. The plat of the city was laid out in 1836, by these 
proprietors, and was originally covered by a dense forest. The first house in 




Souih-icesferi) view of Evansville. 

As it appears fiom tlie Kentucky side of tlie Ohio River. The side-walk in front of the line of houses, 
seen in tlie view, is 21 inches above the highest rise of water ever kuownj 

Evansville was built by Hugh McGary, the patentee of the land. It was a log 
structure, occupying the site of the Pavilion House, shown in the view; the second 
house was built by Jonathan Rubinson, on tlie river bank, between Mulberry and 
Green streets. David Hart, of I'^iyette county, Ky., Isaac Blackford, now judge 
of the court of claims, in Washington, iind Elisha Harrison, from Ohio, were among 
the first settlers of the place. 

The first school house was erected, in 1831, by joint stock, and stood directly in 
the rear of the Washington House, opposite the court house. The New School 
Presbyterian church, now standing, was erecte'd in 1832, and was the first house 
of worsliip bnilt in the place. It was used at first as a kind of union house, where 
ministers of various denominations preached. Rev. Calvin Butler, a Congrega 
tional clergyman from the east, was the first regular preacher who occupied the 
pulpit. The Freewill Baptists, in or about 1837, erected the next church build- 
ing; Rev. Benoni Stinson was their first minister. The German Lutheran and 
Catholic churches were established at or about the same period. The court house 

v.'as erected in 1856. The first tavern was kept by Wood, on Main, between 

Second and Third-streets. 

The city limits extend to Pigeon creek, the village of Lamasco being included. 
The name La-mas-co is compounded of the names of Law^ McCall and Scott, the 
original proprietors of the tract on both sides of Pigeon creek. The village was 
laid out in 18.56, and the Bodian coal mine opened the same year. This mine re- 
ceived its appellation from the maiden name of Mrs. Kersteman, the wife of the 
superintendent. It is opened 280 feet below the surface, about 200 feet lower 
than the bed of the river. The vein is 5 feet thick. The coal is delivered to the 
inhabitants of the city at ten cents per bushel, fixed by law at 75 pounds to the 
bushel. 



172 



INDIANA. 




Uai'I''s Ciii'itcir, 

From a |«'ncil sl<i'ti-li, iinul'' 
alioiit. (lie .viNir l.s:;0, I'V I'tof. 
Riciiiml 0«x-n. Tlic clnndi is 
criicifiirm in i-'liape, aljuiit 1 10 liy 
1(10 fwt, aii<t is yt stniidiii:;', 
though ilivfsted of tiie cupula. 



New Harmony is a village of about 800 inhabitants, in Posey county, in 
that part of Indiana called " the Pocket." It stands on the Wabash, about 
lUO miles from its mouth, following its meanders, but only 15 from the Ohio 
at JMount Vernon, its nearest point, and the south-westernmost town )f the 
state. The place has acquired a wide reputation 
from two socialistic experiments — the first by George 
Rapp, of Germany, and the last by liobert Owen, 
of Scotland. 

The Rappites, or, as they are sometimes called, 
Ilannonites, first emigrated from Wirtemburg, in 
Germany, about the year 1803, having left their 
country, as they asserted, on account of persecution 
for their religious opinions, and first built a town 
in western Pennsylvania, which they called Har- 
mony. But having the cultivation of the grape 
very much at heart, which did not appear to thrive 
ns well as they wished, they sold out their estab- 
lishment at Harmony, and in 1814, under the 
guidance of their pastor,''Rev. George Rapp, moved 
tf the Wabash, where the 'climate was supposed to 
be more congenial .to their wishes. There they 
cleared the land, built a beautiful village, which 
they called New Harmony, containing about 150 
Ikjuscs, planted orchards and vineyards, ere(;ted 
mills and factories of various kinds, and made "the 
wilderness blossom like the rose." According to their system, all property 
was held in common, there being no such thing known to them as an indi- 
vidual owning any. After remaining some eight or ten years, the Rappitea 
discovered that the unhealthiness of this then new country, called for a 
change of climate, so they bent a speedy reti-eat. The society, therefore, re-_ 
turned to Pennsylvania in 1825, and selecting a site on the Ohio, 18 miles 
beltiw Pittsburg, cleared the land, and built the present handsome town of 
I'jcononiy, Avhich contains some 500 inhabitants. It is yet a thriving com- 
munity, and since the death of its Ibunder, is governed by nine trustees. 
The Duke of Saxe W^eimer, who visited Economy about the year 1S2G, haf 
left some interesting facts, upon the peculiarities of the Rappites : 

At the inn, a fine large frame house, we were received by Mr. Kapp, the princi 
pal, at the head of the cominunitj. He is a gray-headed and venerable old man 
most of the members emigrated 21 years ago from Wirteinburi; along with him. 

'Jlie elder Kapp is a large man of 70 years old, wliose powers age seems not tt 
have diminished; his hair is gray, but his blue eyes, overshadowed by strong 
brows, are fiid of life and lire. " Kapp's system is nearly the same as Owen's com 
muiiity of goods, and all members of the society work together for the common in 
terest, by which the welfare of each individual is secured. Kapp does not hold 
his society toi;;ethcr by these hopes alone, but also by the tie of religion, which is 
entirely wantinii; in Owen's community; and results declare that Rapp's system is 
the better. No great results can be expected from Owen's plan; and a sight of it 
is very little in its favor. What is most striking and wonderful of all is, tiiat so 
phxin a man as I^app can so successfully bring and keep together a society of 
nearly 700 persons, who, in a manner, honor him as a prophet. Equally so_ for 
example is ins power of government, which (.'an siisj^end the intercourse of the 
sexes. He found that the society was becoming too numerous, wherefore t!ie mem- 
bers a;:rced to live with their le ires as sisters. All nearer intercourse is forbidden, 
as well as marriaire; both are diseourai:;cd. However, some marriages constantly 
occur, and children are born every year, for whom there is provided a school and 



INDIANA. -fijo 

a teacher. The members of the community manifest the very highest dei-roe of 
veneration for the elder Eapp, whom they address and treat as a father. Mr. 
Frederick Rapp is a large, good-looking personage, of 40 years of age. He pos- 
sesses profound mercantile knowledge, and is the temporal, as his "father is the 
spiritual cliief of the community. All business passes through his hands; he re- 
presents the society, which, notwithstanding the change in the name of residence, 
is called the Harmony J^ociety, in all their dealings with the world. They found 
that the farming and cattle raising, to Avhich the" society exclusively attended in 
both their former places of residence, Avere not sufficiently productive for their in- 
dustry, they therefore have established factories. 

The warehouse was shown to us, where the articles made here for sale or use 
are preserved, and I admired the excellence of all. The articles for the use of the 
society are kept by themselves, as the members have no private possessions, and 
everything is in common ; so must they in relation to all their personal wants be 
supplied from the common stock. 'J'he clothing and food they make use of is of 
the best quality. Of the latter, flour, salt meat, and all long keeping articles, are 
served out monthly; fresh meat, on the contrary, and whatever spoils readily, is 
distributed whenever it is killed, according to the size of the family, etc. As every 
house has a garden, each family raises its own vegetables, and some poultry, and 
each family has its own bake oven. For such things as are not raised in Economy, 
there is a store provided, from which the members, with the knowledge of the di- 
rectors, may purchase what is necessary, and the people of the vicinity may also 
do the same. 

Mr. Ifapp finally conducted us into the factory again, and said that the.girls had 
especially reqticsted this visit, that 1 might hear them sing. When theii^work is 
done, they collect in one of the factory rooms, to the number of 60 or 70, to sim^ 
spiritual and other songs. They have a peculiar hymn book, containing hymns 
from the Wirtemburg psalm book, and others written by the elder Rapp. "A chair 
was placed for the old patriarch, who sat amidst the girls, nnd they commenced a 
hymn in a very delightful manner. It vras naturnlly symphoniousand exceedingly 
Avell arranged. The girls sang four pieces, at first sacred, but afterward, by Mr. 
Rapp's desire, of a gay character. With real emotion did 1 witness this interest- 
ing scene. The factories and workshops are warmed during winter by means of 
pipes connected with the steam-engine. All the workmen, and especially the fe- 
males, had very healthy complexions, and moved me deeply by the warm-hearted 
friendliness with which they saluted the elder Rapp. T was also much gratified to 
see vessels containing fresh sweet smelling flowers standing on all the machines. 
The neatness which universally reigns here is in every respect worthy of praise. 

The second socialistic experiment here, proved less successful than the 
first. We give its history in the annexed communication from a corres- 
pondent familiar with the details: 

In 1824, the village of the Rappites, including 20,000 acres of land, was pur- 
chased by Mr. Robert Owen, of New Lanark, Scotland, who, after a most success- 
ful experiment in ameliorating the physical and moral condition of the lal)oring 
classes in that manufacturing village, believed that New Harmony would be a 
highly suitable jjlace for testing his "social system," as explained 'in his "New 
Views of Societ\'." As soon, therefore, as the'Harmonites had removed, to estab- 
lish themselves at Economy, Pennsylvania, he gave a general invitation for those 
favorable to the community, in opposition to the conipetitive system, to give its 
practicability a fair trial at Now Harmony. The call was responded to by aljout 
seven or eight hundred persons, and Mr. Owen was also joined by another wealtliv 
gentleman from Scotland, Mr. William Maclure, who purchased from Mr. Oweii 
part of the property ; and for one year the community progressed, in some respects, 
rather favorably, but chiefly at their expense, under' the name of "The Prelimina- 
ry Society." As all institutions, however, to be permanent, must be selfsnstain- 
ing, unless largely endoAved, the above society, hoping better to eflect the desired 
object by a division into departments having more immediately similar views and 
interests, formed agricultural, educational, and other similar subdivisions, or com- 
munities, which sustained themselves, at the furthest, two years more; being 



IH 



INDIANA. 



hrokon up partly by designing individuals, who joined the society only from selfish 
motives; partly also from inexperience in so novel an experiment; and partly, 
doubtless, from the difficulty of any large number of persons ever having views 
sufficiently similar to enable them to co-operate successfully for the common good. 

Since that social experiment, a period to which (although a failure as regards its 
pecuniary sustaining power) many of the older inhabitants still look back M'ith 
pleasure, as a promotive of benevolent, unselfish feeling, the houses, lots and ad- 
joining lands have passed into the hands of individuals; and New Harmony pro- 
gresses gradually, on the old sj-stem, being a quiet, orderly country town, geograph- 
ically out of the great commercial thoroughfare. 

'J'he entire surviving family of the late Robert Owen, comprising three sons, one 
daughter, and numerous grandchildren, still resides there. The eldest son, Ko)>ert 
Dale Owen, represented the first district in congress, and has since been minister 
to Naples; the second son, W'illiam, died there some years since. The third son, 
Dr. D. D. Owen, has conducted two geological surveys for the United States, and 
is state geologist for three western states; he possesses, in New Harmony, one of 
the best scientific collections in the west, and a well-appointed laboratory. The 
fourth son, Dr. Richard Owen, wa.s for nearly ten years professor of geology in the 
Western Military Institute (latterly the literary department of the University of 
Nashville, Tennessee), and later connected with the geological survey of Indiana. 
The dau!?liter, .Mrs. I"'auntleroy, is widow of the late li. H. Fauntleroy, who lost 
his life in the service of the U. S. coast survey. 

New llarniony was, at one period, the home of various distinguished individu- 
als, who-united in the social experiment, such as: Dr. G. Troost, the celebrated 
mineralogist, afterwanl state ffeoliigi.-it of Tennessee, and professor in the Univer- 
sity of Nashville; of Wm. V. D'Arusmont, who married Miss Frances Wright; of 
Thomas Say, the naturalist, to whose memory a fine monument was erected in 
New Harmony ; of Joseph Neef, formerly an associate with Pestalozzi ; of C A. 
Lesneur, the ichthyologist, who was naturalist in the voyage of La Ferouse to New 
Holland, afterward curator of the Havre museum; and the town is still the resi- 
dence of several scientific persons, and the seat of the Indiana School of Practical 
Sciences. 

As noted above, the celebrated Fanny Wright was connected with the 
social sehenie of Mr. Owen, at New Harmony. Thirty years ago lier name 
was in the public papers of the day, as the most prominent of " the strong 
minded " of her sex in all the land. She was gifted with mental powers 
which impressed every one who approached her. Tlio annexed sketch of 
this extraordinary woman is from a published source: 

She was born at Dundee, in Scotl;\nd, it is believed, in 179(3, and was better 
known by her maiden name, Fanny Wright, than by that of her husband, Darus- 
mout. Her father, Mr. Wright, was intimate vt'ith Dr. Adam Smith, Dr. C'ullen, 
and other men of literary and scientific eminence in his day. Hence, proliahly, 
his daughter, Fanny, became tinctured with an ambition to distinguish herself as 
a propagandist of social and political novelties. At the age of eighteen she wrote 
a little book, called " A Few Da^-s in Athens," in which she defended the opinions 
and character of Epicurus. 

In 1818 she visited America, where she remained three years, and soon after pub- 
lished her observations under the title of " Views on Society and Manners in Amer- 
ica." She afterward visited Paris in compliance with an invitation from La Fayette. 
Aftpr her return to America, alxiut the year 1825, she purchased 2,000 acres of 
land in Tennessee, subsequently the site of ^lemphis, and j^eopled it with a num 
ber of slave famUies whom she had redeemed. 

In 1833, she appeared as a public lecturer. Her deep soprano voice, her com- 
manding figure, and marvelous eloquence, combined with hor zealous attacks on 
negro slavery, and some other prominent features in American institutions, soon 
made her famous throughout our country. Her powers of oratory drew crowds of 
listeners, especially in New York: Fanny Wright Societies were formed, resemb- 
ling those (it the French Communists. 

Elated by her powers of oratory, she visited all the principal cities of the Amer- 



INDIANA. 



175 



ican Union; but as she too frequently made the philosophy of her " Few Days in 
Athens " the groundwork of her discourses, she aroused the hostility of the press 
and the clergy. During two years she battled, as it wore single-handed, by means 
of her pen and verbally, with her powerful foes, and kept her name ringing through- 
out the country. Meanwhile she had her redeemed slaves taught agricultural pur- 
suits, and educated in general knowledge; but although ior a time promising well, 
from some cause not generally known, the experiment failed, and the slaves were 
sent to Hayti. 

She then joined Robert Owen in his Communist scheme at New Harmony, edit- 
ing the Gazette, and lecturing in behalf of the enterprise, in some of the large 
cities and towns of the western states, but with a success which did not equal her 
expectations. Subsequently, Miss Wright married M. A'Drusmont, aman who pro- 
fessed her own system of philosophy; but they soon separated, and she resided 
during the remainder of her life in America, with an only daughter, the fruit of 
her marriage. Her husband's suit at law, to obtain possession of her property, 
added still further to her notoriety. 

This circumstance, and her ill health, tended to cool her political enthusiasm, if 
not to modif}" her opinions. Iler experience did not, on the whole, afiord much 
cause for self-gratulation, or furnish encour.agoment to others to embark in any sim- 
ilar enterprises for the reformation of society. She died at Cincinnati, January 
13, 1853, aged 57 years. 




Soittheastern view in Cai/ioiui-street, Fori Waj/ne. 

Fort Wayne, the county seat of Allen county, is situated on the line of 
the Wabash and Erie Canal, at the confluence of the St. Joseph's and St. 
Mary's Rivers, which here unite and form the Maumee, 112 miles N.E. from 
Indianapolis, 110 E.N.E. IVoui Lafayette, and 96 W. from Toledo. It is a 
flourishing; place, and by means of its railroad, canal and plank road com- 
munications, is quife a center of business. It is regularly laid out on level 
and fertile prairie land. About half the population are of recent foreign de- 
scent. Four newspapers are published in this place, one of which is in the 
German language. Population in 1860, 10,388. 

The Twightees, a branch of the Miami tribe, had a village at Fort Wayne, 
in their language called Ke-hi-o-que. At one time it was called " French 
Store," as it was for a long time a trading post of that nation, and the site 
of a military post. About the year 1764 the English built a fort here. 
Old Fort Wayne was erected here in 179-4, and was continued a military post 
until 1819, until the removal of the Miamis and Pottawatomies, in 1841: it 
was resorted to by them for the disposal of their furs, and to spend their 



176 



INDIANA, 



annuities. It was against the Indian villages in this vicinity, that Ilarmar's 
expedition was directed, the particulars of which we annex: 

" In the autumn of 1790, about 1,300 troops, of whom less than one fourth were 
regulars, marched from Cincinnati, under General llarmer, against the Indian 
towns on the Maumee, near the site of Fort Wayne. Wlien Avithin a short dis- 
tance of their point of destination. Col. Hardin was detached with six hundred and 
fifty men. This advance, on reaching the Indian villages found them deserted. 
The next day, the main body having arrived, their towns, containini;; three hun- 
dred wigwams, were burnt, the fruit trees girdled, and 20,000 bushels of corn de- 
stroyed. While the troops were at tl)e villages, a detachment of one hundred and 
liftv Kentucky militia and thirty regulars, under Col. llardin, were sent on an In- 
dian trail, when they i'ell into an ambush of seven hundred warriors under Little 
Turtle. At tlie first fire the militia fled without firing a shot, but the thirty regu- 
lars resisted with the greatest obstinacy until all were killed, except two officers 
and two or tliree private*. I'-nsigu Armstrong was saved b^- falling behind a log 
while on the retreat, which screened him from his pursuers; while Captain Arm- 
strong!; was preserved by plunging up to his neck in a swamp. Tiiere he remained 
all ni^ht a spectatm- of tlie war dance over the bodies of the dead and wounded 
soldiers, and the shrieks of the latter, as they were tortured, mingling with the 
yells of the savages. 

When the army had proceeded one day on the return march, Col. llardin and 
Maj. Willis were sent back with four hundred men, of whom sixty were regulars, 
to surprise the Indians, whcun it was supposed would return. On entering the 
town a few of the enemy were seen, who immediately fled, and decoyed the militia 
into an irregular pursuit in different directions. This being accomplished. Little 
Turtle fell, with his main body, upon the regulars with great fury. They threw 
down their guns, and with tiieir tomahawks, rushed upon the bayonets of the sol- 
diers. While a soldier was engai;ed in the use of his bayonet upon one Indian, 
two others would sink their tomahawks in hi.s head. The result was that every 
reiiular fell, together with their gallant major. Ere the conflict was over, a part 
of the militia wdio had returned from the pursuit, joined in the contest, but were 
compelled to retreat, leaving the dead and wounded in the hands of the enemy. 

The expedition, in destroying the Indian villages, had accomplished the great 
object of its mission, although under circumstances of misfortune. It was suc- 
ceeded by such vigorous exertions, on the part of the savages, that they must have 
succeeded in breaking up the American settlements, were it not for the total de- 
struction of their property and provisions just at the approach of winter," 

The siege of Fort Wayne, in the war of 1812, was a memorable event in 
the history of this region, the particulars of which we derive from Howe's 
"Great West:" 

In August, 1812, immediately after the disgraceful surrender of Hull, about five 
hundredlndian warriors laid siege to Fort Wayne, a dilapidated structure of W0(}d 
which had been built in AVayne's campaign, near the north-eastern corner of In- 
diiina, at the junction of the St. Joseph s and St. Mary's Rivers, main branches of 
the I^Iaumee. The garrison, amounting to less than one seventh of their number, 
was commanded by Capt. Rhea, an old officer broken down by intemperance, and 
of a timid disposition. As at that period the whole surrounding region was a wil 
dernoss, and they were far from succor, their danger was imminent. 

They were finally saved from the horrors of an Indian massacre, by the daring 
bravery and address of a young Virginian, named William Oliver. This young 
man, scarce twenty-one years of age, to a slender and delicate, though active figure, 
united in a high degree the qualities of undaunted courage, enthusiasm, firmness, 
and sagacity. A resident of Fort Wayne, he was at this time, temporarily absent 
at Cincinnati, and learning on his return route that the Indians had appeared be- 
fore the fort, he voluntarily hurried back to the city to urge the troops stationed 
at that point to hasten to its relief. This being accomplished, he set out again with 
all speed toward the fort, intending to reach it, and penetrate through its swarm 
of surrounding savages in advance of the relief, for the purpose of encouraging 
the garrison to persevere in its defense until their arrival. 



INDIANA. 177 

At St. Marv's River he came to an encampment of Ohio militia, with whom wag 
Thomas Worthin^ton, of Chillicothe (afterward governor of Ohio), then on t e 
frontier as Indian commissioner, to whom Oliver communicated his intention (if 
f^ntering the fort, or of perisliing in the attempt. Worthington had been originally 
opposed to the policy of declaring war ; but now that it had been commenced, was 
zealous for its vigorous prosecution ; yet this did not save him from the taunt of an 
ill-bred brother of&cer, who accused him of a want of patriotism. I^eing a high 




View of old Fort Wayne. 

[Copied from E. P. .Abbott's M,ap of the city of Fort Wayne, published in 1855.] 

spirited man of the keenest sense of honor, this accusation stung Worthington to 
the quick, and he felt eager to embark in any enterprise, howsoever desperate, to 
show the unjustness of the charge, and his willingness to peril his all for his coun- 
try. In him Oliver found a zealous confederate, notwithstanding old experienced 
frontiersmen endeavored to dissuade him from the dangerous undertaking. United- 
ly, they induced sixty eight of the militia, and sixteen Shawnee Indians, to accom- 
pany them. 

On the second day's march, thirty-six of the party, consulting their fears, secret- 
ly deserted their companions, and returned to the main body. The remainder con- 
tinued their route, and at sunset in their camp, heard the evening gun from the 
fort, through an intervening forest of twenty-four miles. As the reduced party was 
not strong enough to encounter the enemy, Worthington was very reluctimtly in- 
duced to remain at this point with his men, while Oliver, with three friendly In- 
dians, pushed on. Being well armed and mounted, they started at day-break the 
lext morning, proceeding with gretit caution. When within five miles of the fort, 
/ihey perceived holes which the Indians had dug on each side of the road for con- 
iealment, and to cut off all who should approach toward the place. Upon observ- 
ing those, they abandoned the main road, struck off across the country, and reached 
the Maumee one and a half miles below the fort. Tying their horses in a thicket, 
they stole cautiously along through the forest to ascertain if the Indians had ob- 
tained possession. Oliver at length discovered, with feelings of joy, the American 
flag waving above the fort; but not deeming even this as conclusive, he approached 
on the east side so near as not only to discern the blue uniform of a sentinel, but 
to recognize in his countenance that of an acquaintance. 

Having satisfied himself on this point, they returned, remounted their horses, 
and taking the main road, moved rapidly onward. Upon reaching the gate of the 
esplanade, they found it locked, and were thus compelled to pass down the river 
bank, and then ascend it at the northern gate. They were favored in doing so, by 
the withdrawal of the savages from this point, in carrying out a plan, then on the 
point of consummation, for taking the fort by an ingenious stratagem. 

For several days previous to this time, the hostile chiefs, under a flag of truce, 
had baen holding intercourse with the garrison. In their interviews with Captain- 
Khea, that officer had shown such a spirit of timidity, that they felt persuaded that 

12 



178 INDIANA, 

it could be made avjiilable at the proper moment, to put him and his men in their 
power. They had, accordingly, arranged their warriors in a semicircle on the Avest 
and south sides of the fort, and at a short distance from it. Five of the chiefs, un- 
der pretense of treating with tlie officers of the garrison, were to pass into the 
fort, and gain admittance into the council-room with scalping-knives and pistols se- 
creted under their blankets. Then, at a certain signal, they were to assassinate 
the two subaltern officers, seize Captain IJhea, and with threats of instant death, 
if he did not comply, and promises of safety, if ho did, compel him to order the 
gates to be thi-own open for the admission of their warriors. 

The plan, thus arranged, was in the act of being carried into execution, at the 
moment when Oliver and his companions reached the gate. Their safe arrival at 
that particular moment, may be justly considered as miraculous. One hour sooner 
or one hour later w^ould have, no doubt, been inevitable destruction both to himself 
and escort ; the parties of Indians who had kept close guard, for eight days previ- 
ous, upon the roads and passes in different directions, having all, at that moment, 
been called in to aid in carrying the fort. 

Winnemac, Five Medals, and three other hostile chiefs, bearing the flag of truce, 
under which they were to gain admittance to carry out their treacherous intentions, 
were surprised by suddenly meeting at the gate Oliver and his companions. Com- 
ing from different directions, and screened by the angles of the f(jrt, they were not 
visible to each other until that moment. Winnemac showed great chagrin, uttered 
an ejaculation of disappointment, and hastil}- returning to the Indian camp, in- 
formed the chiefs and warriors that the stratagem was defeated. 

Oliver immediately upon his arrival, wrote a hasty letter to Worthington, de- 
scribing the situation of the fort, which he sent by the Indians. Luckily their 
movements were not observed, until they had actually started from the garrison 
gate. They now put spurs to their horses, and dashed off at full speed. The hos- 
tile Indians were instantly in motion to intercept them ; the race was a severe and 
perilous one, but they cleared the enemy's line in safet}^, and then their loud shout 
of triumph rose high in the air, and fell like music upon the ears of the beleaguered 
garrison. They safely delivered the letter, and a few days after Gen. Harrison ar- 
rived with reinforcements, the enemy having continued the siege until within a 
few hours of his arrival, and that, too, with- such perseverance, that the vigilance 
of tiie garrison alone saved them from a general conflagration from the burning 
arrows of the savages.* ^ 

In tlie year 1830, Fort Wayno contained about 100 inhabitants. The old 
fort was situated in the north-eastern section of the city ; the AVabash and 
Erie Oanal passes through a part of its site. The first church erected was 
built by the Old School Presbyterians; this house is still standing, and is 
now occupied by the English Lutherans. The Methodists erected the second 
church, the Baptists the third. The Catholics erected their first house of 
worship on Calhoun-street, and it is now standing. The first regular Pro- 
testant clergyman was Rev. James Chute, from Colum^^us, Ohio. The Rev. 
Stephen R. Ball and N. B. Griffiths were the first Methodist preachers; they 
preached at first in the north-west part of the place, in a brick school-house, 
long since taken down. This school-house was the first built. Benjamin 
Cushman and Lewis G. Thompson were among the early physicians. David 
H. Colerick and Henry P. Cooper were among the early lawyers. The "Fort 
Wayne Sentinel" was established about 1833, by Noel & Tigar; their office 
stood at the east end of the canal basin, near or on the spot where the ware- 
house of Messrs. Hill & Orbison now stands. The " Fort Wayne Weekly 
Times" was established as a whig journal, in 1840. 

Litth Turtle, the celebrated Indian chieftain, died at this place in 1812, 
his grave, near Fort Wayne, used to be shown to visitors, and was formerly 

*OUper was postmaster at Cincinnati, in Taylor's administration. He died there a few 
years since. 



INDIANA. 



179 



mucli visited by the Indians, who cherished his memory with great respect 
and veneration. He commanded the Indians at the defeat of St. Clair. The 
following notice appeared in the public prints at the time of his death: 
"Fort Wayne, July 21, 1812. — On the 14th inst., the celebrated Miami 
chief, the Little Turtle^ died at this place, at the age of 65 years. Perhaps 
there is not left on this continent one of his color so distinguished in coun- 
cil and in war. His disorder was the gout. He died in a camp, becau.se he 
chose to be in the open air. He met death with great firmness. The agent 
for Indian affairs had him buried with the honors of war, and other marks 
of distinction suited to his character." 



The following inscriptions are from monuments in the graveyard at Fort 

Wayne : 

Sacred to the memory of Col. Alexander Ewing, one of the bravest soldiers of the Rev- 
olution : from the j'ear 1780 to the peace of 178-3, he was actively engaged in the Ranger 
service on the frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania. He was a volunteer at the battle 
of the Thame?, in 1813, and among the first who broke the British lines on that occasion, 
so glorious to the arms of his country. Died at Fort Wayne, Jan. 1, 1827, aged 60 years. 



Sacred to the memory of Charles W. Ewing, eldest son of Col. A. and Mrs. C. Ewing, 
Attorney and Counsellor at Law and President Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit of the 
State of Indiana. Died at Fort Wayne, Jan. 9, 1843, aged 45 years. 



Samuel Bigger, late Governor of this State, died Sept. 9, 1846. A patriot and a Christ- 
ian, he died in the full hope of a glorious immortality. 

I would not live always, no, welcome the tomb : 
Since Jesus has been there, I dread not its gloom. 

Optatum, meum suavium, quod. Te in terram retnuevit, condonato. 



Rev. Samuel Brenton, A.M., died March 29, 1857, aged 46 yrs. 4 mo. 7 da. He was a 
devoted minister of the M. E. church, and 4 years a member of Congress. He was faithful 
to his Country, the Church, and his God. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, 
for the end of that man is peace. Rejoice in the Lord always. 



Samuel Lewis, born June 13, 1796, died Jan. 2, 1843. He filled with distinction import- 
ant civil offices, and was eminent as a Christian. 



In memory of Mary, wife of Rev. A. T. Rankin, Pastor of the First Presbyterian 
Church, Fort Wayne, la., who departed this life July 19, 1841, aged 31 years. Here rests 
all that can die of a Home Missionary. Her work is done. She sleeps in Jesus. 



Rev. Jesse Hoover, died May 24, 1838, aged 28 years. Organizer of the first German 
Evangelical Church at Fort Wayne, in the year 1836, and was its faithful pastor till God 
called him home. 

Mir nach spricht Christus unser Held. 



Hier ruhe in Gott Adam H. Wefel, geb, am 7 Jum 1802, gett am Mai, 1852. Sammt 
feinen 6 vereits vor ihm eatfchlenen kindern harret er nun der seligen und froehlichen Nu- 
ferstedung der Todten. Weun Gottes Mort nieht ware mein Troft gewesen so ware ieh 
vergangen meinen elende. 



Lafayette, the capital of Tippecanoe county, is next to Indianapolis, 
the most important city of Central Indiana. It is on the Wabash River, and 
on the Wabash and Erie Canal, with three or four important railroad lines 
passing through it, and distant 6-dl: miles north-west of Indianapolis. By 
river, canal, and railroad, it is united with 78 counties of the state. Im- 
mediately around the city for miles, lie some of the richest poili'Mis of In- 



180 



INDIANA. 



diana. It also possesses all the elements necessary to a flourishing manu- 
facturing cit}'. By river, canal and creeks, sites for machinery propelled by 
water can be obtained of any amount of power, while by railroad and canal 
it is brought into the immediate neighborhood of inexhaustible mines of 




"^ 







Southern View of Lafnyeite frtnn near the Va/Icy IluilroaJ. 

The Wabash River, canal, etc., pass by the distant buildings which arc nn the extreme left. Ohio-street, 
passing the two principal Hotels and the Court House, appears in the ciiili:il [ail. The Presbyterian and 
other churches on the right. 

coal, iron and clay, and other materials necessary to carry on successfully all 
kinds of manufactures. Lafayette was laid out, on government land. May 
17, 1825, by William Digby : it has 14 churches and in 18G0, 9,42G inhab- 
itants. 

In the heart of the city on the public square, a few years since, while bor- 
ing for jiure water at the depth of 230 feet, a stream of medicinal water was 
struck. A careful analysis proves it of immense value, and to compare fa- 
vorably with the most celebrated mineral waters of Europe. It is similar to 
the Blue Lick Springs of Kentucky, and is a salt sulphur water. It is ap- 
plicable to numerous diseases, viz : bronchitis, rheumatism, dyspepsia, dis- 
eases of the liver, kidneys, sexual organs, and in general for disturbances of 
the secretive organs or surfaces. The stream is constant and ample for all 
bathing and drinking purposes. 

Seven miles north of Lafayette, on the line of the railroad to Chicago, is 
the Battle Field of Tippecanoe, where, just before the gray of morning, Nov. 
7, 1811, Gen. William Henry Harrison, then governor of the territory of 
Indiana, at the head of 900 men, principally militia and volunteers, defeated 
an equal body of Indians under the Prophet, Tenskwautawa, the brother of 
Tecumseh. The town of the Prophet. Kcth-tip-e-ca-mink, corrupted in mod- 
ern orthography, to Tippecanoe^ stood over a mile distant, on the Wabash: it 
extended along the stream from the site of Davis' Ferry to the mouth of 
the Tippecanoe. Tecumseh was not present in the action, being absent at 
the south amon"; the Creeks and Semiuoles. to unite them with the northern 



INDIANA. Igj 

tribes in liis grand eonfeileracy against the whites. The subjoined narra- 
tive of the battle is from Drake's Tecumseh : 

On the 5th of November, ISll, Gov. Harrison, with about 900 effective troops, 
composed of 250 of the 4th regiment United States infantry, 130 vohmteers, and a 
body of militia, encamped within 10 miles of the Prophefs town. Ou the next 





Eauieni I'lifw oj' <'/.d Jiaiile Field of Tippecanoe. 

Tlip iilacr tif Hanison's eiicjiiniiniciit is slicvvn 1>\ llie im-kisccl feijce, williiii wliii ]i is six or eiglit acies of 
ground. Tlu- main body of Die bJiVHficK wtic ii flic vlitat field in fjrnt, tiiis fide of the railroad. It waa 
then a marsh, coverid with tail grass, in which they were concealed. 

day, when the army was within five miles of the village, reconnoitering parties of 
the Indians Avere seen, but they rcl'used to hold any conversation witli the inter- 
preters sent forward by the governor to open a communication with them. When 
within a mile and a half of the town, a halt was made, for the purpose of encamp- 
ing for the nijiht. Several of the field oiKcers urged the governor to make an im- 
mediate assault on the village; but this he declined, as his instructions from the 
president were positive, not to attack the Indians, as long as there was a proba- 
bility uf their complyini;: with the demands of government. Upon ascertaining, 
however, that the ground continued favorable for the disposition of his troops, quite 
up to the town, he determined to approach still nearer to it. In the meantime, 
Capt Dul)ois, with an interpreter, was sent forward to ascertain Avhether the 
Prophet would comply with the terms proposed by the governor. The Indians, 
however, would make no reply to these inquiries, but endeavored to cut off the 
messengers from the army. When this fact was reported to the governor, he de- 
termined to consider the Inditins as enemies, and at once march upon their town. 
He had proceeded but a short "distance, however, before he was met by three In- 
dians, one of them a principal counselor to the Prophet, who stated that they were 
sent to know why the army was marching upon their town — that the Prophet was 
desirous of avoiding hostilities — that he had sent a pacific message to (lov. Harri- 
son by the Miami and Potawatomie chiefs, but that those chiefs had unfortunately 
gone down on the south side of the Wabash, and had thus failed to meet him. 
Accordingly, a suspension of hostilities was agreed upon, and the terms of peaco 



132 INDIANA. 

were to be settled on the following morning by the governor and the chiefs. In 
moving the army toward the Wabash, to encamp for the night, tlie Indians became 
afain alarmed, supposing that an attack was about to be made on the town, not- 
withstanding the armistice which had just been concluded. They accordingly be- 
oan to prepare for defense, and some of them sallied out, calling upon the advanced 
corps, to halt. The governor immediately rode forward, and assured the Indians 
that it was not his intention to attack them, but that he was only in search of a 
suitable piece of ground on which to encamp his troops. He inquired if there 
was anv other water convenient, beside that which the river afforded; and an In- 
dian with whom he was well acquainted, answered, that the creek which had been 
crossed two miles back, ran through the prairie to the north of the village. A 
halt wag then ordered, and Majors Piatt, Clark and Taylor, were sent to examine 
this creek, as well as the river above the town, to ascertain the correctness of the 
information, and decide on the best ground for an encampment. In the course of 
half an hour, the two latter reported that they had found, on the creek, everything 
that could be desirable in an encampment — an elevated spot, nearly surrounded 
by an open prairie, with water convenient, and a sufficiency of wood for fuel. * 
The army was now marched to this spot, and encamped "on a dry piece of ground, 
which rose about 10 feet above the level of a marshy prairie in front toward the 
town; and, about twice as high above a similar prairie in the rear; through which, 
near the foot of the hill, ran a small stream clothed with willows and brushwood. 
On the left of the encampment, this bench of land became wider; on the right, 
it gradually narrowed, and terminated in an abrupt point, about 150 yards from 
the right bank." j 

The encampment was about three fourths of a mile from the Prophet's town; 
and orders were given, in the event of a night attack, for each corps to maintain its 
position, at all hazards, until relieved or further orders were given to it. The 
Avliole army was kept, during the night, in the military position, which is called, 
Ivinf on their arms. The regular troops lay in their tents, with their accouti-e- 
liients on, and their arms by their sides. The militia had no tents, but slept with 
tneir clothes and pouches on, and their guns under them, to keep them dry. The 
order of the encampment was the order of battle, for a night attack; and as every 
man slept opposite to his post in the line, there was nothing for the troops to do, 
in case of an assault, but to rise and take their positions a few steps in the rear of 
the fires around which they had reposed. The guard of the night consisted of two 
captain's commands of 42 men, and four non-commissioned officers each; and two 
subaltern's guards of 20 men and non-commissioned officers each — the whole 
amounting to about 130 men, under the command of a field officer of the day. 
The night was dark and cloudy, and after midnight there was a drizzling rain. It 
was not anticipated by the governor or his officers, that an attack would be made 
during the night: it was supposed that if tiie Indians had intended to act offen- 
sively^ it would have been done on the march of the army, where situations pre- 
sented themselves that would have given the Indians a great advantage. Indeed. 
Avithin three miles of the town, the itrmy had passed over ground so broken and 
unfavorable to its march, that the position of the troops was necessarily changed 
several times, in the course of a mile. The enemy, moreover, had fortified their 
town with care and great labor, as if they intended to act alone on the defensive. 
It was a favorite spot with the Indians, having long been the scene of those myste- 
rious rites, performed by their Prophet, and by which they had been taught to be- 
lieve that it was impregnable to the assaults of the white man. 

At four o'clock in the morning of the 7th, Gov. Harrison, according to his prac- 
tice, had risen, preparatory to the calling up the troops; and was engaged, while 
drawing on his boots by the fire, in conversation with Gen. Wells, Col. Owen, and 
Majors Taylor and Hurst. The orderly-drum had been roused for the purpose of 
giving the signal for the troops to turn out, when the attack of the Indians sud- 
denly commenced upon the left fiank of the camp. The whole army was instantly 
on its feet; the camp-fires were extinguished; the governor mounted his horse and 

*M'Afee's History of the Late War. f Ibid. 



INDIANA. 183 

proceeded to the point of attack. Several of the companies had taken their places 
in the line within forty seconds from the report of the first liun; and the whole of 
the troops were prepared for action in tlie course of two minutes; a fj\ct as credit- 
al>le to their own activity and bravery, as to tlie skill and eneriry of their officers. 
The battle soon became general, and was maintained on both sides with signal and 
even desperate valor. The Indians advanced and retreated by the aid of a rattling 
noise, made with deer hoofs, and persevered in their treacherons attack with an ap- 
parent determination to comjuer or die upon the spot. The battle raged with un- 
abated fury and mutual slaughter, until daylight, when a gallant and successful 
charge by our troops, drove the enemy into the swamp, and put an end to the 
conflict. 

Prior to the assault, tlie Prophet had given assurances to his followers, that in 
the coming contest, the Great Spirit would render the arms of the Americans una- 
vailing; that their bullets would fall harmless at the feet of the Indians; that the 
latter should have light in abundance, wiiile the former would be involved in thick 
darkness. Availing liimself of the privilege conferred by his peculiar office, and, 
perhaps, unwilling in his own person to attest at once the rival powers of a sham 
prophecy and a real American bullet, he prudently took a position on an adjacent 
eminence; and, when the action begun, he entered upon the performance of 
certain mystic rites, at the same time singing a war-song. In the course of 
the engagement, he was informed that his men were falling: he told them to 
fight on, it would soon be as he had predicted ; and then, in louder and wilder strains, 
his inspiring battle-song was heard commingling with the sharp crack of the rifle 
and the shrill war-hoop of his brave but deluded followers. 

Throughout the accion, the Indians manifested more boldness and perseverance 
than had, perhaps, ever been exhibited by them on any former occasion. This 
was owini:', it is supposed, to the influence of the Prophet, who, by the aid of his 
incantations, had inspired them with a belief that they would certainly overcome 
their enemy : the supposition, likewise, that they had taken the governor's army 
by surprise, doubtless contributed to the despcr.ite character of their assaults. They 
were commanded by some daring chiefs, and although their spiritual leader was 
not actually in the battle, he did much to encourage his followei's in their gallant 
attack. Of the force of the Indians engaged, there is no certain account. The 
ordinary number at the Prophet's town during the preceding summer, was 450; 
but a few days before the action, they had been joined by all the Kickapoos of the 
prairie, and by several bamls of tlie Pottawatumics, from the Illinois River, and 
the St. Joseph's, of Lake Michigan. Their number on the night of the engage- 
ment was probably between 8U0 and 1,0U0. Some of the Indians who were in the 
action, subsequently informed the agent at Fort Wayne, that there were more than 
1,000 warriors in the battle, and that the number of wounded was unusually great. 
In the precipitation of their retreat, they left 08 on the field ; some were buried 
during the engagement in their town, others, no doubt, died subsequently of their 
wounds. The whole number of their killeil, was proliablj^ not less than 50. 

Of the army under Gov. Harrison, 35 were killed in the action, and 25 died sub- 
sequently of their wounds: the total number of killed and wounded was one hun- 
dred and eighty-eight. 

Both officers and men behaved with much coolness and bravery — qualities 
which, in an eminent degree, marked the conduct of Gov. Harrison throughout the 
engagement. The peril to which he was subjected may be inferred from the fact 
that a ball passed through his stock, slightly bruising his neck; another struck 
his saddle, and glancing hit his thigh; and a third wounded the horse on which 
he was riding. 

Peace on the frontiers was one of the happy results of this severe and brilliant 
action. The tribes which had already joined in the confederacy were dismayed; 
and those which had remained neutral, now decided against it. 

During the two succeeding days, the victorious army remained in camp, for the 
purpose of burying the dead and taking care of the wounded. In the meantime. 
Col. Wells, with the mounted riflemen, visited the Prophet's town, and found it 
deserted by all the Indians except one, whose leg had b«en broken in the action. 



184 INDIANA. 

The houses were mostly burnt, and the corn around the vilhige destroyed. * On 
the 9th, the army commenced its return to V'incennos, havinff broken up or com- 
mitted to the flames all their unnecessary bat^gage, in order that the wagons might 
be used for the transportation of the wounded. 

The defeated Indians were greatly exasperated with the Prophet: they re- 
proached him in bitter terms for the calamity he had brought upon them, and ac- 
cused him of the murder of their friends who had fallen in the action. It seems, 
that after pronouncing some incantations over a certain composition, which he 
had prepared on the night preceding the action, he assured his followers, that Vjy 
the power of his art, half of the invading army was already dead, and the other 
half in a state of distraction ; and that the Indians would have little to do but 
rush into their camp, and complete the work of destruction with their toma- 
hawks. "I'bw are a liar'" said one of the surviving Winnebagoes to him, after 
the action, " for you told us that the white people were dead or crazy, when they 
were all in their senses and fought like the devil.'' The Prophet appeared de- 
jected, and sought to excuse himself on the plea that the virtue of his composition 
iiad been lost by a circumstance of which he had no knowledge, until after the bat- 
tle was over. His sacred cliaracter, hovyever, was so far forfeited, that the In- 
dians actually bound him with cords, and threatened to put him to death. After 
leaving the Prophet's town, they marched about 120 miles and encamped on the 
bank of Wild Cat creek. 

"With the battle of Tippecanoe, the Prophet lost his popularity and power among 
the Indians. Mis magic wand was broken, and the mysterious charm, by means 
of which he had for years, played upon the superstitious minds of this wild people, 
scattered through a vast extent of country, was dissipated forever. It was not alone 
to the character of his prophetic office that he was indebted for his influence over 
his followers. The positimi which he maintained in regard to the Indian lands, 
and tiie encroachments of the wiiite people upon their hunting grounds, increased 
his popularity, which was likewise greatly strengthened by the respect and defer- 
ence with which the politic Tecumseh — the master spirit of his dav — uniformly 
treated him. He had, moreover, nimble Avit, quickness of apprehension, much 
cunning and a captivating eloquence of speech. These qualities fitted him for 
playing his part with great success ; and sustaining for a series of years, the char- 
acter of one inspired by the Great Spirit. He was, however, rash, presumptuous 
and deficient in judgment. And no sooner was he left without the sagacious 
counsel and positive control of Tecumseh, than he foolishly annihilated his own 
power, and suddenl}^ crushed the grand confederacy upon which he and his broth- 
er had expended years of labor, and in the organization of which they had incurred 
much personal peril and endured great privation. 

Tecumseh returned from the south through Missouri, visited the tribes on the 
Des Moines, and crossing the head-waters of the Illinois, reached the Wabash a few 
days after the disastrous battle of Tippecanoe. It is believed that he made a strong 
impression upon all the tribes visited by him in his extended mission; and that 
he had laid the foundation of numerous accessions to his confederacy. He reached 
the banks of the Tippecanoe, just in time to witness the dispersion of his followers, 
the disgrace of his brother, and the final overthrow of the great object of his am- 
bition, a union of all the Indian tribes against the United States: and all this, the 
result rtf a disregard to his positive commands. His mortification was extreme; 
and it is related on good authority, that when he first met the Prophet, he re- 
proached him in bitter terms for having departed from his instructions to preserve 
peace with the United States at all hazards. The attempt of the Prophet to pal- 
liate his own conduct, excited the haughty chieftain still more, and seizing him 
by the hair and shaking him violently, he threatened to take his life. 

* The village had been destroyed in 1791, by Gen. Charles Scott, of Kentucky. In his 
report of the expedition, ho says that " many of the inhabitants of the village were French, 
and lived in a state of civilization. By the books, letters, and other documents found there; 
it is evident that the place was in close connection with, and dependent on, Detroit: " the 
village '"consisted of about 70 houses, many of them well finished." In November, 1812, 
the village was destroyed the third time iu the second expedition of Gen. Hopkins. 



INDIANA. 



13; 




\_Explanatluns. — a, point from whence the engraved view was drawn ; l> h, 
line ofraih-oad to Chicago; c, position of Battle Ground Institute; d, pince 
where the Indians first began the attack ; c c, front line where occurred the 

main conflict; /, Gen. Harri- 
son's marquee; A, point wliere 
Maj. Daviess is said to have 
been slain ; g, grave of Daviess. 
The black lines indicate the 
fence now inclosing the battle 
ground.] 

The highest officers among 
. the Americans slain at Tippe- 
canoe, were two Kentucky 
majors — Abraham Owen and 
Joseph Hamilton Daviess. 
The particulars of the death 
of Abraham Owen we give 
below, from Smith's Indiana 

Battlk Field or Tippecanoe. Sketches ' 

Gen. Harrison rode a beautiful fleet gray mare, that he had tied with the saddle 
on, to a stake near his marquee, to be ready at a moment in case of alarm. 
Maj. Owen, of Kentucky, rode a bay horse. After the gray mare was hitclied, it 
became necessary, in order to pass a baggage wagon, to remove her and tie her at 
another place; without the knowknlge of Gen. Harrison, the bay horse of j\[aj. 
Owen was afterward tied to the post where the gray mare had been. 

The moment the alarm was given, every soldier was upon his feet, and the 
mounted officers in their saddles. Gon. Harrison ran to the post where he left liis 
gray mare; finding Maj. Owen's bay horse he mounted, leaving the gray for the 
major if he could find her. The general daslied down to where he heard the tir- 
ing, rode up to Capt. Spencer's position, at the point of tlie high ground around 
which the prairies meet; there the enemy had made the first main attack — deadly 
in effect. There stood the brave ensign Jolin Tipton, and a few of the survivinii; 
men of the company. Gen. Harrison. " Where is the captain of this company ?" 
Ensiyn Tipton. "Dead." " Where are the lieutenants?" "Dead." "Where is the 
ensign?" "I am here." "Stand fast, my brave fellow, and I will relieve you in a 
minute." Gen. Tipton told me, in after years, that a cooler and braver man, on 
the field of battle, than Gen. Harrison, never lived. It was a deadly night, tlie In- 
dians with rifles in their hands, concealed from view, in the darkness of the night, 
fighting to desperation, under the inspiration of their superstition — being the at- 
tacking party, and knowing where their enemy lay, had great advantages, which 
nothing but the indomitable courage of our brave men could have met and finally 
repelled. The moment the alarm was given, the brave Maj. Owen ran to his stake, 
but his horse was gone; near by he found and mounted the gray mare of the (gen- 
eral. He was scarcely in the saddle, before he fell mortally wounded, pierced 
with rifle balls, which were intended, no doubt, for Gen. Harrison, as the Indians 
knew he rode a gray, and must have been in ambush near. The men and officers 
that fell that dreadful night were the bravest of the brave. 

I visited the common grave of these brave dead, who fell in that terrible battle only 
a few years since. You will find it in a grove of white oak trees perforated by 
balls, standing near the center of the inclosed grounds. 

Maj. Daviess was a colleague of Henry Clay at the Kentucky bar, whore 
he stood very high as an advocate. At the time of his death he was 37 
years of age. It is the tradition that he was killed in the marsh at the point 
indicated on the map; but from Gen. Harrison's report of the action, we in- 
fer that this event took place on high ground, on or near where the railroad 
line lays; that states that it was during the execution of an order to dislodge 



186 



INDIANA. 



some Indians from trees 15 or 20 paces in front of the left line, tliat Daviess 
became outflanked, and fell mortally wounded. 

The land on which the battle was fought, was purchased by Gen. John 
Tipton, and presented to the state of Indiana, as a burial place for his fallen 
comrades. Tipton was the brave ensign of Capt. Spencer's company, noticed 
above. His name is most honorably identified with the history of the state. 
He was a senator in congress from 1832 to 1839, and chairman of the Com- 
mitte of Indian Affairs, an office for which he was peculiarly well qualified, 
having been, for many years, Indian agent, and well acquainted with most 
of the Indian tribes. He was a warm hearted man, and possessed uncommon 
force of character: he was one of the original projectors of the Wabash and 
Erie Canal, and also one of the founders of Logansport, where he died in 
1839. 

The reader will notice the building on the right of the view. This is the 
Battle Ground Institute, under the charge of Rev. E. H. Staley. It is a 
flourishing seminary for both sexes. A number of small neat houses stand 
above it, erected, some of them, by the parents of the children, many of the 
latter brothers and sisters, who here live together, obtaining, away from 
their homes, a double education, that of house keeping, with that derived 
from books. 




South-eastern vieiv of Madison. 

As seen from the Kontucky siilo of the Ohio, near Milton ferry. The terminus of the Kailroad is seen 
on the left, the Court House on the right. 

Madison, the county seat of Jefferson county, is situated 8G miles S.S.E. 
from Indianapolis, 50 above Louisville, and 100 below Cincinnati. It is lo- 
cated in a beautiful and picturesque valley, which, with the hills on the Ken- 
tucky shore and those of Indiana, and the bold curve and broad sweep of 
the Ohio River, aff"ords a panorama rarely equaled. The valley in which the 
city is situated, is nearly three miles long, which is inclosed on the north by 
steep and rugged hills about 400 feet high. This place has very superior 
advantages for trade, and the navigation is usually open in ordinary seasons. 
Great quantities of breadstuff's are exported, and a large amount of capital 
is employed in founderies, machine shops, etc., and the establishments for 



INDIANA. 



187 



packing pork are very extensive. Madison has gas and water works, the lat- 
ter of which is owned by the city. The annual value of sales of produce 
and merchandise, and industrial products, is eight millions of dollars. With- 
in five miles of the city is the well known Hanover College. Population is 
about 12,000. 

The site of Madison was originally a dense growth of poplars, beech and 
walnut, and the present landing was covered with a growth of cottonwood, 
the water's edge being fringed with willows. The original proprietors were 
John Paul and Jonathan Lyon. A few ftimilies had settled here on Mount 
Glad, now a part of North Madison, in 1807-8. Col. John Vawter first 
came to Madison in 1806, and moved into the country in March, 1807 ; he 
held the first public sale of lots in Feb., 1811. The first white child born 
in Madison was Dawson Blackmore, Jr. His father came here from western 
Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1809, and located himself in a framed log-house, 
now standing in Walnut-street. The first sermon preached in Madison is 
said to have been delivered in Mr. Blackmore's house, by a Methodist 
itinerant preacher. The first regular house of worship was built on East- 
street, on the site of the present St. John's church. 

The following are the names of a number of the earlier settlers of ^NFadison, pre- 
vious to 1820: ^lilton Stapp, Jeremiah Sullivan, C. P. J. Arvin, Daniel Wilson, 
Thomas Brown, Nicholas D. Grover. Geo. W. Leonar-i, Moody Park, Victor King, 




fill, Ale.xander Washer. Williamson Dunn, Wm. Mclvee Dunn, James Vawter. Jno. 
Hunt, Simeon Hunt, Cornelius Vailc, Geo. Short, and David McClure. 

One of the first sermons ever preached in Madison, was by that celebrated 
and eccentric itinerant, Lorenzo Dow, who "held forth" standing on a poplar 
log, near the site of the court house. He was born in Coventry, Connecti- 
cut, in , and died at Washington City, in , aged — years, where his 

grave is now to be seen. He traveled through the United States from fifteen 
to twenty times, visiting the wilderness parts, often preaching where a ser- 
mon was never heard before. Occasionally he went to Canada, and made 
three voyages to England and Ireland, where, as elsewhere, he drew crowds 
around him, attracted by his long flowing beard and hair, singularly wild 
demeanor, and pungency of speech. During the thirty years of his public 
life, he must have traveled nearly two hundred thousand miles. 

Pickett, in his History of Alabama, avers that he was the earliest Protestant 
preacher in that state; says he: "Down to this period (in 1803), no Pro- 
testant preacher had ever raised his voice, to remind the Tombigbee and Ten- 
saw settlers of their duty to the Most High. Hundreds, born and bred in 
the wilderness, and now adult men and women, had never even seen a 
preacher. The mysterious and eccentric Lorenzo Dow, one day, suddenly ap- 
peared at the Boat Yard. He came from Georgia, across the Creek nation, 
encountering its dangers almost alone. He proclaimed the truths of the 
gospel here, to a large audience, crossed over the Alabama, and preached two 
sermons to the ' Bigbee settlers,' and went from thence to the Natchez set- 
tlements, where he also exhorted the people to 'turn from the error of their 
ways.' He then visited the Cumberland region and Kentucky, and came 
back to the Tombigbee, filling his appointments to the very day. Again 



188 



INDIANA. 



plunging into the Creek nation, this lioly man of God ones more appeared 
among the people of Georgia." 

When Dow was in Indiana, Judge 0. H. Smith had the pleasure of listen- 
ing to a dis=course from him, some items of which he has thus preserved 
among his Sketches: "In the year 1819,^' states the judge, "I was one of a 
congregation assembled in the woods back of Rising Sun, anxiously await- 




Sovfh-wesh-ni view af New AUmni/. 

TliH vie\v8how8 lliu appeiiraiu-o of t lie i-ity, risscHii from the hig.li lihiff wliich lisi-s iniiiicdiately south of it. 
Tlift Ohio Rivt^r aiipeais uii tl\o riijht, with I'orthiiHi, a st.uioii for stramhoats, oti the Kentucky sido of the 
Oliio, at tlie foot of the Canal ai-oiiml tlio falls, three miles from Louisville. 

ing the arrival of Lorenzo Duvv. Time passed away, we had all become im- 
patient, when in the distance we saw him approaching at a rapid rate through 
the trees on his pacing pony. He rode up to the log on which I was sitting, 
threw the reins over the neck of the pony, and stepped upon the log, took 
off his hat, his hair ptirted in the middle of his head, and flowing on either 
side to his shoulders, his beard resting on his breast. In a minute, at the 
top of his voice, he said: 

'i>ehold, 1 como quickly, and my reward is with me.' I\ry subject is repentance. 
We sing, 'wliile the lamp holds out to burn, the vilest sinner may return.' That 
idea has done much harm, and should be received with many grains of allowance. 
There are cases where it would be easier fur a camel to go through the eye of a 
needle than for a man to repent unto salvation. Let me illustrate: Do you sup- 
pose tlnit the man amoni; you who wont out last fall to kill his deer and bear for 
winter meat, and instead killed his neighbor's hogs, salted them down, and is now 
living on the meat, can. repent while it is unpaid for'? I tell you nay. Except he 
restores a just compensation, his attempt at repentance avIU bo the basest hj'po- 
crisy. Except ye repent, irnlij ye nhall all likewise perish.' 

He preached some thirty minutes. Down he stepped, mounted his pony, 
and in a few minutes was moving on through the woods at a rapid pace to 
meet another appointment." 



INDIANA. 



189 



New Albany, the county seat of Floyd county, is beautifully situated on 
the rialit bank of the Ohio River, at the termination of the New Albany and 
Salem Railroad, 2 miles below the falls of the Ohio, 3 miles below Louisville, 
about l-iO below Cincinnati, and 100 8. by E. from Indianapolis. The city 
has wide straight streets, running parallel with the river, and crossed at right 
angles by others. • A large business is done here in building and repairing 
steamboats, etc. There are also large iron foundries, machine shops and 
factories. It has two seminaries, a theological college under the patronage 
of the Presbyterians, and about 10,000 inhabitants. 



The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave yard 
in New Albany : 

" The citizens of Floyd county have erected this monument in memory 

of their Honoued Dead. 

' Glory is tbe soldier's prize, 
The soldier's wealth is honor.' 

Here rest the bodies of Francis Bailey, 
aa-ed 35; Apollos J. Stephens, 27; Warren 
B. Robinson, 24; Charles H. GoiF, 23; 
members of the '■Spencer Greya^^ company 
A, 2d Reg't Indiana Volunteers, who fell 
at the battle of Buena Vista, Mexico, 
Feb. 22 and 23. 1847. 

' The soldier is his country's stay 
In day and hour of danger.' 

' How sleep the brave who sink to rest, 
Bj' all their country's wishes blest?' 

John T. Lewis, aged 21; Martin How- 
ard, 18; Joseph Morgan, 19; Laiken Cun- 
ningham, 22; members of the 'Spencer 
Greys,' died in the Mexican campaign, 
184(3-7; also Henry W. Walker, aged 37; 
Thos. J. Tyler, aged 19, of the same com- 







_ t-W<S«w>v.-(„.<,,,„.,.,.y, 



MlLITAUT MONTMEXT, NeW ALBAXT. 

pany, who returned home and died of disease contracted in the service." 



Rev. John Matthew.s, D.D., Professor of Theology in the Presbyterian Theological Sem- 
inary at New Albnny, la. Born in Guilford county, N. C, Jan. 19, 1772 ; died in New Al- 
bany, May 18, 1848, ajtat 76 years and 4 mo. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 
from henceforth ; j'ea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; and their 
works do follow them." 



Leonidas Shackelford, of Glasgow, Missouri, born Jan. 7, 1833, died Aug. 5, 1852. In 
whose memory this monument is erected by his brothers and sisters. Without earthly 
friends, he died in a strange land, realizing in full a sainted mother's prayer, that a pre- 
cious Bible which she had given him would be his guide through life, and in death his con- 
solation. Prov. verses 17 to 23. 



Logansport, the county seat of Cass county, is situated on the Wabash 
River and Canal, at the mouth of Eel River, and is intersected by the Toledo, 
Wabash and Western and the Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railroads, 
70 miles N. by W. from Indianapolis, 166 W. of Toledo, and 42 N.E. from 
Lafayette. It is at the head of steamboat navigation, and just below the 
falls, which furnish immense water power, and has a large trade by river, 
canal and plank roads with the fertile region on every side, th« products of 
which are sent to the eastern and southern markets. Logansport has a city 



190 INDIANA. 

charter, 3 banks, G churches, and a fiae court house of hewn stone. West 
Logansport, on the west bank of Eel River, is included in the corporate 
limits. Population, in 1S60, 3,690. 

Jrffcrsonville is a flourishing town, Opposite Louisville, Ky., on the Ohio 
River, which is here about three fourths of a mile wide, 108 miles S. by E. 
of Indianapolis, and 48 below Madison. It is at the terminus of the Jeffer- 
scnville and Indianapolis Railroad, and on the site of old Fort Steuben, and 
is beautifully situated just above the falls in the Ohio, which descend 22 
feet in two miles, producing a rapid current, which, in time, by the immense 
water power it affords, will, if a canal is made around the falls on the In- 
diana side, render this a large and prosperous manufacturing city. Jeffer- 
sonville has great facilities for doing business, and is said to possess the best 
landing place on the Ohio River. The state penitentiary is located here. 
Population about 3,500. 

Lawrencehiiri/, city and county seat of Dearborn, is on the Ohio, 22 miles 
below Cincinnati, and two miles below the mouth of the Big 3Iiami, the line 
of separation between Ohio and Indiana. The Ohio and Mississippi, and 
Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroads, intersect at this point. Population 
about 4,000. 

A few miles below Lawrenceburg. is a small stream emptying into the 
Ohio, known as Laughery's creek. It derived its name from the calamitous 
defeat of Col. xVrchibald Laughery by the Indians. This took place in the 
spring of 1782, and was the most disastrous military event that ever occur- 
red upon the soil of Indiana. The annexed account is from Day's Hist. Col- 
lections, of Pa. : 

Col. Laughery had been requested, by Col. Clark, to raise 100 volunteers in 
the county of Westmoreland, Fa., to aid him against the Ohio Indians. The com- 
pany was raised principally at his own expense, and lie also provided the outfit 
and munitions for the expedition. In this he was aided by the late Robert Orr. by 
birth an Irishman, bnt who manifested a deep and generous interest in his adopted 
country. Mr. Orr was one of the officers, and next in command under Col. 
Laughery. 

There were 107 men in the expedition, who proceeded in boats down the Ohio, 
to meet Gen. Clark, at the P^'alls. At the mouth of a creek in the south-eastern part 
of Indiana, that bears the name of the commander, the boats were attacked by the 
Indians. Of the whole detachment, not one escaped. Col. Laughery was killed, 
and most of his officers. Capt. Orr, who commanded a company, had his arm 
broken with a ball. The wounded, who were unable to travel, were dispatched 
with the tomahawk, and the few who escaped with their lives, were driven through 
the wilderness to Sandusky. Capt. Orr was taken to Detroit, where he lay in the 
hospital for several months, and, with the remnant who lived, was exchanged, in 
the spring of 1 783. 

South Bend, the county seat of St. Joseph, is on the jMiehigan Southern and 
Northern Indiana Railroad, 85 miles easterly from Chicago ; also on St. Jo- 
seph River, which furnishes, by means of a dam at this point, a vast water 
power. It has some 30 stores, G churches, 2 Catholic Female Seminaries, 
and in 1860, 4,013 inhabitants. 

Michigan City is on Lake Michigan, in La Porte county, 54 miles by rail- 
road from Chicago, and 154 from Indianapolis. It has communication by 
the Michigan Central, and New Albany and Salem Railroads, and the lake 
with all parts of the country. It is noted for the manufacture of railroad 
cars, and has about 4,000 inhabitants. 

Lnportc, the county seat of Laportexounty, in the north-western part of 
the state, is at the junction of the Cincinnati, Peru and Chicago, with the 



INDIANA. 



191 




University of Indiana, Bloojungton. 



Michigan Southern and Northern Eaih-oads, 58 miles from Chicago, on the 
northern margin of the beautiful and fertile Door Prairie, so named from an 
Indian chief ' It was first organized as a city in 1853, is a very flourishing 
Dusiness place, and has 9 churches and 6,000 inhabitants. 

Jiloomingfon, the county seat of Monroe county, is on the line of the New 
Albany and Salem liailroad, 96 miles north from New Albany. It was 

laid out in 1818, by Benjamin 
Park, agent for the county com- 
missioners. Its public build- 
ings are substantial, and the 
public square pleasantly orna- 
mented with shade trees and 
shrubbery. It is noted as a 
place of education. It has two 
i'emale seminaries, and is the 
seat of the Sta/e Uiiicersliij, 
founded in 1835. Greencuslle, 
capital of the neighboring coun- 
ty of Putnam, 40 miles by rail- 
road weot of Indianapolis, is 
the seat of the Indiana Asburij 
Uinversif)/, founded in 1837, and which is not excelled by any institution in 
the state. Unusual attention is given in this vicinity to the cultivation of 
fruit, the apple, pear, peach and grape, for which the soil is well adapted. 
CravjfonhclUr^ the county seat of Montgomery, which adjoins Putnam on 
the north, is on the New Albany and Salem Railroad, and 45 miles north- 
west of Indianapolis. It is in a rich country, and is the seat of Wabash Col- 
lege, founded in 1835, an institution of excellent repute. Bloomington, 
Greencastle, and Crawfordsville, have each about 2,500 inhabitants. 

Corydon, the county seat of Harrison county, in southern Indiana, is a 
town of about 1.200 inhabitants. In 1813, the seat of government of the 
Territory of Indiana was removed from Vin- 
cennes to this place. When, in 1816, Indiana 
was erected into a state, Corydon was made the 
capital, and so remained until 1825, when it was 
removed to Indianapolis. The court house here, 
built of stone, was the original state house, and 
the edifice in which was formed the first consti- 
tution of Indiana. 

Vrvay^i the county seat of Switzerland county, 
is a small town on the Ohio River, about half 
way between Cincinnati and Louisville. The 
place is of note, from its having been one of the 
first settlements in the state, and for the attempt 
made there to cultivate the grape for the pur- 
pose of manufacturing wine. 

It was laid out in the year 1813, by John 
Francis Denfour and Daniel Denfour, emigrants 
from Switzerland, who, in remembrance of their native town, gave it its 
present name. Part of the land was entered by John James Denfour and 
his associates, in the beginning of the present century, and an extended 
credit given, by an act of congress, with a view of encouraging the culture 
of the grape. 




The Old State Housk. 

Situated in Corydon, tho original 
capital of Indiana. 



102 



IXDIANA 




Tmf. JfC, KorK, 
About seventy ffet high. 



In the sotitli part of Iniliana are some curiosities of nature. Eleven miles from 
(■<n-ydim, and in Crawford eonnty, is the Wi/audot Cave, which is considered ))v 
many to cjiial the cidehrateil Mammotli Cave of Kentucky. It has been explored 
for several miles, ami I'ound to contain maijnifieent chambers and galleries, rich in 

stalactites and other lime concretions. Two other 
curiosities, which are near the line of the Ohio 
and .Mississippi railroad, have only come into no- 
tice since the construction of that Avork. The 
Jii(/ Rock is at Shoal Station, in Martin county, 
150 miles west of Cincinnati, and derives its 
name from its resemblance in form to a homely 
and useful utensil. It is a lone standintr pillar 
of sMudstone, of about seventy fent in hij^ht, in 
the midst of a forest of beach and sii^ar trees. 
It is an unusual object for tliis region; but in 
the valley of the t'pper A'issouri aiu^ on the hiirh 
table lands farther west such (brmatiims abound. 
Lieut. Simpson, in his explorations in Xew Mex- 
ico, found at one spot " hijih sandstone rocks 
of almost every shape and character imaginaide. 
'J'liere were to be seen at once, domes, pillars, 
turr(!ts. pinnacles, spires, castles, vases, tables, 
pitched roofs, and a number ol" other objects of 
a well defined figurative character." 

Near .Mitchell's Station, in Lawrence county, 
28 miles east of the above, is Hamers Mill Stream Cave. Water Hows out at all 
seasons sufficient to furnish motive power for a saw mill, grist mill, and a distillery 
located about a quarter of a mile from the opening. Jt is owned by Mr. Hugh 
Hamer. The source of the stream has never been ascertained. At the time of 
the construction of the railroad, two of 
the surveyors attempted to explore it to 
its source. They entered it in a canoe, 
and were .absent two days and the in- 
tervening night, penetrating it, as they 
judged, about nine miles, and without 
reaching its termination. No particular 
change was found in the dimensions of 
the cavity, excepting an occasional open- 
ing out into large chambers. Such an 
exploration in certain seasons would be 
perilous. Often, after a hard shower of 
rain, the water suddenly rises and pours 
out in such a volume as to completely fill 
up the mouth of the cavern, issuing from 
it like water from the pipe of a tire en- 
gine. In 1856, Capt John Pope, of the 
corps of U. S. topographical engineers, 
discovered a similar curiosity near the 
base of the Kocky Mountains, in about 
lat. 32 deir. and long. 105 deg., which he 
named Phantom J?iver. A stream of 
some 60 feet in width came out of one 
cave, ran 150 feet in daylight, and then 
plunging into another by a cascade of a great but unknown depth, was seen no 
more. 




Hamf.p.'s Mill Stream Cave. 

It has hpen exploreil about nine miles in a canoe. 
It furnishes motive power for two mills iinil ii di.i- 
tillery. 



Beside the towns described, Indiana contains numerous others of from 
1,500 to 2,500 each. These are mostly county scats, some of them on rail- 
road lines, and places of active business. They are, Attica, in Fountain 



INDIANA. 193 

county; Aurora, in Dearborn county; Camhridge City, in Wayne county; 
Cannelton, in Perry county ; Cohnnbus, in Bartholomew county ; Connersville, 
in Fayette county; Delphi, in Carroll county; Franklin, in Johnson county; 
Goshen, in Elkhart county; Greensburg, in Decatur county; Huntington, in 
Huntington county; 3Iishaivaha, in St. Joseph county; Mt. Vernon, in 
Posey county; Muncie, in Delaware county; Peru, in Miami county; Prince- 
ton, in Gibson county; Rising Sun, in Ohio county; EocJcviUe, in Parke 
county; and Shelbyville, in Shelby county. 

13 u 



ILLINOIS. 




The name of this state, lUinois, is partly Indian and partly French : it 
signifies real men, and was originally applied to the Indians who dwelt on 

the banks of the river of that name. 
For a long period the great tract of 
territory lying N.W. of the Ohio, was 
termed the "Illinois country." The 
first white men of whom we have 
any authentic knowledge, who tra- 
versed any part within the present 
limits of Illinois, were James 3Iar- 
quette, a Catholic missionary, and M. 
JoUet, both Frenchmen from Canada. 
This was in 1G73. The next were 
Robert de la Salle^ a young Frenchman 
of noble family, and Louis Hennepin^ a 
Franciscan friar. After leaving 
Chicago, La Salle and his companions 
proceeded down Illinois River, and 
reached Peoria Jan. 4, 1680. 

The first settlements in Illinois 
were made by the French, at Kaskas- 
kia, Cahokia, and Peoria. It clearly appears that Father Gravier began a 
mission among the Illinois before 1693, and became the founder of Kaskas- 
kia. At first it was merely a missionary station, and the inhabitants of the- 
village consisted entirely of natives ; the other villages, Peoria and Cahokia, 
seem at first to have been of the same kind. 

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements in Illinois are 
represented to have been in a flourishing condition. Kaskaskia had become 
a considerable town before any great progress had been made on the lower 
Mississippi. The French writers of this period give glowing descriptions of 
the beauty, fertility, and mineral wealth of the country, and to add to its 
attractions, a monastery of Jesuits was established at Kaskaskia. 

From the beginning to the middle of the eighteenth century, but little is 
related. Disputes arose, between England and France, respecting the boun- 
daries of their difi"erent colonies, which, unhappily, had never been sufficient- 
ly defined. The French, anticipating a struggle for the preservation of their 
American possessions, strengthened their fortifications on the Great Lakes, 
on the Ohio, the Wabash, the Illinois, and in other parts of the valley of 

195 



Arms of Illinois. 



196 



ILLINOIS. 



the Mississippi. The British, on the other hand, cLaimed the country on the 
Ohio and in the vicinity, by virtue of their ancient discoveries and the char- 
ters which they had granted. The Ohio Company, which was formed soon 
after, produced hostilities between the two nations. On the termination of 
the French war, by which Great Britain obtained possession of Canada, the 
whole of the Illinois country also came into their possession. The total 
white population could not then have exceeded 3,000. 

The following descriptions of the French settlements at this period, and 
there were none other in Illinois, we find in Perkins' Annals, the edition by 
J. M. Peck. It is there copied from " The Present State of the European 
Settlements on the Mississippi, by Capt. Philip Pitman," published in L«n- 
don in 1770: 

"The village of Notre Dame de Cascasquias (Kaskaskia), is by far the most con- 
Biderable settlement in the country of the Illinois, as well from its number of in- 
habitants, as from its advantageous situation. * . . * * 

Mens. Fa<Tet was the first who introduced water-mills in this country, and he 
constructed a very fine one on the River Cascasquias, which Avas both for grinding 
corn and sawing boards. It lies about one mile from the village. The mill proved 
fatal to him, beuig killed as he was working it, wuth two negroes, by a party of 
the Cherokees, in the year 1764. 

The principal buildings are, the church and the Jesuits' house, which has a 
small chapel adjoining it; these, as well as some other houses in the village, are 
built of stone, and, considering this part of the world, make a very good appear- 
ance. The Jesuits' plantation consisted of two hundred and forty arpents (a little 
over 200 acres) of cultivated land, a very good stock of cattle, and a brewery ; 
which was sold by the French commandant, after the country was ceded to the 
English, for the crown, in consequence of the suppression of the order. 

Mons. Beauvais was the purchaser, who is the richest of the English subjects in 
this country; he keeps eighty slaves; he furnishes eighty-six thousand weight of 
flour to the king's magazine, which was only a part of the harvest he reaped in 
one year. 

Sixty-five families reside in this village, besides merchants, other casual people, 
and slaves. The fort, which was burnt down in October, 1766, stood on the sum- 
mit of a high rock opposite the village, and on the opposite side of the (Kaskaskia) 
river. It was an oblongular quadrangle, of which the exterior polj'gon measured 
two hundred and ninety by two hundred and fifty-one feet. It was built of very 
thick squared timber, and dove-tailed at the angles. An officer and twenty sol- 
diers are quartered in the village. The officer governs the inhabitants, under the 
direction of the commandant at Chartres. Here also are two companies of 
militia." . . 

Prairie du Rocher. or "La Prairie de Roches," as Captain Pitman has it, is next 
described — • 

' 'As about seventeen (fourteen) miles from Cascasquias. It is a small village, 
consisting of twelve dwelling-houses, all of which are inhabited by as many fami- 
lies. Here is a little chapel, formerly a chapel of ease to the church at Fort 
Chartres. The inhabitants here are very industrious, and raise a great deal of 
corn and every kind of stock. The village is two miles from Fort Chartres. [This 
means Little Village, which was a mile, or more, nearer than the fort.] It takes 
its name from its situation, being built under a rock that runs parallel with the 
River Mississippi at a league distance, for forty miles up. Here is a company of 
militia, the captain of which regulates the iwlice of the village." 

Saint Phillippe is a small village about five miles from Fort Chartres, on the 
road to Kaoquias. There are about sixteen houses and a small church standing; 
all of the inhabitants, except the captain of the militia, deserted it in 1765, and 
went to the French side (Missouri). The captain of the militia has about twenty 
slaves, a good stock of cattle, and a water-mill for corn and planks. This village 
stands in a very fine meadow, about one mile from the Mississippi." 

"The village of Saint Famille de Kaoquias," so Pitman writes, "is generally 



ILLINOIS. 



197 



reckoned fifteen leagues from Fort Chartres, and six leagues below the mouth of 
the Missouri. It stands near the side of the Mississippi, and is marked from the 
river by an island of two leagues long. The village is opposite the center of this 
island ; it is long and straggling, being three quarters of a mile from one end to 
the other. It contains forty-five dwelling-houses, and a church near its center. 
The situation is not well chosen, as in the floods it is generally overflowed two or 
three feet, This was the first settlement on the Mississippi. The land was pur- 
chased of the savages by a few Canadians, some of whom married women of the 
Kaoquias nation, and others brought wives from Canada, and then resided there, 
leaving their children to succeed them. 

The inhabitants of this place depend more on hunting, and their Indian trade, 
than on agriculture, as they scarcely raise corn enough for their own consumption; 
thev have a great plenty of poultry, and good stocks of horned cattle. 

The mission of tft. Sulpice had a very fine plantation here, and an excellent 
house built on it. They sold this estate and a very good mill for corn and planks, 
to a Frenchman who chose to remain under the English government. They also 
disposed of thirty negroes and a good stock of cattle to diflerent people in the 
country, and returned to France in 17G4. What is called the fort is a small house 
standing in the center of the village.' It difl'ers nothing from the other houses, ex- 
cept in being one of the poorest. It was formerly inclosed with high pallisades, 
but these were turn down and burnt. Indeed, a fort at this place could be of but 
little use." 

The conquest of Illinois from tlie British, in 1778, by Gen. Geo. Rogers 
Clark, when he took possession of the forts of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and St. 
Vincent, the latter now the Vincennes of Indiana, was one of the most 
romantic episodes in our western history. It made known the fertile plains 
of Illinois to the people of the Atlantic states, exciting an emigration to the 
banks of the Mississippi. Some of those in that expedition afterward were 
among the first emigrants. Prior to this, the only settlements in Illinois, 
were the old French villages of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Prairie du 
Rocher, Fort Chnrtres, Fort Massac, Village a Cote, Prairie du Pont, and a 
few families scattered along the Wabash and Illinois. In October, 1778, the 
general assembly of Virginia passed an act to organize the county of Illinois, 
In 178-t, Virginia ceded her claims to the territory north-west of the Ohio 
to the United States. This, by the ordinance of 1787, was erected into the 
Horlh-wcsf Territory. Still the Illinois country remained without any 
oro'anized government until March, 1790, when Gov. St. Clair organized St. 
Clair county. 

The first settlement in Illinois by emigrants from the United States, was in 1781, 
near Bellefontaine, Monroe county, in the south-western part of the state. It was 
made l^y James ]Muore, with his lamily, accompanied by James Garrison, Robert 
Kidd, Shadrach liond, and Larkon Rutherford. Their route out was through the 
Avilderness from Virginia to the Ohio, then down that stream to the Mississippi, 
and up the latter to Kaskaskia. Part of them settled in the American bottom, near 
Harrisonville. This station afterward became known as the block-house fort. 
Other parties joined them and the settlements increased. They, however, sufl"ered 
muL-h from the Indians until Wayne's treaty, in 1795, brought peace. Many were 
killed, others taken captives, and often while laboring in the field they were obliged 
to carry their rifles, and also often at night compelled to keep guard. 

In 1800, Illinois formed part of a separate territory by the name of In- 
diana, in conjunction with the state now bearing that name. A second di- 
vision took place in 1809, and the western portion of Indiana was formed 
into a separate territory bearing the name of Illinois. In 1818, Illinois was 
erected into a separate state. Hon. Ninian Edwards, chief justice of Ken- 
tucky, was chosen governor, and Nathaniel Pope, Esq., secretary. Since that 
period ithas rapidly gone forward, increasing in population, wealth and power. 



198 ILLINOIS. 

In the year 1812, Gen. Hull, who surrendered Detroit into the hands of 
the British, directed Capt. Ileald, who commanded Fort Dearborn, at Chi- 
cago, to distribute his stores to the Indians, and retire to Fort Wayne. Not 
having full confidence in the Indians, he threw the powder into the well and 
wasted the whisky. As these were the articles they most wanted, they were 
so exasperated that they fell upon the garrison, after they had proceeded two 
miles from the fort, and massacred 41 of them, with 2 women and 12 chil- 
dren, the latter tomahawked in a wagon by one young savage. 

In 1840, the Mormons being driven out of Missouri, located a city on the 
east bank of the Mississippi lliver, which they called Nauvoo. They had 
extraordinary privileges granted them by the state. But here, as elsewhere, 
numerous difficulties arose between them and the inhabitants in the vicinity. 
The military were called out by the governor to suppress the disorders which 
arose. Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet and leader, with his brother 
Hiram, were imprisoned in a jail in Carthage. On June 27, 1844, they 
were both killed by a mob, which broke into their place of confinement. 
The Mormons, soon after this event, began their movement toward the 
Rocky Mountains. 

At the time of the first settlement of Illinois by the French, it is sup- 
posed that within the present limits of the state, there were some eight or 
nine thousand Indians. They are described, by travelers, as having been re- 
markably handsome, kind, and well mannered. When the French first came 
they were feasted by the natives in four courses, the first of hominy, the 
second of fish, the third of dog, which the Frenchmen appear to have de- 
clined, and the whole concluded with roasted buflfalo. Few or none of the 
descendants of the tribes occupying this region, now linger within or around 
it, their titles having been extinguished from time to time by treaties with 
the United States government. The white inhabitants were somewhat 
annoyed by hostile Indians during the war of 1812, and also in 1832, during 
the prevalence of the "Black Hawk war," which created much distress and 
alarm in the northern part of the state. 

Illinois is bounded N. by Wisconsin, E. by the southern portion of Lake 
Michigan, by the state of Indiana, and by the Ohio River, S. by the Ohio 
River, dividing it from Kentucky, and W. by the Mississippi River, divid- 
ing it from Missouri and Iowa. It lies between 37° and 42° 30' N. lat., and 
87° 17' and 91° 50' W. long., being about 380 miles in its extreme length 
from N. to S., and about 200 in its greatest and 140 in its average breadth 
from E. to W., containing upward of 35,000,000 of acres, of which, in 1850, 
only 5,175,173 acres were improved, showing an immense capability for in- 
crease of population in this very fertile state, which has scarcely any soil 
but that is capable of cultivation. 

The surface is generally level, and it has no mountains. About two 
thirds of it consists of immense prairies, presenting to view, in some places, 
immense plains extending as far as the eye can reach, beautifully covered 
with grass, herbage and flowers. These prairies are generally skirted with 
wood, near which are settlements. They are also, in many places, inter- 
spersed with groups of trees. 

The largest prairie in Illinois is denominated the Grand Prairie. Under 
this general name is embraced the country lying between the waters falling 
into the Mississippi, and those which enter the Wabash Rivers. It does not 
consist of one vast tract, but is made up of continuous tracts with points of 
timber projecting inward, and long arms of prairie extending between. The 



ILLINOIS. 199 

southern points of the Grand Prairie are formed in Jackson county, and ex- 
tend in a north-eastern course, varying in width from one to twelve miles, 
through Perry, Washington, Jefferson, Marion, Fayette, Effingham, Coles, 
Champaign, and Iroquois counties, where it becomes connected with the 
prairies that project eastward from the Illinois Piiver. A large arm lies in 
Marion county, between the waters of Crooked creek and the east fork of 
the Kaskaskia River, where the Vincennes road passes through. This part 
alone is frequently called the Grand Prairie. 

For agricultural purposes, Illinois is unsurpassed by any state in the 
Union. In some of her river bottoms the rich soil is 25 feet deep. The 
great American bottom, lying on the Mississippi, 80 miles in length, is of 
exceeding fertility, and has been cultivated for 100 years without apparent 
deterioration. Illinois is the greatest corn producing state in the Union; its 
yield in 1860 was estimated at 100,000,000 of bushels, and the average yield 
per acre at over 50 bushels. 

Illinois if? rich in minerals. In the north-west part of the state vast beds 
of lead ore abound. Bituminous coal is found in almost every county, and 
may be often obtained without excavation. Iron ore is found in many local- 
ities, and copper, zinc, etc. There are salt springs in the southern part of 
the state from which salt is manufactured, and also medicinal springs in va- 
rious places. Illinois is most favorably situated for internal commerce. By 
means of the great rivers on her borders, Lake Michigan at the north-east, 
and by her magnificent system of railroads, she has great facilities for com- 
munication in every direction. Population, in 1810, was 12,282; in 1830, 
157,445; in 1850,851,470; in ISGO, 1,691,238. 



Chicago, the most populous commercial city of the north-west, is on the 
western side of Lake Michigan, about 30 miles northward from its south end, 
at the mouth of Chicago River, on the margin of a prairie of several miles 
in width. It is 928 miles from New York, 278 from Detroit, 180 from Ga- 
lena, 285 from St. Louis, 300 from Cincinnati, and 183 from Springfield. 
Popuiation, in 1840, 4,853; in 1850, 29,963; and in 1860, 109,420. 

The following sketch of the history of Chicago is given in a recent pub- 
lication: 

The first explorers of Lake Michio;an, the first white men to pitch their tents on 
the Chicago prairie, and to haul up their boats upon its river banks and lake shore, 
were the French Jesuit missionaries and fur traders, under the guidance of Nicho- 
las Perrot, who was also acting as the agent of the government in the west. This 
was in the latter part of the year 1669. At that time this territory was in the pos- 
session of the Miami tribe of Indians, but subsequently the Pottawatomies crowded 
back the Miamis, and became the sole possessors, until the year 1795, when they 
became parties to the treaty with Wayne, by which a tract of land six miles square 
at the mouth of the Chicago River, was ceded to the United States — the first ex- 
tinction of Indian title to the land on which Chicago is built. For nearly a hun- 
dred years during the time of the French possession, and after its cession to the 
English, Chicago has little mention in history. 

During this time it is only known from incidental circumstances, that in those 
dark days of French possession, there was a fort near the mouth of the river, that 
there were Indian villages near the Calumet and on the Pes Plaines, that here 
were the roving grounds of the Pottawatomies, and that from the head Avaters of 
tlie Illinois to the Chicago River, was the common portage for the trade and tran- 
sit of the goods and furs between the Indians and the traders, and that the ship- 
ping point was from the port at Chicago. The few white men who were there 



200 



ILLINOIS. 



were there not for the purpose of makinf;; settlements, but simply to carry on a 
tnule with the Indians, the gain from which must have been of no inconsiderable 
amount. They were men of limited education, and could not have been expected 
to have any accounts of their adventures. This state of things existed until the 
close of the general western Indian war, soon after the termination of the war of 
the revolution. During this war the intrigue of the English was constantly excit- 
ing the Indians to w'arfare, to such a degree that, after peace was declared betwecu 



/" 



m A 







Chicago in 1831. 

Fort Dearborn is seen in the central part, on a slightly elevated point, on the south side of Chicago 
Eiver, near the lake shore shown in front. 

the old and the now country, a general war of the Indians against the United 
States broke out. This war continued until 1795, when, after having been severely 
punished by Gen. Wavne, the chiefs of the several tribes assembled, by his invi- 
tation, at Greenville, Ohio, and there effected a treaty of peace, thus closing the 
war of the west. In this treaty numerous small tracts of land were ceded by the 
Indians to the states, and among them was one described as "one piece of land six 
miles square, at the mouth of Chicajo (Chicago) River, emptying into the south- 
west end of Lake Michigan, where a fort formerly stood." 

This may be called the first ''land sale," and which has been the precursor to a 
business which has entailed to its participants independence and wealth. But lit- 
tle time passed before the proprietors thought best to enter upon active possession, 
and in 1804 a fort was built upon the .spot by government. This fort remained 
until the year 1816, when it was destroyed by the Indians, at the time of the mas- 
sacre. This fort was called P'ort Dearborn, a name which it retained during its 
existence. Its location was upon a slightly elevated point on the south side of 
the river, near the lake shore, and commanded a good view of the lake, the prairie 
extending to the south, the belt of timber along the south branch and the north 
branch, and the white sand hills to the north and south, which had for so many 
years been the sport of the lake winds. Up to the time of the erection of this fort, 
no white man had made here his home, the Pottawatomie Indians having undis- 
puted sway. After the establishment of the garrison, there gathered here a few 
families of French Canadians and half-breeds, none of whom possessed more than 
ordinary intelligence. 

The only link in the chain of civilization which admits of identity, existed in 
the Kinzie family, who came here to reside in 1804, the same year in which the 
fort was built. John Kinzie, then an Indian trader in the St. Joseph country, 
Michigan, in that year became the first permanent Avhite resident of Chicago, and 
to him is due the honor of establishing many of the improvements which have 
made Chicago what it is. For nearly twenty years he was, with the exception of 
the militarv, the only white inhabitant of northern Illinois. During the years from 
1804 to 1820, the lake trade was carried on by a small sail vessel, coming in in the 



ILLINOIS. QM 

fall and spring, bringing the season's supply of goods and stores for the fort, 
and taking away the stock of furs and peltries which had accumulated. Mr. 
Kinzie pursued the business of fur trading until the breaking out of hostilities 
with the Indians, which resulted in the massacre of 1812. The friendly feelings 
which had been cultivated between himself and the Indians, preserved himself 
and family from the ftxte which befell his neighbors of the fort. Removing for a 
time, in 1816 he returned to Chicago, and reopened the trade with the Indians, re- 
siding there until the time of his death, in 1828. 

It was a saying with the Indians that " the first white man who settled there was 
a negro," by which was meant Jean Baptiste Point-au-Sable, who, in 1796, built 
the first house in Chicago, which he afterward sold to Le Mai, who subsequently 
sold it to Mr. Kinzie. In 1812 there were but five houses outside of the fort, all 
of which, with the exception of that owned by Mr. Kinzie, were destroyed at the 
time of the massacre. In August, 1816, a treaty was concluded by commissioners 
appointed by the government, with the various Indian tribes, by which the coun- 
try between Chicago and the waters of the Illinois Kiver was ceded to the United 
States on the 4th of July. 

In the same year, the troops again returned to their former locality, and a new 
fort was erected, under the direction of Capt. Hezekiah Bradley, then commander. 
It stood upon the same ground as the former one, and remained until the summer 
of 1856, when it was demolished to make room for the increasing amount of business. 
The reoccupancy of the fort by the troops continued until May, 1823, after which 
time it was occupied by the Indian agent, and used for the temporary accommoda- 
tion of families of residents recently arrived. On the 10th of August, 1828, the fort 
was again occupied by a company of volunteers, and afterward by two companies 
of regular troops, under the command of Major Fowle and Captain Scott. These 
last remained until May, 1831, when the fort was given in charge of George W. 
Dole, as agent for the government. 

On the breaking out of the Black Hawk war, in 1832, it was reoccupied by a 
detachment under Gen. Scott, until the removal of the Indians, in 1836, and, until 
near the time of its demolition, w-as held by the government for the occasional use 
of its army officers, engineei's and agents connected with the public works. From 
1816 to 1830, Chicago had gained the number of twelve or fifteen houses, with a 
population of less than one hundred. In 1818, the public square, where now 
stands the court house, was a pond, on whose banks the Indians had trapped the 
muskrat, and where the first settlers hunted ducks. This pond had an outlet in a 
"slough," as it was then called, which passed over the present site of the Tremont 
House, entering the river at the end of State-street. Along the shores of the river 
the wild onion was found in great abundance, to which the Indians gave the name 
Chi-kajo, and from which the city doubtless derived its name. In the autumn of 
1829, the town of Chicago was laid out, which is the part now known on the maps 
as the ''original town." 

The site of Chicago is low, being but about five feet above the lake, but 
sufficiently elevated to prevent inundation. " The general direction of the 
lake shore here, is north and south. The water, except at the mouth of the 
river, is shoal, and vessels missing the entrance ground, go to pieces in a 
storm, within 100 rods of the shore. The harbor of Chicago is the river, 
and nothing more. It is a short, deep, sluggish stream, creeping through 
the black, fat mud of the prairie, and in some places would hardly be thought 
worthy of a name; but it makes itself wonderfully useful here. Outside of 
its niouth a vessel has no protection, nor are there any piers or wharves. 
The mouth of the river has been docked and dredged out, to afford a more 
easy entrance; but, after you are once in, it narrows to a mere canal, from 
50 to 75 yards in width. The general course of the river, for about three 
fourths of a mile, is at right angles with the lake shore, and this portion is 
what is known as the Chicago River. It here divides, or, more properly, two 
branches unite to form it, coming from opposite directions, and at nearly 



202 



ILLINOIS. 



right angles to the main stream. These are called, respectively, the 'North 
Branch ' and the ' South Branch,' and are each navigable for some four 
miles, giving, in the aggregate, a river front of some 15 or 16 miles, capable 
of being increased by canals and slips, some of which have already been con- 
structed. Into the ' South Branch' comes the Illinois canal, extending from 
this point 100 miles to Lasalle, on the Illinois River, forming water commu- 
nication between the lakes and the Mississippi. For the want of a map, 
take the letter H ; call the upright column on the right hand the lake shore ; 
let the cross-bar represent Chicago River, the left hand column will stand 
for the two branches, and you have a plan of the water lines of the city of 
Chicago, which will answer very well for all purposes of general description. 




The Court House, CJdcago. 

The view is from the north. The material is of blue lime stone, from Lockport, New York. On the left 
is the Mechanic's Institute Hall. 

The three divisions thus formed are called, respectively, 'North Side,' 
'South Side,' ' West Side.' In this narrow, muddy river, lie the heart and 
strength of Chicago. Dry this up, and Chicago would dry up with it, mean 
and dirty as it looks. From the mouth of the St. Joseph River, in Michi- 
gan, round to Milwaukie, in the state of Wisconsin, a distance, by the lake 
shore, of more than 250 miles, Chicago is the only place where 20 vessels 
can be loaded or unloaded, or find shelter in a storm. A glance at the map, 
then, will show that it is the only accessible port — and hence the commer- 
cial center — of a vast territory, measuring thousands of square miles of the 
richest agricultural country in the world. On this fact, and not on the pres- 
ent actual value, are really based those ftibulous prices of corner lots and 
wharf improvements, which have sometimes provoked the sneers of the 
skeptic." 

Chicago is regularly laid out with streets crossing at right angles, and is 
adorned with many magnificent buildings of brick and stone, public and 



ILLlNOlb. 203 

private, comparing well with any city in tliis country or any other. The 
shore of the lake and northern parts of the city, are occupied with the finest 
of residences. Some of the most remarkable public buildings are, the Court 
House, the Mei-chants Exchange, the Marine Hospital, the Medical College, 
the Second Presbyterian Church, etc. Burch's and Wadsworth's blocks, on 
Lake-street, are rows of iron front stores, that, in extent and beauty, have no 
equal in any business houses in any city of Europe. 

A very elegant building material has recently been brought into use. It 
is found in great abundance about 20 miles from the city, on the line of the 
Illinois canal. " It is a compact lime-stone, of a pale yellow shade, some- 
what lighter than the celebrated Caen stone of France, now so fashionable in 
New York. The grain is so fine that the fracture, or cut surface, resembles 
that of chalk in texture. It is durable, is easily wrought, and the color is 
peculiarly pleasing and grateful to the eye. There is another stone of simi- 
lar texture, of the color of freshly fractured slate, or of the mark made on 
a slate by a pencil; but it is not so beautiful as the kind before mentioned. 
It soils readily, and has, at a short distance, the effect of a dirty white. 
There are also other architectui'al stones in considerable abundance and va- 
riety; but none of great beauty or importance have come under our ob- 
servation. The Presbyterian Church on Wabash Avenue, is built of a blue, 
bituminous lime-stone, the pitchy matter of which has exuded and run down 
the sides, giving the building the appearance of having a partial coat of tar. 
The general impression it produces, is that of great antiquity; and if this 
idea could be preserved and harmonized by the early pointed gothic, and 
a good growth of ivy, the effect would be very fine." 

Until 1856, most of the streets of Chicago were planked, and the build- 
ings then erected were generally without cellars. As a consequence, in the 
spring of the year, the ground asserted its original character of swamp. The 
planks actually floated, and as the heavy wagons passed along, the muddy 
water gushed out on every side. Since 1856, such a grade has been estab- 
lished, that when finished, will raise the entire city from two to five feet. 

" There is, with almost every block of buildings, a change of grade, some- 
times of one foot, sometimes of three feet, sometimes of five. These ascents 
or descents are made by steps, or by short, steep, inclined planes of board?., 
with or without cleats or cross pieces, to prevent slipping, according to the 
fancy of the adjoining proprietor who erects them. The profile of a Chicago 
sidewalk would resemble the profile of the Erie canal, where the locks are 
most plenty. It is one continual succession of ups and downs. The reason 
of this diversity is, that it was found necessary, at an early period in the 
history of the place, to raise the grade of the streets. It was afterward found 
necessary to raise the grade still higher, and again still higher — as each 
building is erected, its foundation and the sidewalk adjoining have been made 
to correspond to the grade then last established, and so it will not happen 
until the city is entirely rebuilt, that the proper grade will be uniformly at- 
tained. In the mean time, the present state of things will repress undue 
curiosity in the streets, and keep fire-engines off the sidewalks, which is a 
great point gained." 

The process of raising of the houses and stores, in Chicago, is one of great 
interest, literally, a method of digging a great city out of the mud. "Build- 
ings of brick or stone, 150 feet by 200, and five stories high, are raised up 
several I'eet by a system of screws, without a crack or the displacement of a 
single thing. A hotel contracts to be lifted up. In a short time 2,000 
19 



204 



ILLINOIS. 



i^crews are under it. and little by little the house ri.ses. Nothing is changed 
within. The kitchen cooks, the dinning-rooni eats, the bar drinks, and all 
the rooms smoke, as if nothinLr was iroiiicr on! A block of stores and offices 




liaising a Block of Buildings in Chicago. 



The Ptitire block on l>ip norrli side of Lake-street, extendins from Clark to Xa Salle-street, having a front 
of 320 feet — is shown iu Ihe process of l)eiiig raised up four feet and two thirds, liy 0,OUU screws jilaced un- 
der h ; turned, at si.",nals, by a forci? of GOO men. Most of tlie stores aro 180 foot deep, and five days were 
coiisuine<l in the task. 

begins this new process of growth, nnd all the tenants maintain their usual 
functions ; and, except the outrageous heaps of dirt and piles of lumber, every- 
thing goes on as before. The plank into the door gets a little steeper every 
day. But goods come in and go out, and customers haunt the usual 
places." 

The most remarkable feat of the kind occurred in Chicago, in the spring 
of 1860, when an immense block was raised. This is shown in our engrav- 
ing, and thus described in the Chicago Press and Tribune of the time, under 
the caption of "T^Ae Great Building Raising.^' 

For the past week the marvel and the Avonder of our citizens and visitors has 
l)eon the spectacle of a solid front of first-class business blocks, comprising the en- 
tire block on the north side of Lake-street, between Chirk and La t^alle-streets, a 
leniith of ;V20 feet, being raised about four feet by the almost resistless lifting force 
of (■), <)()() screws. 

The lilock comprises 13 first class stores, and a large double marble structure, 
the Marine Bank Huildiiig. Its subdivisions are a five-story marble front block 



ILLINOIS. 



205 



of three stores ; a second four-story block of three stores, and a five-story block or 
four stores, at the corner of Clark street — these all presenting an unbroken front, 
in the heart of our city, and filled with occupants. 

This absence from annoyance to the merchants and the public is due to the skill 
with which the contractors have hung the sidewalks to the block itself, and carried 
up the same with the rise of the building. The block has been raised four feet 
eight inches, the required hight, in five days, ending with Friday last, and the ?5ia- 
sons are now busy putting in the permanent supports. The entire work will oc- 
cupy about four weeks. 

An estimate from a reliable source makes the entire weight thus raised to be 
about 35,000 tuns. So carefully has it been done, that not a pane of glass has been 
broken, nor a crack in masonry appeared. The internal order of ithe block has 
prevailed undisturbed. 

The process of raising, as indicated above, is by the screw, at 6,000 of which, 
three inches in diameter and of three eighths thread, 600 men have been employed, 
each man in charge of from eight to ten screws. A complete .system of signals 
was kept in operation, and by these the workmen passed, each through his series, 
giving each screw a quarter turn, then returning to repeat the same. Five davs' 
labor saw the immense weight rise tlirough four feet eight inches, to where it now 
stands on temporary supports, rapidly being replaced by permanent foundations. 
The work, as it stands, is worth going miles to see, and has drawn the admiration 
of thousands within the jiast week. 

The bridges of Chicago are among the curiosities of the place. The nu- 
merous branches of the river require a large number of bridges. The river 
being navigable, and but little below the level of the streets, compels all of 
these to be made draw bridges. These are, hung ia the middle, and turn 




Southicest View of the Railroad Depot, Grain Houses, Chicago. 

Tlio Illinois Central Passenger, and the freight depot, etc., are seen in the central ji.irt. Stnvges nnd 
Buckingliani's grain houses standing on tlie lake shore, appear on tlie right; each of which will contain 
7.50,000 bushels of grain ; enough, it is estimated, to feed the entire population of the city for five years ; 
2:i5.O00 bushels can be received and stored iu each of them in a single day. 

oil a pivot, the motive power being two men standing there with a cross -b:ir. 
Tlie operation of turning a bridge, occupies about two minutes. While the 
process is going on, a closely packed row of vehicles, sometimes, accumulates 
of a quarter of a mile in length. Policemen are stationed at either end, to 
prevent persons from driving, jumping, or being pushed into the water. 
The manufacturing establishments of Chicago are numerous, consisting of 



206 ILLINOIS. 

iron foundries and machine shops, steam flouring, saw and phining mills, 
manufactories of agricultural implements, etc. Numerous steamboats and 
vessels ply between this place and Buifalo, and the various places on the 
Upper Lakes, and a direct trade is had, by sailing vessels, with Europe, 
via the lakes, Welland canal, River St. Lawrence, and the Atlantic Ocean. 
Tine city is a great shipping point for an immense and fertile region. The 
Illinois and Michigan canal is 60 feet wide at the top, six feet deep, and 
107 miles long, including five miles of river navigation. Through this is 
brought a large amount of produce from the south and south-west. This and 
the railroads radiating from Chicago, add to the vast accumulation which is 
shipped here for the Atlantic sea-board. Chicago is within a short distance 
from extensive coal fields, and is the natural outlet for the produce of one of 
the richest agricultural sections of the Union. Great quantities of lumber 
are also brought here by lake navigation. 

The imports of Chicago, in 1858, a year of general depression, were 
$91,000,000, and the exports $83,000,000 in value, equal to one quarter of 
the whole foreign commerce of the United States. The tunnage was 67, 000 
tuns, seven eighths of which was in sailing crafts, and the remainder by 
steamers. 

The grain trade of Chicago is, perhaps, the greatest of any place in the 
world, averaging, at present, abitut 30,000,000 of bushels yearly. The grain 
houses are all situated on the bank of the river and its branches, with rail- 
road tracks running in the rear, so that a train of cars loaded with grain 
may be standing opposite one end of a large elevating warehouse, being 
emptied by elevators, at the rate of from 6 to 8,000 bushels per hour, 
while at the other end the same grain may be running into a couple of pro- 
pellers, and be on its way to Buffalo, Montreal, and other places within 
six or seven hours. 

The Illinois Central Railroad grain warehouses can discharge 12 t-ars 
loaded with grain, and also load two vessels at once, at the rate of 24,000 
bushels per hour ; or receive from 24 cars at once, at the rate of 8,000 bush- 
els per hour. With the present conveniences, it is estimated that in every 
10 hours half a million of bushels of grain can be handled. 

The university of Chicago, a well endowed institution, originated in 
1854, in a generous donation from the Hon. Stephen A. Douglass of 10 
acres, comprising part of a beautiful grove, adjacent to the southern limits 
of the city. It has. in all its departments, about 200 students. John C 
Burroughs, D.D., is president. 



The most thrilling event in the history of Illinois, was the " massacre at 
Chicago," in the last war with Great Britain. There were then but five 
houses outside of the fort, at this point, then the trading station of John 
Kinzie, '' the Father of Chicago." The garrison numbered about 75 men, 
matiy of them old and incificient soldiers. The officers in command, were 
Capt. lleald, Lieut. Helm, and Ensign Ronan, the latter a very young man, 
high spirited and honorable. 

On Aug. 7, 1812, Catfish, a distinguished Pottawatomie chief, arrived from 
Detroit, bringing dispatches from Gen. Hull, giving orders to Capt. Heald 
to evacuate the fort and distribute all the United States property, in the fort 
and factory, to the Indians, and then retire to Fort Wayne, on the site of the 
city of that name in Indiana. 



ILLINOIS, 207 

These ill timed, and as it proved afterward, ftital orders of Hull, were 
obeyed, so far as to evacuate the fort; but even this was done by Heald, in 
spite of the remonstrances of his officers, who were satisfied of the evil de- 
signs of the Indians. On the 12th, a council was held with the Indians, at 
which Capt. Heald informed them of his intention to distribute among them 
the goods stored in the factory, together with the ammunition and provisions 
of the garrison. On the next day the goods were disposed of as promised ; 
but fearing the Indians might make a bad use of liquor and ammunition, 
Heald gave orders for their destruction. During the night the contents of the 
liquor barrels were poured into the river, and the powder thrown into the 
well. This coming to the knowledge of the Indians, exasperated them to a 
high degree, as they prized these articles more than all the rest. 

The 15th of August was the day fixed for leaving the post. The day pre- 
vious, Capt. Wells, a relative of Capt. Heald, arrived with an escort of 15 
friendly Miami Indians from Fort Wayne. He had heard of the orders for 
the evacuation of the fort, and realizing the danger of the garrison incum- 
bered with the women and children, marching through the territory of the 
hostile Pottawatomies, hastened to dissuade his relative from leaving the 
fort. But he arrived too late, steps had been taken, which made it as 
equally dangerous to remain. 

" The fatal morning of the 15th, at length arrived. All things were in readiness, 
and nine o'clock was the hour named for starting. Mr. Kinzie had volunteered 
to accompany the troops in their march, and had entrusted his family to the care 
of some friendly Indians, who had promised to convey them in a boat around the 
head of Lake Michigan to a point on the 8t. Joseph's River; there to be joined by 
the troops, should the prosecution of their march be permitted them. Early in 
the morqing Mr. Kinzie received a message from To-pee-nee-bee, a chief of the 
St. Joseph's band, informing him that mischief was intended by the Pottawatomies 
who had engaged to escort the detachment; and urging him to relinquish his de- 
sign of accompanying the troops by land, promising him that the boat containing 
himself and family, should be permitted to pass in safety to St. Joseph's. 

Mr. Kinzie declined, according to this proposal, as he believed that his presence 
might operate as a restraint upon the fury of the savages, so warmly were the 
greater part of them attached to himself and his family. The party in the boat 
consisted of Mrs. Kinzie and her four younger children, their nurse Grutte, a 
clerk of Mr. Kinzie' s, two servants and the boatmen, beside the two Indians 
who acted as their protectors. The boat started, but had scarcely reached the 
mouth of the river, which, it will be recollected, was here half a mile below the 
fort, when another messenger from To-pee-nee-bee arrived, to detain them where they 
were. In breathless expectation sat the wife and mother. She was a woman of 
uncommon energy and strength of character, yet her heart died within her as she 
folded her arms around her helpless infants, and gazed upon the march of her hus- 
band and eldest child to certain destruction. 

As the troops left the fort, the band struck up the Dead March. On they came 
in military array, but with solemn mien. Capt. Wells took the lead at the head 
of his little band of JMiamis. He had blackened his face before leaving the garri- 
son, in token of his impending fate. They took their route along the lake shore. 
When they reached the point where commenced a range of sand hills, inter- 
vening between the prairie and the beach, the escort of Pottawatomies, in num- 
ber about 500, kept the level of the prairie, instead of continuing along the 
beach with the Americans and Miamis. They had marched about half a mile 
Bouth ot the present site of the Kound House of the Illinois Central fiailroad, when 
Capt. Wells, who had kept somewhat in advance with his Miamis, came riding fu- 
riously back. ' They are about to attack us,' shouted he ; ' form, instantly, and 
charge uppn them.' Scarcely were the words uttered, when a volley was showered 
from among the sand hills. The troops were hastily brought into line, and 



208 ILLINOIS. 

ohartred up the bank. One man, a veteran of 70 winters, fell as they ascended. 
The remainder of the scene is best described in the words of an eye-witness and 
participator in the tragedy, Mrs. Helm, the wife of Capt. (then Lieutenant) Helm, 
and step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie." 

''After we had left the bank, the firing became general. The Miamis fled at the 
outset. Their chief rode up to the Pottawatomies and said: 'You have de- 
ceived the Americans and us. You have done a bad action, and (brandishing 
his tomahawk) I will be first to head a party of Americans to return and pun- 
ish your treachery." So saying, he galloped after his companions, who were now 
scouring across the prairies. 

The troops behaved most gallantly. They were but a handful, but they seemed 
resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Our horses pranced and bounded, 
and could hardly be restrained as the balls whistled among them. 1 drew off a 
little, and gazed upon my husband and father, who were yet unharmed. I felt 
that my hour was come, and endeavored to forget those I loved, and prepare my 
self for my approaching fate. 

"While I was thus engaged, the surgeon. Dr. Van Voorhees, came up. He was 
badly wounded. His horse had been shot under him, and he had received a ball 
in his leg. Every muscle of his face was quivering with the agony of terror. He 
said to me — 'Do you think they will take our lives? I am badly wounded, but I 
think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives by promising them a 
large reward. Do you think there is any chance ? ' 

" 'Dr. Van Voorhees,' said I, 'do not let us waste the few moments that yet re- 
main to us, in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few moments we 
must appear before the bar of God. Let us make what preparation is yet in our 
power. 

" 'OA/ I can not die,' exclaimed he, ^I am not Jit to die — if I had hut a short 
time to prepare — death is awful!' I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mor- 
tally wounded and nearly down, was still fighting, with desperation, on one 
knee. 

" ' Look at that man,' said I, ' at least he dies like a soldier.' 'Yes,' replied the 
unfortunate man, with a convulsive gasp, ' but he has no terrors of the future — he 
is an unbeliever! ' 

"At this moment a young Indian raised his tomahawk at me. By springing 
aside, I avoided the blow which was intended for my skull, but which alighted on 
my shoulder. I siezed him around the neck, and while exerting my utmost efforts 
to get possession of his scalping-knife, which hung in a scabbard over his breast, 
I was dragged from his grasp by another and an older Indian. The latter bore 
me, struggling and resisting, toward the lake. Notwithstanding the rapidity with 
which I was hurried along, I recognized, as I passed them, the lifeless remains of 
the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous tomahawk had stretched him upon the 
very spot where I had last seen him. 1 was immediately plunged into the water 
and held there with a forcible hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon per- 
ceived, however, that the object of my captor Avas not to drown me, for he held me 
firmly, in such a position as to place my head above water. This reassured me, 
and i-egarding him attentively, I soon recognized, in spite of the pp.int with which 
he was disguised. The Black Partridge. 

" When the firing had nearly subsided, my preserver bore me from the Avater 
and conducted me up the sand-banks. It was a burning August morning, and 
walking through the sand in my drenched condition, was inexpressibly painful 
and fatiguing. I stooped and took off my shoes to free them from the sand, 
with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw siezed and cai-ried them off, 
and I Avas obliged to proceed without them. 

" When we had gained the prairie, I was met by my father, who told me that 
my husband was safe but slightly wounded. They led me gently back toward the 
Chicago River, along the southern bank of which was the Pottawatomie encamp- 
ment. At one time I was placed upon a horse Avithout a saddle, but finding the 
motion insupportable, I sprang off. Supported partly by my kind conductor, 
Black Partridge, and partly by another Indian, Pee-so-tum, Avho held dangling in 



ILLINOIS. 209 

his hand a scalp, which by the black ribbon around the queue, I recognized as 
that of Capt. Wells, I dragged my fainting steps to one of the wigwams. 

"The wife of Wau-bee-nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois River, was standing 
near, and seeing my exhausted condition she siezed a kettle, dipped up some water 
from a stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up 
with her hand gave it me to drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many 
many horrors, touched me most sensibly, but my attention was soon diverted to 
other objects. 

" The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as remained after the troops 
marched out. The cattle had been shot down as they ran at large, and lay dead 
or dying around. This work of butchery had commenced just as we were leaving 
the fort. I well remembered a remark of Ensign Ronan, as the firing went on. 
'Such,' turning to me, ' is to be our fate — to be shot down like brutes!' 'Well 
sir,' said the commanding officer, who overheard him, 'are you afraid?' 'No,' re- 
plied the high spirited young man, '1 can march up to the enemy where you dare 
not show your face ; ' and his subsequent gallant behavior showed this to be no 
idle boast. 

" As the noise of the firing grow gradually less, and the stragglers from the vic- 
torious party came di'opping in, I received confirmation of what my father had 
hurriedly communicated in our rencontre on the lake shore; namely, that the 
whites had surrendered after tlie loss of about two thirds of their number. 
They had stipulated, through the interpreter, Peresh Leclerc, for the preservation 
of their lives, and those of the remaining women and children, and for their de- 
livery at some of the British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian coun- 
try. It appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered a.s included 
in the stipulation, and a horrible scene ensued upon their being brought into 
camp. 

"An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary, 
scenes around her, seemed possessed by a demoniac ferocity. She siezed a stable 
fork and assaulted one miserable victim, who lay groaning and writhing in the 
agony of his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With a deli- 
cacy of feeling scarcely to have been expected under such circumstances, Wau- 
beenee-mah stretched a mat across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene. 
1 was thus spared, in some degree, a view oS its horrors, although I could not en- 
tirely close my ears to the cries of the sufferer. The following night five more of 
the wounded prisoners were tomahawked. 

" The Americans, after their first attack by the Indians, charged upon those who 
had concealed themselves in a sort of ravine, intervening between the sand banks 
and the prairie. The latter gathered themselves into a body, and after some hard 
fighting, in which the number of whites had become reduced to 28, this little band 
succeeded in breaking through the enemy, and gaining a rising ground, not far 
from the Oak Woods. The contest now seemed hopeless, and Lieut. Helm^ sen!? 
Peresh Leclerc, a half-bree J boy in the service of Mr. Kinzie, who had accompa- 
nied the detachment and fought manfully on their side, to propose terms of 
capitulation. It was stipulated that the lives of all the survivors should be spared, 
and a ransom permitted as soon as practicable. 

" But, in the mean time, a horrible scene had been enacted. One young savage, 
climbing into the baggage-wagon, containing the children of the white families, 
12 in number, tomahawked the children of the entire group. This was during the 
engagement near the sand hills. When Capt. Wells, who was fighting near, beheld/' 
it, he exclaimed: 'Is that their game, butchering/the women and children? Then 
I loill kill too !' So saying, he turned his horse's head, and started for the Indian 
camp, near the fort, where had been left their squaws and children. 

"Several Indians pursued him as he galloped along. He laid himself flat on the 
neck of his horse, loading and firing in that position, as he would occasionally turn 
on Ills pui-surers. At length their balls took efi'ect, killing his horse, and severely 
wounding himself At this moment he was met by Winnemecf.' »x\d Wau-ben-see, 
who endeavored to save him from the savages who had now overtaken him; Aa 
they supported him along, after having disengaged him from' his horse,- h« re* 
ceivcd his death-blow from another Indian, Pee-so4am, who stabbed him in thebackv 

14 



0|() ILLINOIS. 

"The heroic resolution of one of the soldier's wives deserves to be recorded. 
She was a Mrs. Corbin, and bad, frotn the first, expressed the determination never 
to fall into the hands of the savages, believing that their prisoners were always 
subjected to tortures worse than death. When, therefore, a party came upon her, 
to make her a prisoner, she fought witli desperation, refusing to surrender, although 
assured, by signs, of safety and kind treatment, and literally suffered herself to be 
cut to pieces, rather than become tlieir captive. 

"There was a Sergeant Holt, who, early in the engagement, received a ball in 
the neck. Finding himself badly wounded, he gave his sword to his wife, who was 
on horseback near him, telling her to defend herself — he then made for the lake, 
to keep out of the way of the balls. Mr.s. Holt rode a very fine horse, which the 
Indians were desirous of possessing, and they therefore attacked her, in hopes of 
dismounting her. They fought only with the butt-ends of their guns, for their ob- 
ject was not to kill her. She hacked and hewed at their pieces as they were thrust 
against her, now on this side, now on that. Finally, she broke loose from them, 
and dashed out into the prairie. The Indians pursued her, shouting and laughing, 
and now and then calling out: 'The brave woman! do not hurt her! ' At length 
they overtook her again, and while she Avas engaged with two or three in front, one 
succeeded in siezing her by the neck behind, and dragging her, although a large 
and powerful woman, from her horse. Notwithstanding that their guns had been 
so hacked and injured, and even themselves cut severely, they seemed to regard 
her only with admiration. They took her to a trader on the Illinois River, by 
whom she was restored to her friends, after having received every kindness during 
her captivity." 

"The heart of Capt. Wells was taken out, and cut into pieces, and distributed 
among the tribes. Ilis mutilated remains remained unburied until the next day, 
when Billy Caldwell gathered up his head in one place, and mangled body in an- 
other, and buried them in the sand. The family of Mr. Kinzie had been taken 
from the boat to their home, by friomlly Indians, and there strictly guarded. Very 
soon a very hostile party of the Pottawatomie nation arrived from tbe Wabash, and 
it required all the skill and bravery of Black Partridge, Wau ben-see, Billy Cald- 
ivell (who arrived at a critical moment), and other friendly Indians, to protect 
them. Runners had been sent by the hostile chiefs to all the Indian villagCvS, to 
apprise them of the intended evacu!i4;ion of the fort, and of their plan of at- 
tacking the troops. In eager thirst to participate in such a scene of blood, but 
arrived too late to participate in the massacre. They were infuriated at their 
disappointment, and sought to glut their vengeance on the wounded and priso- 
ners. 

On the third day after the massacre, the family of Mr. Kinzie, with the attaches 
of the establishment, under the care of Francois, a half-breed interpreter, were 
taken to St. Joseph's in a boat, where they remained until the following No- 
vember, under the protection of To-pee-nee-bee, and his band. They were then car- 
ried to Detroit, under the escort of Chandonnai, and a friendly chief by the name 
of Kee-po-iah, and, with their servants, delivered up, as prisoners of war, to the 
British commanding officer. Of the other prisoners, Capt. Heald and Mrs. Ileald 
were sent across to the lake of St. Joseph's, the day after the battle. Capt. Heald had 
received two wounds, and Mrs. Heald seven, the ball of one of which was cut from 
her arm by Mr. Kinzie, with a pen-knife, after the engagement. Mrs. II. was 
ransomed on the battle field, by Chandonnai, a half-breed from St. Joseph's, for a 
mule he had just taken, and the promise of ten bottles of whisky. Capt. Heald 
was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, who, seeing the wounded 
and enfeebled state of Mrs. Heald, generously released his prisoner, that he 
might accompany his wife. 

Lieut. Helm was wounded in the action and taken prisoner; and afterward 
taken by some friendly Indians to the Au-sable, and from thence to St. Louis, and 
liV)erate(l from captivity through the agency of the late Thomas Forsyth, Esq. Mrs. 
Helm received a slight wound in the ankle; had her horse shot from under her; 
and after passing through the agonizing scenes described, went with the family of 
Mr. Kinzie to Detroit. The soldiers with their wives and children, were dispersed 
among the different villages of the Pottowatomies, upon the Illinois, Wabash, Rock 



ILLINOIS. 



211 



River and ]Nniwaukie. The largest proportion were taken to Detroit, and ran- 
somed the following spring. Some, however, remained in captivity another year, 
and experienced more kindness than was expected from an enemy so mer- 
ciless. 

Captain (subsequently Major) Ileald, his wife and family, settled in the coun- 
ty of St. Charles, Mo., after the war, about 1817, where he died about 15 years 
since. He was respected and beloved by his acquaintances. His health was im- 
paired from the wounds he received." 




Korih western view of the State House, Springjield. 

The engraving shows the appearance of llie .Stati; Capitol, as sten from the Mayor's office, in Washing- 
ton-street. The Court Ilouse and tlie Bank building are seen on tha left. 

Springfield, the capital of Illinois, is situated near the center of the 
state, four miles S. from Sangamon lliver, on the border of a rich and beau- 
tiful prairie, 97 miles from St. Louis, 75 N.E. from Alton, and 188 S.W. 
from Chicago. It is laid out with great regularity on what was formerly an 
open prairie, the streets being wide and straight, and ornamented with shade 
trees. The state capitol stands on a square of three acres in the center of 
the city, which is beautifully adorned with trees, shrubbery and fiowe?s. 
From the unusual attention given to the cultivation of shrubbery and flow- 
ers, Springfield is sometimes fancifully and pleasantly termed the '■^Flower 
City.''' It contains the governor's house, court house, 12 churches, 4 bank- 
ing houses, the Illinois State University, and in IBtiO 6,499 inhabitants. 

The first settlers of Springfield appear to have been several members of a family 
by the name of Kelly, who, sometime during the year 1818 or 1819, settled upon 
the present site of the city; one of them, John Kelly, erected his rude cabin upon 
the spot where stands the building known as the "Garrett House; " this was the 
first habitation erected in the city, and, perhaps, also, in the county of Sangamon. 
Another of the Kellys built his cabin westward of the first, and near the spot 
where stands the residence of i\Irs. Torrey; and the third near or upon the spot 
where A. G. Herndon resides. A second family, by the name of Duggett, settled 
in that portion of the western part of the city known by the early inhabitants as 
"Nevvsonville," sometime in the early part of 1820; and some half dozen other 
families were added to the new settlement during the year 1821. 



2;l2 ILLINOIS. 

The original name of Springfield -was Calhoun. At a special term of tlie county 
commissioners' court, held in April, 1821, at Kelly's house, they designated a cer- 
tain point in the prairie, near John Kelly's field, on tlie waters of Spring creek, as 
a temporary seat of justice for the county, and that "said county seat should he 
called and known by the name of Springfield." The first court house and jail 
•was built in the latter part of 1821, at the N.W. corner of Second and Jefferson- 
streets. The town was surveyed and platted by James C. Stephenson, Esq., and 
he is said to have received block 21 for his services. Town lots, at that period, 
could not have been considered very valuable, as tradition says he proposed to give 
Dr. Merryman one fourth of the block for his pointer dog to Avhich he took a fancy, 
and which offer was rejected. In 1823, Springfield did not contain more than a 
dozen log cabins, which were scattered about in the vicinity of where the court 
house then stood, and the Sangamon River was the boundary line of settlements 
in the northern part of the state. The site of Springfield was originally an open 
prairie, destitute of trees or shrubbery : where the state house now stands, was 
formerly a kind of swamp, where, during the winter, the boys amused themselves 
in skating. 

The first tavern in Springfield was an old-fashioned two story log house, kept by 
a person named Price, which stood where the residence of Charles Lorsh now 
stands. The first tavern of much pretension was the old "Indian Queen Hotel," 
built by A. G. Herndon. The first store, for the sale of dry goods, in Springfield, 
was opened by Elijah lies, now occupied by John Hay. 

In 1837, the seat of government for the state was removed from Vandalia to 
Springfield, and the first session of the legislature here was in the winter of 1839- 
40. 'rhe senate held its session in the old Methodist church, and the house of 
representatives met in the second Presbyterian church. In 1840, Springfield re- 
ceived a city charter. Benjamin S. Clement was elected the first mayor, and Jas. 
R. Gray, Joseph Klein, Washington lies, and Wm. Prentiss, aldermen. The St. 
Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad was commenced in Aug., 1850, and was finished 
from Alton to Springfield, Sept., 1852: from this period Springfield has rapidly ad- 
vance^ in wealth and population. 

The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the city ceme- 
tery : 

NiNiAN Edwards, chief justice of Ky., 1808; governor 111. Territory, 1809 to 1818; U. 
S. senator, 1818 to 1824; governor state of 111., 1826 to 1830; died July 20,18.33, in the 59th 
year of his age. 

Pascal Paoli Enos, a native of Windsor, Conn., emigrated to the valley of the Missis- 
sippi in 1816; with three others founded the city of Springfield in 1824, and died A. D. 
1832, aged sixty-two. The pioneers acknowledge his virtues. 



Erected by the Whigs of Springfield in memory of John Brodie, who departed this life 
on the 3d of Aug., 1844, in the 42d year of his age. [Second monument.] — The grave of 
John Brodie, a native of Perth, Scotland, who departed this life on the 3d of Aug., 1844, 
in the 42d year of his age. 

Far from his native isle he lies, 
Wrapped in the vestments of the grave. 



[In the old graveyard.] Sacred to the memory of Rev. Jacob M. Early, a native of 
Virginia, and for .seven years a resident of Springfield, 111., combining in his character 
splendid natural endowments, a highly cultivated mind, undaunted moral courage, and the 
graces of the Christian religion. Eminent in the profession of his choice, and successful 
in his ministry, he enjoyed a large share of the respect and affections of an extensive and 
respectable acquaintance. Though called suddenly from life, he met death with a calm 
and amazing fortitude, in the certain hope of a blissful immortality, through our Lord and 
Savior Jesus Christ. He was born Feb. 22, 1806, and died March 11, 1838, aged 32 yrs. 18 
days. 



ILLINOIS. 



213 




Rksidesce of Ad'm. Lincoln, 



Sprinfrfield is noted as having been the home of Abraham Lincoln, president 
of the United States. He is a descendant of the pioneers of Kentucky. 

His grandfather removed from 
Vi>»ginia at iin early day, and 
finally fell on the frontiers be- 
N^ neath the tomahawk of the sav- 
age. His son, Thomas, and the 
father of Abraham, traveled 
about from neighborhood to 
neighborhood, working as a la- 
borer, until he finally settled in 
what was then Hardin, now La- 
rue county, I^y., and there, in 
1809, was born the subject of thia 
sketch. When in his eighth 
year, the family removed to 
Spencer Co., Ind. When Abra- 
ham was 21 years of age. they again emigrated to Macon, Illinois. Soon 
after he engaged as a fiat boatman on the Mississippi, then he took charge 
of a store and a mill at New Salem, and on the outbreak of the Black Hawk 
war he was chosen captain of a company of volunteers. In 1834 he was, 
for the first time, elected to the legislature of Illinois, and soon after com- 
menced the study of law. In 1837 he removed to Springfield and entered 
upon his professional career. In 1840, and again in 1844, he was one of 
the electors on the Whig ticket in Illinois; in 1846 was elected to congress 
from the Springfield district. In 1858, he was brought prominently before 
the public by his memorable senatorial contest with the distinguished Ste- 
phen A. Douglass. This was the final point in his career which led to his 
nomination and subsequent election, by the Republican party, to the Presi- 
dency. His history illustrates the power of natural capacity, joined to in- 
dustry, to overcome poverty and other obstacles in the way of obtaining an 
education, in a country whose institutions give full freedom to the exercise 
of all manly faculties. 

Kaskaskia, a small village and the county seat of Randolph county, is on 
Kaskaskia River, 10 miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, and on 
a neck of land between them, two miles from the latter, and 142 miles 
S. of Springfield. It has the distinction of being the oldest town in Illinois, 
and, perhaps, in the whole western states. It was founded by Father Gravier, 
a Catholic missionary, some where about the year 1693. It was, at first, 
merely a missionary station inhabited by the natives. In 1763, when ceded 
by the French to the English, it contained about 130 families. It was the 
first capital of the territory, and retained that rank until 1818. 

Judge Hall, in his " Sketches of the West," gives a pleasant picture of 
the characteristics of the French settlers in this region. Says he : 

They made no attempt to acquire land from the Indians, to organize a social sys- 
tem, to introduce municipal regulations, or to establish military defenses ; but 
cheerfully obeyed the priests and the king's officers, and enjoyed the present, with- 
out troubling their heads about the futm-e. They seem to have been even careles^s 
as to the acquisition of property, and its transmission to their heirs. Finding 
themselves in a fruitful country, abounding in game, where the necessaries of life 
could be pi'ocured with little labor, where no restraints were imposed by govei-n- 
ment, and neither tribute nor personal service was exacted, they were content to 
live in unambitious peace, and comfortable poverty. They took possession of so 
much of the vacant land around them as they were disposed to till, and no more. 



214 ILLINOIS. 

Their agriculture Avas rude; and e\cn to tin's day, some of the implements of hus- 
bandry and modes of cultivation, brought from France a century ago, remain un- 
changed by the warch of mind, or the hand of innovation. Their houses were 
comfortable, and they reared fruits and floAvcrs; evincing, in this respect, an at- 
tention to comfort and luxury, -which has not been practiced among the English or 
American first settlers; but in the accumulation of property, and in all the essen- 
tiiWs of industry, they Avere indolent and improvident, rearing only the bare neces- 
saries of life, and living from generation to generation without change or improve- 
ment. 

The only ncAV articles which the French adopted, in consequence of their change 
of residence, were those connected with the fur trade. The few who were en- 
gaged in merchandise turned their attention almost exclusively to the traffic with 
the Indians, while a large number became hunters and boatmen. The voyageurs, 
erigagees, and covriers des hois, as they are called, form a peculiar race of men. 
They were active, sprightly, and remarkably expert in their vocation. With all 
the vivacity of the French character, they have little of the intemperance and bru- 
tal coarseness usually found among the boatmen and mariners. They are patient 
under fatigue, and endure an astonishing degree of toil and exposure to the weather. 
Accustomed to live in the open air, they pass through every exti-eme, and all the 
sudden vicissitudes of climate, with little apparent inconvenience. Their boats 
are managed with expertness, and even grace, and their toil enlivened by the song. 
As hunters, they have roved over the whole of the Avide plain of the west, to the 
Rocky Mountains, sharing the hospitality of the Indians, abiding for long periods, 
and even permanently, AA'ith the tribes, and sometimes seeking their alliance by 
marriage. As boatmen, they navigate the birch canoe to the sources of the long- 
est rivers, and pass from one river to another, by laboriously carrying the packages 
of merchandise, and the boat itself, across mountains, or through swamps or woods, 
so that no obstacle stops their progress. Like the Indian, they can live on game, 
Avithout condiment or bread; like him they sleep in the open air, or plunge into 
the Avater at any season, Avithout injury. 

The French had also a fort on the Ohio, about thirty-six miles above the junc- 
tion of that river Avith the Mississippi, of Avhich the Indians obtained possession 
by a singular stratagem. This was just above the site of Metropolis City, and was 
a mission station as early as 1711. A number of them appeared in the day time 
on the opposite side of the river, each covered with a bear-skin, and Avalking on 
all-foui:.s, and imitating the motions of that animal. The French supposed them 
to be bears, and a party crossed the river in pursuit of them. The remainder of 
the troops left their quarters, and resorted to the bank of the river, in front of the 
garrison, to observe the sport. In the meantime, a large body of Indian AA-arriors, 
who Avere concealed in the Avoods near by, came silently up behind the fort, en- 
tered it without opposition, and very few of the French escaped the carnage. 
They afterward built another fort on the same ground, Avhich they called Massaa-e, 
in memory of this disastrous event, and Avhicli retained the name of Fort Massac, 
after it passed into the hands of the American government. 

These paragraphs of Hall are quoted by Peck, in the Western Annals, 
and to them are appended these additional facts from his own pen: 

The style of agriculture in all the French settlements was simple. Both the Spanish 
ami French governments, in forming settlements on the Mississippi, had special regard to 
convenience of social intercourse, and protection from the Indians. All their settlements 
Avere required to be in tlie form of villages or towns,- and lots of a convenient size for a 
door yard, garden anil stable yard, were provided for each family. To each village were 
granted two tracts of land at convenient distances for " common Jirlds " and " comrimns." 

A common field is a tract of land of several hundred acres, inclosed in common by the 
villagers, each person furnishing his proportion of labor, and each family possessing indi- 
A idual interest in a portion of the field, marked off and bounded from the rest. Ordinances 
were made to regulate the repaiis of fences, the time of excluding cattle in the spring, and 
the time of gathering the crop and 0]iening the field for the range of cattle in the fall. 
Each plat of ground in the commcni field was owned in fee simple by the person to whom 
granted, subject to sale and conveyance, the same as any landed property. 

A common is a tract of land granted to the town for wood and pasturage, in Avhich each 



ILLINOIS. 215 

owner of a village lot has a common, but not an individual rigbt. In some cases this 
tract embraced several thousand acres. 

By this arrangement, something like a community system existed in their intercourse. 
If the head of a I'aniily was sick, met with a casualty, or was absent as an enyigee, his 
family sustained little inconvenience. His plat in the common field was cultivated by his 
neighbors, and the crop gathered. A pleasant custom existed in these French villages not 
thirty years since, and which had come down from the remotest period. 

The husbandman on his return at evening from his daily toil, was always met by his 
affectionate femme with the friendly kiss, and very commoidy with one, perhaps two of the 
youngest children, to receive the same salutation from le pere. This daily interview was 
at the gate of the door yard, and in view of all the villagers. The simple-hearted people 
were a happy and contented race. A few traits of these ancient characteristics remain, 
but most of the descendants of the French are fully Americanized. 

The romantic details of the conquest of Kaskaskia, in the war of the 
Tlevolution, by the Virginians, under Clark, we take from Monette : 

The Avhole of the Illinois country being, at that time, within the chartered limits 
of Virginia, Col. George Rogers Clark, an officer of extraordinary genius, who had 
recently emigrated to Kentucky, with slight aid from the mother state, projected 
and carried out a secret expedition for the reduction of these posts, the great 
fountains of Indian massacre. 

About the middle of June (1778), Clark, by extraordinary exertions, assembled 
at the Falls of the Ohio six incomplete companies. From these he selected about 
150 frontier men, and descended the Ohio in keel-boats eu j-o?(<e for Kaskaskia; 
on their way down they learned, by a messenger, of the alliance of France with 
the United States. About forty miles from the mouth of the Ohio, having first 
concealed their boats by sinking them in the river, they commenced their march 
toward Kaskaskia. Their route was through a pathless wilderness, interspersed 
with morasses, and almost impassable to any except backwoodsmen. After several 
days of great fatigue and hardships, they arrived, unperceived, in the evening of 
the 4th of July, in the vicinity of the town. In the dead of night Clark divided 
his little force into two divisions. One division took possession of the town while 
the inhabitants were asleep: with the other Clark in person crossed to the oppo- 
site side of the Kaskaskia River, and secured possession of B'ort Gage. So little 
apprehensive was he of danger, that the commandant, Rocheblave, had not even 
posted a solitary sentinel, and that officer Avas awakened by the side of his wife to 
find himself a prisoner of war. 

The town, containing about 250 dwellings, was completely surrounded, and all 
avenues of escape carefully guarded. The British had cunningly impressed the 
French with a horror of Virginians, representing them as bloodthirsty and cruel 
in the extreme. Clark took measures, for ultimate good, to increase this feeling. 
During the night the troops filled the air with war-whoops; every house was en- 
tered and the inhabitants disarmed; all intercourse between them was prohibited; 
the people were ordered not to appear in the streets under the penalty of instant 
death. The whole town was filled with terror, and the minds of the poor French- 
men were agitated by the most horrid apprehensions. At last, when hope had 
nearly vanished, a deputation, headed by Father Gibault, the village priest, ob- 
tained permission to wait upon Col. Clark. Surprised as they had been, by the 
sudden capture of their town, and by such an enemy as their imagination had 
painted, they were still more so when admitted to his presence. Their clothes 
Avere dirty and torn by the briars, and their whole aspect frightful and savage. 
Tlie priest, in a trembling, subdued tone, said to Clark: 

" That the inhabitants expected to be separated, never to meet again on earth, 
and they begged for permission, through him, to assemble once more in the church, 
to take a final leave of each other." Clark, aware that they suspected him of hos- 
tility to their religion, carelessly told them, tlmt he had nothing to say against their 
church ; that religion was a matter which the Americans left every one for him- 
self to settle with his God; that the people might assemble in the church, if tliey 
wished, but they must not leave the town. Some further conversation was at- 
tempted, but Clark, in order that the alarm might be raised to its utmost bight, 
repelled it with sternness, and told them at once that he had not leisure for further 



216 ILLINOIS. 

intercourse. The whole town immediately assembled at the church; the old and 
the young, the women and the children, and the liouses were all deserted. 'J'he 
people remained in chuifih for a longtime — after which the priest, accompanied by 
several gentlemen, waited upon Col. Clark, and expressed, in the name of the vil- 
lage, " their thanks for the indulgence they had received." The deputation then 
desired, at the request of the inhabitants, to address their conqueror on a subject 
which was dearer to them than any other. " They were sensible," they said, " that 
their present situation was the fate of war ; and they could submit to the loss of 
property, but solicited that they might not be separated from their wives and chil- 
dren, and that some clothes and provisions might be allowed for their future sup- 
port." They assured Col. Clark, that their conduct had been influenced by the 
British commandants, whom they supposed they were bound to obey — that they 
were not certain that they understood the nature of the contest between Great 
Britain and the colonies — that their remote situation was unfavorable to accurate 
information — that some of their number had expressed themselves in favor of the 
Americans, and others would have done so had they durst. Clark, having wound 
up their terror to the highest pitch, resolved now to try the effect of that lenity, 
which he had all along intended to grant. He therefore abruptly addressed them : 
" Do you," said he, " mistake us for savages ? I am almost certain you do from 
your language. Do you think that Americans intend to strip women and children, 
or take the bread out of their mouths ? My countrymen disdain to make war upon 
helpless innocence. It was to prevent the horrors of Indian butchery upon our 
own wives and children, that we have taken up arms, -and penetrated into this 
stronghold of British and Indian barbarity, and not the despicable pro.spect of 
plunder. That since the King of France had united his arms with those of Amer- 
ica, the war, in all probability, would shortly cease. That the inhabitants of Kas- 
kaskia, however, were at liberty to take which side they pleased, without danger 
to themselves, their property, or their families. That all religions were regarded 
by the Americans with equal respect; and that insult offered to theirs, would be 
immediately punished. And now," continued he, " to prove my sincerity, you will 
please inform your fellow-citizens that they are at liberty to go wherever they 
please, without any apprehension. That he was now convinced they had been 
misinformed, and prejudiced against the Americans, by British officers; and that 
their friends in confinement should immediately be released." The joy of the vil- 
lagers, on hearing the speech of Col. Clark, may be imagined. The contrast of 
foelinii among the people, on learning these generous and magnanimous intentions 
of Col. Clark, verified his anticipations. The gloom which had overspread the 
town was immediately dispersed. The bells rung a merry peal ; the church was 
at once filled, and thanks offered up to God for deliverance from the terrors they 
had feared. Freedom to come and go, as they pleased, was immediately given ; 
knowing that their reports would advance the success and glory of his arms. 

So great an effect had this leniency of Clark upon them, that, on the evening of 
the same day, a detachment, under Capt. I'ovvman, being detached to surprise Caho- 
kia, the Kaskaskians offered to go with it, and secure the submission of their neigh- 
bors. This having been accomplished, the two chief posts in Illinois had passed, 
without bloodshed, from the possession of England into that of Virginia. 

But St. Vincennes, upon the Wabash, the most important post in the west, except 
Detroit, still remained in possession of the enemy. Clark thereupon accepted the 
offer of Father Gibault, who, in company with another Kaskaskian, proceeded on 
a mission of peace to St. Vincennes, and by the 1st of August, returned with the 
intelligence that the inhabitants of that post had taken the oath of allegiance to 
the American cause. 

Clark next established courts, garrisoned three conquered towns, commenced a 
fort which proved the foundation of the flourishing city of Louisville, and sent the 
ill-natured Kocheblave a prisoner to Virginia. In October, Vil'iiinia extended her 
jurisdiction over the settlements of the Upper iMississippi and the Wabash, by the 
organization of the county of Illinois, the largest, at that time, in the world. Had 
it not been for the conquest of the Illinois country by Clark, it would have re- 
mained in the possession of England at the close of the Revolution, and continued, 
like Canada, to the present day, an English province. 



ILLINOIS. 217 

Hiiving reduced these English posts to submission, Clark opened negotia- 
tions with the Indians, showing throughout that masterly insight into their 
character that was ever so wonderfully displayed by him in dealing with men, 
white or red. Among the incidents of his diplomacy is this one, given by 
Mr. Peck : 

A party of Indians, known as Meadow Indians, had come to attend the council with 
thcii neighbors. These, by some means, were induced to attempt the murder of the in- 
vaders, and tried to obtain an opportunity to commit the crime proposed, by surprising 
Chirli and his officers in their quarters. In this plan they failed, and their purpose was dis- 
covered by the sagacity of the French in attendance; when this was done, Clark gave 
them to the French to deal with as they pleased, but with a hint that some of the leaders 
would be as well in irons. Thus fettered and foiled, the chiefs were brought daily to the 
council house, where he whom they proposed to kill, was engaged in forming friendly re- 
lations with their red brethren. At length, when, by these means, the futility of their pro- 
ject had been sufficiently impressed upon them, the American commander ordered their 
irons to be struck off, and in his quiet way, full of scorn, said, 

" Every body thinks you ought to die for your treachery upon my life, amidst the sacred 
deliberations of a council. I had determined to inflict death upon you for your base at- 
tempt, and you yourselves must be sensible that you have justly forfeited your lives; but 
on considering the meanness of watching a bear and catching him asleep, I have found out 
that you are not warriors, ovhj old women, and too mean to be killed by the Big Knife. But,'' 
continued he, " as you ought to be punished for putting on breech cloths like men, they 
shall be taken away from you, plenty of provisions shall be given for your journey home, 
as lonmen don't know how to hunt, and during your stay you shall be treated in every respect 
as squaws.^' 

These few cutting words concluded, the colonel turned away to converse with others. 
The children of the prairie, who had looked for anger, not contempt — punishment, not 
freedom — were unaccountably stirred by this treatment. They took counsel together, and 
presently a chief came forward with a belt and pipe of peace, which, with proper words, 
he laid upon the table. The interpreter stood ready to translate the words of friendship, 
but, with curling lip, the American said he did not wish to hear them, and lifting a sword 
which lay before him, he shattered the offered pipe, with the cutting expression that "he 
did not treat with loomen." The bewildered and overwhelmed Meadow Indians next asked 
the intercession of other red men, already admitted. to friendship, but the only reply was, 
"The Big Knife has made no war upon these people; they are of a kind that we shoot like icolves 
when we meet them in the woods, lest they eat the deer.^' 

All this wrought more and more upon the offending tribe; again they took counsel, and 
then two young men came forward, and, covering their heads with their blankets, sat 
down before the impenetrable commander; then two chiefs arose, and stated that these 
young warriors offered their lives as an atonement for the misdoings of their relatives, 
again they presented the pipe of peace. Silence reigned in the assembly, while the fate 
of the proffered victims hung in suspense: all watched the countenance of the American 
leader, who could scarce master the emotion which the incident excited. Still all sat 
noiseless, nothing heard but the deep breathing of those whose lives thus hung by a thread. 
Presently, he upon whom all depended, arose, and, approaching the young men, he bade 
them be uncovered and stand up. They sprang to their feet. 

" I am glad to lind," said Clark, warmly," tliat there are men among all nations. With 
you, who alone are tit to be chiefs of your tribe, I am willing to treat; through you I am 
ready to grant peace to your brothers; / take you by the hands as chiefs, worthy of being 
such." 

Here again the fearless generosity, and the generous fearlessness of Clark, proved per- 
fectly successful, and while the tribe in question became the allies of America, the fame 
of the occurrence, which spread far and wide through the north-west, made the najne of 
the white negotiator every where respected. 



Jacksonville, the capital of Morgan county, is on the line of the Great 
Western Railroad, 34 miles W. from Springfield, and 222 from Chicago. It 
is beautifully situated in the midst of an undulating and fertile prairie, in 
the vicinity of Mauvaisterre creek, an affluent of Illinois River. Perhaps 
no place of its size contains a greater number of churches, charitable insti- 
tutions, seminaries of learning, and the town has been denominated " the 
school-house of Illinois." It contains the Illinois College, which occupiea 



218 



ILLINOIS. 



a benutifiil situation, and is one of the best and most flourishing in the state ; 
the Illinois Conference Female College, under the patronage of the Methodists, 
having had at one time 400 pupils ; the Berean College, under the patronage of 
the Christian denomination; and the Jacksonville Female Seminary. The 




Korth-eastern view of Illinois College, Jacksonville. 

The Illinois CoIIpge building is seen in the central part. The structure on the right was fti 
irierly used as a chapel, library, etc.; that on the left is a wing remaining of the former College buiU • 
ing. 

state institutions are the Insane Asylum, the Deaf and Dumb Institution, 
and the Institution for the Blind. These state asylums are situated rela- 
tively on three sides of a quadrangle around the town, each about a mile 
from the center. All of the buildings for these institutions, together with 
those for literary purposes, are of the first order, and some of them make an 
imposing appearance. The state asylums are supported by the state tax, 
and all citizens of the state are entitled to their benefits without charge. 

One of the first orisiinators of the Illinois College was the late Rev. John M. 
Ellis, who was sent by the American Home Missionary Society, to the infant set- 
tlements of this state. He early conceived the idea of founding a seminary de- 
voted to the purposes of education, on a somewhat peculiar plan. The first attempt 
was at Shoal creek, in Bond county, where the people took quite an interest in 
the undertaking. A committee was afterward appointed by the Presbytery of 
Missouri (with which the Presbyterian churches of this state were then connected), 
to consider the subject and make a report. A tour in connection with this subject 
was taken by Messrs. Ellis and Lippincott, in Jan., 1828. Having visited several 
places, Saturday night overtook them on the south side of Sandy creek, some four 
or five miles south from Jacksonville. 

Mr. Ellis, in order to fulfill his appointment to preach, continued his journey on 
Sunday morning. " It was a bright splendid morning. The winter rain had 
covered every twig and blade of prairie grass with ice, and as the rising sun threw 
liis clear rays athwart the plain, myriads of gems sparkled with living light, and 
Diamond Grove might almost have been fancied a vast crystal chandelier." The 
name of Diamond Grove was considerably more ancient than the name or exist- 
ence of Jacksonville, and was used as a designation of the region around it. 
• The most convenient place for the people, at that time, to assemble on that Sab- 
bath, was at the house of Judge Leeper, which was about a mile south-east from 
ithe public 8(juare, in the immediate vicinity of the woodland, which borders oh 



ILLINOIS. 219 

the Mauvaisterre creek, and nearly east of the spot where the Insane Hospital now 
stands. He was one of the first members of the Presbyterian Church in Jackson- 
ville. The principal sites which attracted the notice of the commissioners when 
here, was the spot now known as the mound and the site on which the college 
stands. 

Mr. Kllis ^removed his residence from Kaskaskia to Jacksonville, in 1S2S, and 
the same year made a report to the society respecting the seminary. About this 
period seven members of the theological department of Yale College, Conn., see- 
ing the report of Mr. Ellis, pledged themselves to devote their lives to the cause of 
Christianity in the distant and then wild state of Illinois. The names of these 
young men were, Theoron M. Grosvenor, Theoron Baldwin, J. M. Sturtevant (now 
president of the college), J. T. Brooks, Elisha Jenney, William Kirby and Asa 
Tui-ner. The following is extracted from President Sturtevant's Historical Dis- 
course, delivered in Jacksonville on the Quarter Century Celebration at Illinois 
College, July 11, 1855, being relative to his first visit to Jacksonville: 

" It was on a bright Sabl)ath morning, the L5th day of November, a little after 
sunrise, that we came in sight of Jacksonville. It was already called, in the ordi- 
nary speech of the people, a beautiful place. I had often heard it called so my- 
self; and beautiful it was, when the bright fiice of spring was again spread over 
it, though its beauty was God's work, and not man's. It was at that time little 
better than a group of log cabins. The prairie was in the sombre brown of autumn, 
with scarce a tree or shrub to relieve the monotony. To the north-west, however, 
the view was shut in by an elevation, which a Nevr Englander might almost recog- 
nize as a hill. It was crowned with a natural grove. Against the front of the 
grove was already projected an edifice of brick, which, at that distance, and on 
such an elevation, made an appearance of considerable dignity and magnificence. 
The site on which it stood charmed every beholder. It was the south half of what 
is now our college buildings, then in process of erection. We were most cordially 
welcomed at the humble, but none the less hospitable, dwelling of Mr. Ellis. * * 

Our arrival was expected, and preaching was appointed. At the proper hour 
we repaired to the place of worship. What would our people say now, if we were 
to invite them to assemble in such a place for public worship? It was a log school 
house, some 20 feet square, with a floor of split logs, and seats, so far as there were 
any of the same, with holes bored in them, and sticks driven in for legs. The 
chimney was of the style and structure most approved for log-cabins, built out of 
doors, of logs and sticks, and occupying near half of one side of the room. Such 
was its condition the first time 1 met the congregation in that place. Before the 
next Sabbath, the chimney had either fallen down or been removed, in prepara- 
tion for an arrangement for warming the house by a stove. P'or two or three Sab- 
baths we met there, before this vast opening in one side was again closed up. Desk 
or pulpit there was none, an awkward circumstance to one just from the school of 
theology, with no faith in the possibility of preaching without a manuscript before 
him. Yet, on that day, this was the unlucky predicament of your speaker. On 
the first Sabbath the audience was small, and a chair was set for the preacher in 
one corner of the room. On the second Sabbath the house was crowded. The 
chair was missing. The deficiency of seats had been supplied by bringing in rails 
from a neighboring fence, and laying them across from one seat to another, and 
thus covering over the whole area with 'sittings.' Those who could not thus be 
accommodated, crowded around the ample opening where the chimney had been, 
and heard standing in the open air. There Avas a state of democratic equality in 
the congregation, which would have done good to the heart of a thoroughgoing 
levcler. The preacher found a seat, where he could, among the congregation; 
laiil his Bible and hymn book on the rail by his side, and rose in his place and ad- 
dressed the congregation as best he might. 

When the day appointed arrived, we repaired to the still unfinished edifice, then 
a full mile distant from Jacksonville, where we found the room which has ever 
since been used as a chapel, finished, lacking the desk, the lathing and plastering, 
and for the most part the seating. The rest of the building was in a still more un- 
finished condition. Of course its impression was far enough from inviting. Nine 
pupils presented themselves on that day. They were Alvin M. Dixon, James P. 



220 ILLINOIS. 

t?tewart, from Bond county, Mei-ril Rattan and Hampton Rattan, from Orteno 
county, Samuel R. Simms, Chatham H. Simms, Rollin IMears, Charles 15. Barton, 
and a youth by the name of Miller, of Morgan county. They were all to begin 
their studies in the first rudiments, for it is not known that there was, at that time, 
in the state, a single youth fitted for the fres'hman class in an American college. 
The pupils were called together, a portion of scripture was reatl, a^few remarks 
were made on the magnitude of the errand which had brought us there." 

The first printing office in Jacksonville, was set up by James G. Edwards, of 
Boston, who afterward removed to Burlington, Iowa. He was the printer and edl-' 
tor of the " Western Observer." His printing office is the building in the rear 
of that of Dr. Mavo McLean Reed, a native of South Windsor, Connecticut. Dr. 
Reed emigrated to Jacksonville in 1830, from South Windsor, with Mr. Elihu 
Wolcott and his ftiraily. Mr. W. travekd with his own team from Connecticut, 
and arrived here on the 5th of November, having been six Avceks on the 
journey. 

About 1,000 Portuguese emigrants reside in Jacksonville and its immediate vi- 
cinity, being sent here by a society in New York. They are from the Island of 
Maderia, and were brought to embrace the Protestant faith, through the instru- 
mentality of Dr. Kally, a Scotchman who went to reside in Maderia for the health 
of his wife. They have a minister named Do Mattoes, who preaches in their na- 
tive language. They are an industrious and frugal people : most of them have 
houses of their own, with from two to ten acres of land: a few have 30 or 40 acres. 
They have additions, occasionally, from their native country. 



The following inscriptions are froBi monuments in Jacksonville; the first 
from the graveyard in the vicinity of the colleges; the otliers, in the city 
graveyard. Col. Hardin (the inscription on whose monument is given below) 
was much esteemed, and represented this district in congress, from 1843 to 
1845. Being at the head of the Illinois militia, he was requested, by the 
governor of the state, to take the command of a regiment of Illinois volun- 
teers. He at first declined, not fully approving of the Mexican War. But 
being over-persuaded, and desirous of obtaining the approbation of all classes 
of his fellow-citizens, he finally consented. Tearing himself from his wife 
and children, he embarked, with his regiment, for Mexico; but as in many 
other like instances, it proved with him, that 

" The paths of Glory lead but to the Grave.'l 

In the battle of Buena Vista, Col. Hardin having obtained permission to. 
march upon the enemy at a certain point, was suddenly attacked by an over- 
whehmng force of Mexicans concealed in a ravine, when he fell pierced with 
many wounds. His remains were found among the slain, brought home and 
interred with military honors. 

Alexander Dunlop, born May 6th, A.D. 1791, in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Died Nov. 10, 
A.D. 1853. Alex. Dunlop volunteered as a private soldier in the war with England in 1812, 
and wa.s taken prisoner at Dudley's defeat, May 7, lSl-<. Commanded a company during 
the Seminole War, also the detachment that captured St. Marks, April 7, 1818, niakinj^ 
prisoners, Arbuthnot and Ambrister. Was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, 
184.;. Was commissioned Major of the U. S. Army 1816, and was present at the fall of Vera 
Ciuz, March 28, 1847. 

Pro patria. Col. Johk J. Hardin, of the 1st Reg. of 111. volunteers, gloriously fell in the 
battle of Buena Vista, Feb. 23, 1847. Born in Frankfort, Ky., on the 6th day of January, 
1810. Died on the field of battle in the 37th year of his age. 



William E. Pierson died Sept. 30, 1854, on the eve of his departure to the Cherokee Na- 
tion, being under appointment as missionary teacher by the A. B. C. F. M., aged 24. lie 
rests in hoi)c. 



ILLINOIS. 



221 



Bloomington, beautifully situated on the line of the Illinois Central 
Piailroad, is 61 miles N. E. from Springfield, and 128 S. "W. from Chicago. 
It is regularly laid out on an undulating surface, giving a fine prospect of 
the fertile prairie lands in the vicinity. The city is generally very neatly 




North Vieic in Bloomington. 

Showing the appearance Df the central part of the place, as it is entered from the north; the new Bap- 
tist Church, and the Shaffer and Landon Houses, with a portion of the old Court House, are seen on ths 
right of the engraving ; the 2d Presbyterian and the AJethodist Churches on the left. 

built, having the appearance of thrift and prosperity, and some of the build- 
ings near the public square, are magnificent in their appearance. This place 
contains the State Normal University, the Illinois Wesleyan University, two 
female seminaries, several banks, 11 churches, varioua manufacturing estab- 
lishments, and a population of about 8,000. 

The first settler and father of the town, was John Allin, a native of North Caro- 
lina, who was raised in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, he having lived, in the early 
period of his life in each of those states. He was at first attracted to this spot by 
the extreme beauty of the groves. Being acquainted with the geography of the 
country, he found it was on a direct line from the foot of the rapids of the 
Illinois, near La Salle to Cairo, also from Chicago to Alton and St. Louis. These 
considerations induced him to locate himself on this point, believing it was des- 
tined to become one of importance. It was for a period called Blooming Grove, 
and from this circumstance Mr. Allin gave it its present name. This section of 
country appears to have been a favorite spot with the Indians. Mr. A. states that 
he had seen the signs or remains of 30 Indian villages, within a compass of 30 
miles around Bloomington. At the time of his arrival, two tribes, the Kickapoos 
and Delawares, lived within some 15 or 20 miles. The Kickapoos were 5 or 600; 
the Delawares were about half that number. The Kickapoos left in 1832. 

Mr. Allin came in 1829, and erected his log cabin on the edge of the timber op- 
posite where the First Presbyterian Church now stands, and he set out most of the 
trees growing in that vicinity. He brought a quantity of goods with him, which 
he kept in a part of his cabin, and opened the first store in Bloomington. Samuel 
Durley, a young man born in Kentucky, then nearly of age, acted as clerk. Rev. 
James Latta, the second settler, built his habitation about 20 rods west from Mr. 
Allin 's ; he was a Methodist preacher, universally esteemed by all classes. Mr. 



222 



ILLINOIS. 



Allin found him livinfi; in a cabin about four miles south-west of Bloomington, on 
Su;iar creek, and induced iiim to remove. M. L. Covel, and Col. A. Gridley, 
merchants from the state of New York, were also prominent men among the lirs't 
settlers. 

Tlie first school house Avas built in 1830. It was constructed of logs, and stood 
on the edge of the timber, about 20 rods west of Mr. Allin 's house. This was the 
first public building opened for religious meetings. The first seminary was opened 
by liev. Lemuel P'oster, in 1S3G; he lived, preached, and kept school in the same 
building. Mr. Foster was originally from N^ew England, and was the first Presby- 
terian minister, if we e.Kcept a .Mr. .\lcGhor or Gear, Avho was of feeble constitution, 
and died very soon after his arrival in the place. 'J'he first regular physician was 
John Anderson, of Kentuck3^ Henry Miller, from Ohio, kept the first house of en- 
tertainment: it was a log house a few rods from Mr. Allin 's. 




South-eastern view <>j W'lirla. 

Showing the appoaranceof the central part of the city, as it ia entcrod from the eastern siilt- of the Illi- 
nois River, liy the RailruHd and the Peoria bridge. Part of the Railroad bridge is sei'U on the extreme 
left; the steamboat landing on the right. The draw or swing of the bridge is represented opiu I'.ir the 
passage of steamboats. 

McLean county, named from Judge McLean, of Ohio, was formed in bS.ll. At 
this period there were but 30 or 40 families living within the present limits of the 
county. Mr. Allin donated the site of the town plot for the county seat. The 
first court house was a small framed building, which stood on the present public 
square. Mr. Allin was chosen the first senator from the county in 1836, and con- 
tinued in the office for four years. Jesse W. Fell, distinguished for his enterprize 
and public spirit, edited and published the Kloomingtox Observer, the first 
newspaper printed in the place. It was printed in a small building on West street, 
long since removed. The construction of the Central ilailroad with the grants 
of lands by congreSxS on the route, gave an important impulse to the prosperity of 
the town. 

Peoria is situated on the ripjht or west bank of Illinois lliver, at the out- 
let of Peoria Lake, 70 miles north from Springfield, 193 from the mouth of 
the Illinois, and 151 south-west of Chicago. It is the most populous town 
on the river, and one of the most important and commercial in the state. The 
river is navigable for steamboats in all stages of water, and is the channel of 



ILLINOIS. 223 

an immense trade in grain, lumber, pork, etc. It has a regulai commu- 
nication with St. Louis by steamboats, and with Chicago by means of the 
Illinois and Michigan canal, and by railroads to places in every direction. 
The city is handsomely situated on an elevation above the flood, and slopes 
gradually to the river, rendering drainage laws unnecessary, and the grading 
of the streets an easy task. The streets are all 100 feet wide. Back of the 
town is a range of bluffs, from 60 to 100 feet high, commanding, from their 
summits, a most extensive and beautiful prospect. It has numerous steam 
mills, distilleries, manufactories, etc. It contains 28 churches, and about 
16,000 inhabitants. 

Peoria derived its name from the Peorias, one of the five tribes known as the 
Illini, or Minneway nation. In the autumn of 1679, La Salle and his co-voyagers, 
from Canada, sailed for this region of country, by way of the lakes to Chicao;o, 
where he established a fort. Leaving a few men for a garrison, he set out with 
his canoes, nine in number, with three or four men in each, about the 1st of 
December, for the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, by ascending St. Joseph River, 
Michigan, and across the portage to Kan-ka-kee, a main branch of the Illinois 
River, and then down the river to Peoria. Among La Salle's companions, were 
M. de Tonti, who acted as historian. 

JI. de Tonti, in his account of this voyage, says: "The same day (January 4, 
1680), we went through a lake formed by the river, about seven leagues long and 
one broad. The savages call that place Phnit(euii, that is, in their tongue, 'a place 
where there is abundance of fat beasts.' After passing through this [Peoria] lake, 
they came again to the channel of the river, and found themselves between two 
Indian encampments. This was where the bridges are now built. On perceivino- 
the strangers, the Indians fled; but some were bold enough to return, when one 
of their chiefs camij and inquired who they were, and what were their o))ject8. 
They were answered by the interpreter, that they were French, and that their ob- 
ject was to make known to them the God of Heaven; to offer them the protec- 
tion of the King of France, and to trade Avith them. This was well received, 
and the oalumet, or pipe of peace, was smoked by each party as a token of 
peace and friendship. A great feast was held, which lasted for several days, 
attended with dancing, on the part of the natives, and firing of guns and other 
demonstrations of joy on the part of the French. 

jM. La Salle erected a fort on the south-eastern bank of the Illinois, which he 
named Creve-coeiir [Bursted heart], on account of the grief he felt ft»r the loss of 
one of his chief trading barks richly laden, and for the mutiny and villainous con- 
duct of some of his companions who first attempted to poison and then desert him. 
This fort is supposed to have stood on land owned by Mr. Wren, some two or 
three miles eastward of Peoria. The exact date of the first permanent settlement 
in Illinois, can not now be ascertained, unless this fort or trading post of Creve- 
coeur be regarded the first, and there is no evidence that this remained a perma- 
nent station. 

After the conquest of Canada, the Illinois country fell into the possession of Great 
Britain. In 1766, the "Quebec Bill" passed the British parliament, which placed 
Illinois and the North-western Territory under the local administration of Canada. 
The conquest of the North-western Territory, by Col. George Rogers Clark, in 1778, 
was the next event of importance. It was brought under the jurisdiction of 
Virginia, and the country of Illinois was organized. In the year 1796, Peoria 
was described as "an Indian village, composed of pseudo savages," made of the 
native tribe of " Peoriaca Indians," and " Canadian French," a few Indian traders 
and hunters. In Dec, 1812, a Capt. Craig was sent here by Gov. Edwards, to 
chastise the disorderly Indians and their allies, if any of them might be found at 
this little French village. Capt. Craig found a pretext for burning this French 
tdwn, which had been laid out by them, embracing about one half of the 1st ward 
of the present city, the center of this village being at or about the entrance 
of the bridge across the Illinois River. Capt. Craig excused himself for this 
act, by accusiaj; the French of being in league with the Indians, and by alleging 



224 ILLINOIS. 

that his boats were fired upon from the town, while lyin,2; at anchor before it. 
This the French inhabitants denied, and charsed Craig with unprovoked cruelty. 
This place was then called "Xa vUle MaiUeit," from its founder, Iljpoli'^e 
Mailleit, who moved here in 1778, and commenced the building of this f///e. 

In 1830, John Hamlin and John Sharp built the first floui'ing mill ever erected 
in this part of the state, on the Kickapoo, or Red Bud creek, about three miles W. 
of Peoria. The next was erected in Oct., 1837, by Judge Hale and John Easton, 
about four miles from the city. In the spring of 1834, the only building W. of 
the corner of Main and Washington-streets was a barn; the entire town then con- 
sisted of but seven framed houses, and about thrice that number of log tenements 
— but during this season about forty houses and stores were erected. About this 
time, the old jail, standing on the alley between Monroe and Perry-streets, was 
built, a hewn log building, only 16 feet square and 14 high ; the lower story formed 
for a cell, entered by a trap door from the second story, which was used for a com- 
mon prison. The court house was a log building on the bank, in which the jurors 
slept at night on their blankets on the floor. The courts being usually held in warm 
weather, after the grand jurors received their charge, in court time, the grand 
jury sat under the shade of a crab apple tree, and the petit jury in a potato hole 
(that had been partially filled up) in the vicinity. The venerable Isaac Waters 
was clerk of the court. His office and dwelling were in a small log cabin, where 
now stands Toby & Anderson's plow factory. J. L. Bogardus, the postmaster, kept 
his office in a log cabin near Sweney & Ham's steam mill. 

Peoria was incorporated as a town in 1831, and as a city in 1844. The first city 
officers were Hon. Wm. Hale, mayor ; Peter Sweat, Chester Hamlin, Clark Cleave- 
land, Harvey Lightner, J. L. Knowlton, John Hamlin, Charles Kettelle, and A. P. 
Bartlett, as aldermen. The Peoria bridge, across the Illinois River, with its abut- 
ments, is 2,600 feet long, was finished in 1849, and cost of about $33,000. In 1818 
the first canal boat arrived from Lake Michigan. The first steamboat that arrived 
at Peoria was the "Liberty," in the month of December, 1829. The first news- 
paper was the " Illinois Champion," published by A. S. Buxfon and Henry Wol- 
ford, ^larch 10, 1834. The first daily paper was called the "Daily Register," pub- 
lished by Picket & Woodcock; the first number was issued June 28, 1848. 

The Methodist Episcopal church, the first formed in the place, was organized in 
Aug., 1834, by Rev. Zadock Hall, of the Chicago circuit. Dr. Heath, of St. Louis, 
and Rev. John St. Clair, of Ottawa. Their meetings, at first, were held in the old 
court house. The first church edifice, the Main-street Presbyterian church, was 
erected April, 1836. The church, consisting of eight membti's, was organized 
in Dec, 1834„by Rev Romulus Barnes and Rev. Flavel Bascom. St. Jude's church 
(Episcopal) was organized here in 1834; St. Paul's church building was erected in 
Sept., 1850. The Baptist church was constituted in Aug., 1836. The Second 
Presbyterian church was organized Oct., 1840. 



The following sketch of a campaign against the Indians, at Peoria and 
vicinity, in the war of 1812, is from Peck's edition of Perkins' Annals: 

During the campaign in the summer and autumn of 1813, all the companies of 
rangers, from Illinois and Missouri, were under the command of Gen. Howard. 
Large parties of hostile Indians were known to have collected a])out Peoria, and 
scouting parties traversed the district between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, 
then an entire wilderness. 

It was from these marauding parties that the frontier settlements of Illinois and 
Missouri, were harassed. It became an object of no small importance, to pene- 
trate the country over which they ranged, and establish a fort at Peoria, and thus 
drive them to the northern wilderness. Our authorities for the incidents of the 
campaign, are a long letter from the honorable John Reynolds, who was a non-com- 
missioned officer in a company of spies, and the ' Missouri Gazette,' of November 
6th The rendezvous for the Illinois regiment was 'Camp Russell,' two miles 
north of Edwardsvillo. The whole party, wlien collected, made up of the rangers, 
volunteers and militia, amounted to about 1,400 men, under the command of Gen. 



• ILLINOIS 225 

Howard. Robert Wash, Esq., and I)r. Walker, of St. Louis, were of his staff. 
Colonels Benjamin Stephenson, then of Randolph county, Illinois, and Alexan- 
der McNair, of St. Louis, commanded the regiments. W. B. Whiteside and John 
Moredock, of Illinois, were majors in the second regiment, and William Christy 
and Nathan Boone, filled the same office in the first, or Missouri regiment. A Maj. 
Desha, a United States officer from Tennessee, was in the army, but what post 
he occupied we do not learn. Col. E. B. Clemaon, of the United States Army, 
was inspector. Gov. Reynolds states, there were some United States rangers from 
Kentucky, and a company from Vincennes. We have no means of ascertaining 
the names of all the subaltern officers. We know that Samuel Whiteside, Joseph 
Phillips, Nathaniel Journey and Samuel Judy, were captains in the Illinois 
companies. • 

The Illinois regiment lay encamped on the Piasau, opposite Portage de Sioux, 
waiting for more troops, for three or four weeks. They then commenced the 
marcli, and swam their horses over the Illinois River, about two miles above the 
mouth. On the high ground in Calhoun county, they had a skirmish with a party 
of Indians. The Missouri troops, with Gen. Howard, crossed the Mississippi from 
Fort Mason, and formed a junction with the Illinois troops. The baggage and men 
were transported in canoes, and the horses swam the river. 

The army marched for a number of days along the Mississippi bottom. On 
or near the site of Quincy, was a large Sac village, and an encampment, that must 
have contained a thousand warriors. It appeared to have been deserted but a 
shoi't period. 

The army continued its march near the Mississippi, some distance above the 
Lower Rapids, and then struck across the prairies for the Illinois Kiver, vA'hich 
they reached below the mouth of Spoon River, and marched to Peoria village. 
Here was a small stockade, commanded by Col. Nicholas of the United Statee 
Army. Two days previous the Indians had made an attack on the fort, and wers 
rcpuiscd. The army, on its march from the Mississippi to the Illinois River, found 
numerous fresh trails, all passing northward, which indicated that the eavages were 
lleeing in tliat direction. 

Next morning the general marched his troops to the Senatchwine, a short dis- 
tance above the head of Peoria Lake,'where was an old Indian village, called 
Gomo's village. Here they found the enemy had taken water and ascended the Illi- 
nois. This, and two other villages, were biirnt. Finding no enemy to fi^it, the army 
was marched back to Peoria, to assist the regular troops in building Fort Clark, so- 
denominated in memory of the old hero of 1778; and Maj. Christy, with a party, 
was ordered to ascend the river with two keel boats, duly armed and protected, to 
the foot of tilt rapids, and bi-eak up any Indian establishments that might be in 
tliat quarter. Maj. Boone, with a detachment, was dispatched to scour the coun^ 
try on Spoon River, in the direction of Rock River. 

The rangers and militia passed to the east side of the Illinois, cut timber, which 
they hauled on truck wheels by drag ropes to the lake, and rafted it across. The 
fort was erected by the regular troops under Capt. Phillips. In preparing the 
timber, the rangers and militia were engaged about two weeks. 

Maj. Christy and the boats returned from the rapids without any discovery, ex- 
cept additional proofs of the alarm and fright of the enemy, and Maj. Boene re- 
turned with his force with the same observations. 

It was the plan of Gen. Howard to return by a tour through the Rock River 
valley, but the cold weather set in unusually early. By the middle of October it 
was intensely cold, the troops had no clothing for a winter campaign, and their 
horses would, in all probability, fail; the Indians had evidently fled a long distance 
in the interior, so that, all things considered, he resolved to return the direct route 
to Camp Russell, where the militia and volunteers were disbanded on the 22d of 
October _ Supplies of provisions, and munitions of war had been sent to Peoria, in 
boats, which had reached there a few days previous to the army. 

It may seem to those, who delight in tales of fighting and bloodshed, that this- 
expedition was a very insignificant affiiir. Very few Indians were killed, very-' 
little fighting done, but one or two of the army were lost, and yet, as a means of 
protecting the frontier settlements of these territories, it was most efficient, and- 

15 



226 



ILLINOIS. 



cave at least six morilhs quiet to the people. After this, Indians shook their heads 
and said, ' White men like the leaves in the forest — like the grass in the prairies— 
they grow everywhere.'" 




Distant vietv of Quiiicij, from ike south. 

The engraving shows the appearance of Qnincy. when first seen on approachins; it from the sonth by the 
Mi3»issi|ipi. Thayer's Alcohol Factoi-y and Oomstock & Go 's Iron Konnch-j' are seen on the riglit: the 
Central Mill and Grain Depot on the left; between these two points is a ran.^e of liraesttnio quarries. Just 
above the Central iMill is tlie steam and ferry boat landing; also mills, stores, shops, etc. The city is par- 
tially seeu on the bluff. 

QuiNCY, the county seat of Adams county and a port of entry, is situated 
on a beautiful elevation, about 125 feet above the Mississippi, and commands 
a fine view for five or six miles in each direction. It is 109 miles from 
Springfield, 26S miles from Chicago, by railroad, and 160 above St. Louis. 
It contains a large public square, a court house, many beautiful public and 
private edifices, several banks, a number of extensive flouring and other 
mills, and manufactories of various kinds, with iron founderies, machine 
shops, etc. Flour is exported to a great extent, and large quantities of pro- 
visions are packed. The bluff's in front of the city may be considered as one 
vast limestone quarry, from which building stone of a hard and durable 
quality can be taken and transported to any section of the country, by steam- 
boat and railroad facilities immediately at hand. Five newspapers are printed 
here, three daily and two in the German language, one of which is daily. 
Population about 16,000. 

The ''Quincy English and German Male and Female Seminary," an in- 
corporated and recently established institution, is designed for a male and 
female college of the highest grade, for which a large and elegant building 
is already constructed. The streets cross at rip;ht angles, those running N. 
and S. bear the name of the states of the Union. The present bounds of 
the city extend two and a half miles each way. The river at the landing is 
one mile wide. Running along and under the N.W. front of the city, lies a 
beautiful bay, formerly called " Boston Bay," from the circumstance of a 



ILLINOIS. 227 

Bostonian having once navigated his craft up this bay, mistaking it for the 
main channel of the river. 

Quincy was originally selected as a town site by John Wood, of the state of New 
York ; for several years he was mayor of this city and lieutenant governor of the 
state. Mr. Wood built his cabin (18 by 20 feet) in Dec., 1822, without nails or 
sawed lumber. This building, the fii-st in the place, stood near the foot of Dela- 
ware-street, about 15 rods E. of Thayer's alcohol factory. At this time there were 
only three white inhabitants Avithin the present county of Adams, and these were 
obliged to go to Atlas, 40 miles distant, to a horse mill for corn meal, their princi- 
pal breadstuff. In Nov., 1825, the county court ordered a survey and plat of the 
town to be made, and the lots to be advertised for sale. Henry H. Snow, the clerk, 
and afterwai-d judge, laid off 230 lots, 99 by 108 feet, reserving a public square in 
the center of the town. It received its name, Quincy, on the day that John Quincy 
Adams was inaugurated president of the United States. 

On the present site of Quincy once stood an old Sac village. At the time the 
town was surveyed, it was covered with forest trees and hazel bushes, excepting 
about two acres of prairie ground where the public square was laid out. In the 
trees in the vicinity of the place, balls were found which had been shot into them 
fifty or more years before. A few years since an iron ring and staple were found 
sixty feet below the earth's surface. In the mounds in and about the city are 
found Indian bones and armor of ancient date. 

John Wood, from the state of New York; Henry H. Snow, from New Hamp- 
shii-e; Willard Keyes, from Vermont; Jeremiah Rose and Rufus Brown, from 
New York; and Ashur Anderson, from Pennsylvania, may be considered as prom- 
inent men among the first settlers. Drs. J. N. Ralston, from Kentucky, and S. W. 
Rogers, from New York, were the first physicians in the order of time. The first 
house of worship in the place, was erected by the First Congregationalist Society, 
in 1833 and '34: Rev. Asa Turner, from Massachusetts, was the first minister. The 
building is now used as a carriage shop, on Fourth-street, and stands on the spot 
where it was first erected. The first school was taught, in 1827, by Mr. Mendall, 
in a log school house, which stood on a lot fronting Hampshire-street, between 
Second and Third-street.s. The first court house and jail was built of logs, and 
was nearly on the spot where the present court house is situated. C. M. Wood, 
from New York, was the first printer; he printed the first paper, the "Illinois 
Bounty Land Register," in 1835, since merged into the Quincy Herald. The first 
ferry was established by Willard Keyes. The first store was opened, in 1826, by 
Ashur Anderson, who opened his stock, valued at $1,000, in Brown's log tavern. 
In 1828, Robert Tillson and Charles Holmes established themselves as merchants 
in a log cabin on the north side of the square, in what was later known as the 
old " Land Office Hotel." Afterward, they erected for their accommodation the 
first framed building in the town. It still remains, and has long been known as 
the old "Post Office Corner." 

"Without access to market, or to mill, the first settlers of Quincy built their houses 
without nails, brick, or mortar, the principal utensils used being the "axe and the auger. 
The necessaries of life were scarcely attainable, to say nothing of the luxuries. In the 
cultivation of their land, viz.: 30 acres of corn (without fence) they were obliged to go 30 
miles to have their plows sharpened. One man would swing a plowshare on each side of 
an Indian pony, pile on such other articles of iron as needed repairs, lay in a stock of pro- 
visions, mount and set out." 

The number of inhabitants during the first year increased to sixteen; from 1825 to 183b, 
they increased to five hundred; during all which time they continued to import their bacon 
and flour. As late as 1832, when the Black Hawk war broke out, the Indians, principally 
of the Sac and Fox tribes, were very numerous, the shores of the river being frequently 
covered with their wigwams, both above and below the town. Coming in from their liunt- 
ing excursions, they brought large quantities of feathers, deer-skins, moccasins, beeswax, 
honey, maple sugar, grass floor mats, venison, muskrat and coon-skins. 



Alton is on the E. bank of the Mississippi, 25 miles N. from St. Louis, 
3 miles above the mouth of the Missouri River, 20 below the mouth of the 
Illinois, and 75 miles S.W. of Springfield. The site of the city is quite un- 



228 



ILLINOIS. 



even and broken, with high .and stony bluffs, and in front of it the Missis- 
sippi runs almost a due course from east to west. The city contains a splen- 
did city hall, 10 churches, and a cathedral in its interior superior to anything 
of the kind in the western states. Five newspapers are published here. As* 




Norlh-icestern view of Alton. 



'J'lie view is from Piospect-street, taken by Mr. Boeder, and designed by liim for a large engraving. On 
tlie left of llie picture is the Hailroad Depot, above which ia the Methodist church. On the right is the Pen- 
itentiary and Steamboat landing. In the central part appear the Unitarian, Episcopal, Baptist, and Pres- 
byterian churches, and the City Hall. On the right, in the distance, is seen the Missouri shore of the 
Mississippi, also the mouth of the Missouri Biver, at its entrance into the " Father of Waters." 



a manufticturing point, Alton has hardly an equal on the Mississippi River, 
and the city is now in a flourishing condition, having at hand limestone for 
building purposes, mines of bituminous coal, beds of the finest clay for brick 
and earthen ware, with railroad and steamboat communication to every point. 
The st:ite penitentiary was located here in 1827. Population 1860, 6,333. 

Ujyper Alton is located on the high rolling timber land, in the rear of Al- 
ton city, two miles from the Mississippi, and has a population of upward of 
2,000. The manufacturing business is considerable, particularly cooper- 
ing, potters' ware, etc. The town was laid out, in 1817, by J. Meacham, 
from Vermont; several additions have been since made. Shurtleff College, 
named from T)r. Shurtleff, of Boston, is in the limits of the town, and is a 
flourishing institution under the charge of the Baptist denomination. 

The Mon'.iceUo Female Seminary, four miles from Alton, founded by Capt. 
Benjamin Godfrey, was the first female seminary built in Illinois, and is of 
high reputation. This institution was opened for pupils in 1838. Rev. 
.Theoron Baldwin had the charge of the first scholars. Capt. Godfrey, its 
founder, was a sea captain, and has been long distinguished for his public 
spirit, and the sacrifices which he has made for the public good. 

The first resident in Alton appears to have been John Bates, a blacksmith, from 



ILLINOIS. 2-29 

Tennessee. He located himself at the head of the American bottom lands in Lower 
Alton, where he cultivated a small farm, about half a mile below the steamboat 
landing in Alton. A man in his employ was killed by the Indians Avhile plowing; 
on this farm. Tlie first settlers who located in Upper Alton, about two miles back 
from the river, came in from 1808 to 1812, and were principally from Kentucky and 
Tennessee. They lived in block-houses for protection. This place is called Hun- 
ter's town on section 13, and is now within the city limits. Col. Rufus Easton, 
delegate from Missouri, located Alton proper on section 14. He sold a large por- 
tion of Lower Alton to Maj. C. W. Hunter, in 1818, together with several other 
tracts adjoining, which Maj. H. afterward laid out as an addition, and are now with- 
in the city limits. 

Maj. Charles VV. Hunter was a native of Waterford, N". Y., a son of Robert Hun- 
ter, of Pennsylvania, a favorite officer under Gen. Wayne, who led the forlorn hope 
at the storming of Stony Point, ia the Revolution, and also accompanied him after- 
ward in the Indian war at the west. Mr. Hunter, in the war of 1812, served as 
major in the 35th Reg. LL S. infanti'y. At tlie close of the war he resigned his 
commission and went to St. Louis, where he engaged in merchandise and the In- 
dian trade. After his purchase from Col. Easton, he removed his family here, in 
1819, and built the first framed house in Alton (now standing), and opened in it 
the first regular store in the place. He brought his goods here in a barge, which 
he had used in the New Orleans trade. 

The Methodist itinerating preachers appear to have been the first in the order of 
time who visited Alton; they preached in the school house in Upper Alton, and in 
private houses. The first Presbyterian church (of stone) was erected by Capt. 
Godfrey, of the firm of Godfrey, Gilman & Co. Mr. Joseph JMeacham, who laid 
out Upper Alton, was a surveyor from New England. It was laid out on an ex- 
tensive scale, and lots and blocks were reserved for the support of a free school. 
The proceeds were accordingly reserved for this purpose, and Alton is entitled to 
the honor of establishing the Jiist public free school in Illinois. The first teacher 
was Deacon Henry H. Snow, of New Hampshire. Mr. S. has since removed to 
Quincy, in which place he has held many public offices. 

LTp to 1827, the "town of Alton" made but very little progress. Upper Alton 
completely overshadowed it. The location of the penitentiary here gave quite au 
impulse to the place. In 1831, the Alton Manufacturing Company built the large 
steam flouring mill, on the river bank, in front of the penitentiary. In 1832, O. 
M. Adams and Edward Breath started the '"Weekly Spectator." In 1836, the Al- 
ton and Springfield road was surveyed by Prof. Mitchell, of Cincninati. In 1836, 
Treadway and Parks commenced the publication of the " Weekly Alton Tele- 
graph." In the spring of this year. Rev. E. P. Lovejoy commenced the publica- 
tion of a weekly religious newspaper, called the "Alton Observer." The "Alton 
Presbytery Reporter ' was started in 1845, also the " Courier " newspaper, etc., 
office, several splendid founderies and machine shops, two German newspapers, and 
the "Alton National Democrat." The city of Alton was incoi'porated in 1837. 

Alton is the place where Elijah. P. Lovejoy, in 1837, fell while defending 
his press from an attack by a mob. His remains were interred in the Alton 
cemetery, a beautiful spot donated by Maj. C. W. Hunter to the city. The 
Anti-Slavery Society of Illinois are taking steps for the erection of a monu- 
ment from 75 to 100 feet high, which, if constructed, will be a most consp-icu- 
ous object, for a great distance, for all who are passing up or down the Mis- 
sissippi and Missouri Rivers. 

Rev. E. P. Lovejoy was born Nov. 9, 1802, at Albion, Kennebec county, Maine, 
then a part of Massachusetts. He was educated at Waterville College, Me., where 
he graduated with the highest honors of his class?. In the latter part of 1827, he 
went to Sc. Louis, where he immediately engaged in teaching a school. He after- 
ward entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, to prepare himself for the 
ministry. He i-eturned to St. Louis, and, at the request of his friends, was induced 
to become the editor of a religious weekly newspaper, and accordingly, on the 22d 
of Nov., 1833, the first number of the " St. Louis Observer" was issued. In July, 



230 ILLINOIS 

1836, on account of the strong anti-slavery sentiments advocated in the paper, it 
became quite unpopular in St. Louis, and, taking the advice of his friends, he re- 

movo(f it to Alton. 

After the removal of the Observer office to Alton, its course on the abolition of 
slavery gave much offense to a portion of the inhabitants. A meeting was called, 
^Ir. Lovejoy's course was denounced, and on the night of the 21st of August, 1837, 
'~, party of some 15 or 20 men broke into the Observer office, and destroyed the 
press and printing materials. Another press was procured, and stored in the 
wai-ehouse of Messrs. Godfrey, Oilman & Co., standing on the wharf at Alton. 
Threats having been given that this press would also be destroyed, Mr. Lovejoy 
and some of his friends assembled to defend their property. On the night of Nov. 
7, 1837, a mob, at first consisting of about 30 individuals, armed, some with stones 
and some with guns and pistols, formed themselves in a line by the warehouse. 
Mr. Oilman, one of the 'owners of the building, then asked them "what they 
toanted?" To which they replied, "(he pi-ess." Mr. G. replied, that, being au- 
thorized by the mayor, they would defend their property at the hazard of life. 
The mob commenced throwing stones, dashing in several windows, and then fired 
two or three guns into the building. The fire was then returned from within, two 
or three guns discharged upon the rioters, one, by the name of Bishop, Avas mor- 
tally wounded, and several others injured. This, for a while, checked the mob, 
but they soon returned with increased numbers and violence. They raised ladders 
on the warehouse, and kindled a fii'e on the roof Mr. Lovejoy and some of the 
inmates of the building stepped to the door, and while looking around just with- 
out the threshold, some one, concealed behind a pile of lumber, fired a double bar- 
reled gun, when Mr. Lovejoy was struck with five balls, and expired in a few mo- 
ments. 

The following is the principal part of a communication upon this riot, given by 
the mayor of Alton to the public, dated Nov. 6, 1837 : 

For several days past it had been announced and generally believed, that a printing press 
was hourly expected to be landed at our wharf. It had also been a current rumor that this 
press 'vas intended I'or the re-establishment of the "'Alton Observer." The circulation of 
these rumors produced no small degree of excitement, among those who had taken a de- 
cided stand against the abolition sentiments that were understood to have been disseminat- 
ed through the columns of the "Observer." Various reports of a threatening character, 
against the landing of the press, were in circulation, which led the friends of the Observer 
and its editor to make preparations to defend the press, in case any violence should be of- 
fered by those opposed to the publication of that paper. On Tuesday, about 5 o'clock in 
the morning, I was called from my lodgings and intbrmed that the press had arrived at the 
wharf, and that my official interference was desired. I immediately rciiaired to the wharf, 
and remained there until the press was landed and stored in the warehouse of Messrs. God- 
frey, Oilman k Co. There were no indications of violence or resistance on the part of 
any at that time. The arrival of the " abolition press " (as it was called) was generally 
known in the early part of that day, which served to rekindle the excitement. Represen- 
tation was made to the common council of the threatening reports which were in circula- 
tion. The common council did not, however, deem it necessary to t>ike any action on the 
subject. Gentlemen directly interested in protecting the press from mob violence, deemed 
it expedient to guard the warehouse with men and arms, in readiness to resist violence, 
should any be offered. During the early part of the night of Tuesday, it was reported 
through the city, that there were from 30 to 40 armed men on guai'd within the warehouse. 

At 10 o'clock at night, 20 or 30 persons appeared at the south end of the warehouse, and 
gave some indications of an attack. Mr. W. S. Gilman, from the third story of the ware- 
house, addressed those without, and urged them to desist, and at the same time informed 
them that the persons in the warehouse were prepared, and should endeavor to protect their 
proTjcrty, and that serious consequences might ensue. Those without demanded the press, 
and said they would not be satisfied until it was destroyed; said they did not wish to in- 
jure any person, or other property, but insisted on having the press. To which Mr. G. re- 
olied that the press could not be given up. The persons outside then repaired to the north 
vud of the building, and attacked the building by throwing stones, etc., and continued their 
violence for 15 or 2 ) minutes, when a gun was fired from one of the windows of the ware- 
Louse, and a man named Lyman Bishop was mortally wounded. He was can-ied to a sur- 
geon's office, and then the mob withdrew and dispersed with the exception of a small num- 
ber. Upon the first indication of disturbance, I called on the civil officers most conveni- 
ent, and repaired with all dispatch to the scene of action. By this time the liriug from 



ILLINOIS 231 

the warehouse, and the consequent death of one of then- number (Bishop died soon after 
lie received the shot), had greatly increased the excitement, and added to the numbers of 
the mob. Owing to the late hour of the night, but tew citizens ^ere present at the onset, 
except those engaged in the contest. Conseiiuently tlie civil authorities could do but little 
toward dispersing the mob except by persuasion. A large number of people soon collected 
iuound me. I was requested to go to the warehouse, and state to those within that those 
outside had resolved to destroy the press, and that they would not desist until they hid 
acc(miplished their oljiject; that all would retire until I should return, which request was 
made by acclamation, and all soon retired to wait my return. 

I was replied to by those within the warehouse that they had assembled there to pro- 
tect their property against lawless violence, and that they were determined to do so. The 
mob began again to assemble with increased numbers, and with guns and weapons of dif- 
ferent kinds. I addressed the multitude, and commanded them to desist and disperse, to 
which they listened attentively and respectfully, to no purpose — a rush was now made to 
the v.arehouse, with the cry of " fire the house," " burn them out," etc. The tiring soon 
became fearful and dangerous between the contending parties — so much so, that the farther 
interposition on the part of the civil authorities and citizens was believed altogether inad- 
equate, and hazardous in the extreme — no means were at my control, or that of any other 
officer present, by which the mob could be dispersed, and the loss of life and the shedding 
of blood prevented. Scenes of the most daring recklessness and infuriated madness fol- 
lowed in quick succession. The building was surrounded and the inmates threatened with 
extermination and deatli in the most frightful form imaginable Every means of escape 
by fti.ijht was cut off. The scene now became one of most appalling and heart-rending in- 
terest! Fifteen or twenty citizens, among whom were some of our most worthy and en- 
terprising, were apparently doomed to an unenviable and inevitable death, if the flames 
continued. 

About the time the fire was communicated to the building. Rev. E. P. Lovejoy (late 
editor of the Observer), I'eceived four balls in his breast, near the door of the warehouse, 
and fell a ctjrpse in a few seconds; two others from tlie warehouse were wounded. Sev- 
eral persons engaged in the attack were severely wounded; the wounds, however, are not 
considered dangerous. The contest had been raging for an hour or more, when the per- 
sons in the warehouse, by some means, the exact manner it was done I have not been able 
to ascertain, intimated that they would abandon the house and the press, provided that 
they were permitted to depart unmolested. The doors were then thrown open, and those 
within retreated down Front street. Several guns were fired upon them while retreating, 
and one individual had a narrow escape — a bull passed through his coat near his shoulder. 

A large number of persons now rushed into the warehouse, threw the press upon the 
wharf, where it was broken in pieces and thrown into the river. The fire in the roof of 
the warehouse was extinguished by a spectator, who deserves great praise for his cour- 
ageous interference, and but little damage was done by it to the building. No disposition 
seemed to be manifested to destroy any other property in the warehouse. Without farther 
attempts at violence the mob now dispersed, and no farther open indications of disorder or 
violence have been manifested. 

The foregoing is stated on what I consider undoubted authority, and mostly from my 
own personal knowledge. John M. Krum, Mayor. 

Cairo is a small town at the south-western extremity of Illinois, at the 
junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi Rivers, 175 miles below St. Louis. 
It is also at the southern termination of the famous Illinois Central Rail- 
road, 454 miles distant by the main line of this I'oad to Dunleith, its north- 
western termination on the Mississippi, and 365 miles distant from Chicago 
by the Chicago branch of the same. 

Cairo, from a very early day, was supposed, from its natural site at the 
junction of the two great rivers of the west, to be a point where an immense 
city would eventually arise, hence it has attracted unusual attention from 
enterprising capitalists as a point promising rich returns for investments in 
its soil. As soon as Illinois was erected into a state, in 1818, the legislature 
incorporated " the Bank of Cairo," which was connected with the project of 
building a city at this point. Since then two or more successive companies 
have been formed for this object; one of which has now the enterprise so 
far advanced that they entertain sanguine calculations of accomplishing the 
end so long sought amid great discouragements. 



232 



ILLINOIS. 



is laid 
Illinois 



A primary obstacle to the success of the scheme is in the natural situation 
of the surface. For many miles in every direction the country is a low, rich 
bottom, and as the river here, in seasons of high water, rises fifty feet, the 
whole region becomes covered with water. To remedy this, an earthen 

dyke, or levee, some four 
miles in circuit, has been 
built around the town, at, 
it is said, a cost of nearly 
a million of dollars. This 
is shown by the map. 
From this levee projects 
an embankment like the 
handle of a dipper — the 
levee itself around the 
town answering for the 
rim — on which 
the line of the 
Central Railroad. 

The annexed view shows 
at one glance, parts of 

three states Illinois, 

Missouri and Kentucky. 
It was taken on top of the 
levee, within a few hun- 
dred feet of the extreme 
south- western point of Il- 
linois, which is seen in the 
distance. The temporary 
depot of the Central Railroad and the St. Charles' Hotel appear in front. On 
the right is shown part of the town plat (some eight feet below the top of the 
levee), the bank of the 
levee between the specta- 
tor and the Mississippi 
River, before its junction 
with the Ohio, and the 
Missouri shore. On the 
left appears the Kentucky 
shore, and point where the 
Ohio, '-the beautiful river," 
pours itself into the bosom 
of the Mississippi, "the 
great father of waters," as 
he stretches himself south- 
ward in his majestic course 
to the ocean. The best 
buildings in Cairo are of 
brick, mainly stores, and 
are on the levee. . The levee 
itself resembles an ordina- 
ry railroad embankment, 
and is about 50 feet broad on the surface. The town plat within the levee is 
regularly laid out, and a system of underground drainage adopted. Theappear- 




Map of Cairo and its Vicinity. 




Levee at Cairo. 
Junction of the Ohio and Mississippi. 



ILLINOIS. 



233 



ance of the spot is like that of any ordinary river bottom of the west — the 
surface level, with here and there left a forest tree, which, shooting upward 
its tall, slender form, shows, by its luxuriant foliage, the rich nature of the 
soil. The houses within the levee are mainly of wood, one and two stories 
in hight, and painted white. They are somewhat scattered, and the general 
aspect of the spot is like that of a newly settled western village, just after 
the log cabin era has vanished. 

Rockford, the capital of Winnebago county, is beautifully situated at the 
rapids of Rock River, on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, 92 miles 
westerly from Chicago. Steamers can come to this place. Great manufac- 
turing facilities are afforded by the immense water power here. Population 
I8GO; 5,281. 

Gahshurg is in Knox county, 168 miles south-westerly from Chicago, at 
the junction of the Chicago and Burlington, Northern Cross, and Peoria 
and Oquawka Railroads. It is a fine town, and noted as a place of educa- 
tion; Knox College, Knox College for females, and Lombard Universit}- are 
situated here. Population about 6,000. 

Frei-'port is on a branch of Rock River, at the junction of the Illinois Cen- 
tral with tlie Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, 120 miles from Chicago. 
It is quite a manufacturing place, and is one of the largest grain depots in 
northern Illinois. Population about 5,000. 




South-eastern vieto of Galena, from near the Swing Bridge. 

The Steamboat landing is seen in tbe central part. The Railroad Depot and the Seminary on an eleva- 
tion in the distance, appear on the right. The Draw or Swing Bridge is represented open, parts of which 
are seen on the right and left. 

Galena, a flourishing city, and capital of Joe Daviess county, is situated 
on Fevre River, 6 miles from its entrance into the Mississippi, 1651 above 
New Orleans, 450 above St. Louis, 160 W.N.W. from Chicago, and 250 N. 
by W. from Springfield. The city is built principally on the western side 
of Fevre or Galena River, an arm of the Mississippi, and its site is a steep 
acclivity, except for a few rods along the river. The streets rise one above 



234: ILLINOIS. 

another, the different tiers conncctin;:^ by fliLichts of steps. The town is well 
paved and the houses are built of brick. The numerous hills overlooking 
the city are thickly studded with the mansions of the wealthy merchant or 
thrifty miner. Population 18G0, 8,196. 

Galena is a French word, signifying '^lead mine.'" Galena was formerly 
called Fevre lliver, the French word for lo'dd Lean, which grew here in grout 
abundance. The city was first settled in 1826, and was then an outpost in 
the wilderness, about 300 miles from the settlements. The first settlement 
was begun at Old Town. Col. John Shaw, from the interior of Now York, 
traversed this i-egion from 1809 to 1812, extending his journeys to a point 
•westward of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. He was engaged as a spy 
in this section in the war of 1812, and on one occasion it is said that he outrun 
three Indians in a chase of nine miles. When he first came to Galena, he 
found the Indians smelting lead on the town plat. Col. S. was the first one 
who carried lead to St. Louis for a regular price; this was soon after the 
close of the war of 1812. He also, it is said, built the first flouring mill in 
Wisconsin, four miles above Prairie da Chien. The first pine lumber sawed 
in that state was in his mill on Black River. 

Andrew C. and Moses Swan, of Pennsylvania, came to Galena in the fall 
of 1827, by the way of Green Bay and Wisconsin River: one of them kept 
the first regular. tavern. It stood on a site opposite the De Soto House. 
One of the early visitors at Galena was Ebenezer Brigham, who journeyed 
from Worcester, Mass., to St. Louis in 1818: the Upper Mississippi country 
was, at that period almost unknown. Beyond the narrative of Pike's Ex- 
pedition, and the vague report of hunters, boatmen, and a few lead diggers 
about Dubuque, the public possessed but little reliable information. la 
1820, Mr. Brigham followed up the river to Galena. This place then con- 
sisted of one log cabin, and a second one commenced, which he assisted in 
ompleting. The first church erected was by the Presbyterians. The 

Miner's Journal" was started here in 1828, by Mr. Jones, who died of the 
cholera in 1832. The " G-alena North-Western Gazette," was first issued in 
1833, by Mr. H. H. Houghton, from Vermont. It was printed in a log 
house at the old town, about three fourths of a mile from the levee. The 
first brick building here is said to have been erected by Capt. D. S. Harris, a 
native of New York. Capt. H. is also said to have constructed the first 
steamboat on the Upper Mississippi. It was built in 1838, and called the 
"Joe Daviess," in honor of Col. Joe Daviess, who fell at the battle of Tip- 
pecanoe. 

Galena is on the meridian of Boston, and is considered one of the most 
healthy locations in the United States. It is the most commodious harbor 
for steamboats on the Upper Mississippi, and a great amount of tunnage 
is owned here. Galena owes its growth, and importance mainly to the 
rich mines of lead, with which it is surrounded in every direction. Con- 
siderable quantities of copper are found in connection with the lead. About 
40,000,000 lbs. of lead, valued at $1,000,000 have been shipped from this 
place during one season. It is estimated that the lead mines, in this vicinity, 
are capable of producing 150,000,000 lbs. annually, for ages to come. Mine- 
ral from some 8 or 10 places, or localities, in Wisconsin, is brought to Ga- 
lena, and shipped for New Orleans and other markets. Since the comple- 
tion of the Illinois Central Railroad, a small portion of lead has been sent 
eastward by that road. The average price is about thirty dollars per thoua 
and lbs. 



ILLINOIS. 



235 




The Lead Keuion. 



Outside of the town is the forbidding and desolate hill country of the lead 
region. Storms have furrowed the hills in every direction, and the shovels 

of the miners have dotted the whole 
surface with unsightly pits, walled 
around with heaps of limestone and 
sand, through which the delver has 
sought the lead. There is no culture 
around, and the edifices consist of the 
rude cabin of the miners, and primitive 
looking smelting furnaces where the 
lead is prepared for market. A late 
visitor gives the following description : 

Every hill is spotted with little mounds of 
yellow earth, and is as full of holes as a worm- 
eaten cheese. Some winding road at length brings 
you to the top of one of these bare, bleak hills, 
and to a larger mound of the same yellowish 
earth, with which the whole country in sight is 
mottled. On top of this mound of earth stands 
a windlass, and a man is winding up tubs full 
of dirt and rock, which continually increase the pile under his teet. Beneath him, forty, 
tiity, a hundred feet under ground, is the miner. As we look around on every ridge, see 
the windlass men, and know that beneath each one a smutty-faced miner is burrowing by 
the light of a dim candle, let us descend into the mines and see the miners at their work. 
The windlass-man makes a loop in the end of the rope, into which you put one foot, and, 
clasping, at the same time, the rope with one hand, slowly you begin to go down ; down, 
it grows dai-ker and darker ; a dau^p, grave-like smell comes up from below, and you grow 
dizzy with the continual whirling around, until, when you reach the bottom and look up 
at the one small spot of daylight through which you came down, you start with alarm as 
the great mass of rocks and earth over your head seem to be swaying and tumbling in. 
You draw your breath a little more ficely, however, when you perceive that it was only 
your own dizziness, or the scudding of clouds across the one spot of visible sky, and you 
take courage to look about you. Two or three_dark little passages, from four to six feet 
high, and about three feet wide, lead off into the murky recesses of the mine ; these are 
called, in mining parlance, drifts. You listen a little while, and there is a dull "thud! 
thud! " comes from each one, and tells of something alive away off in the gloom, and, 
caudle in hand, you stiirt in search of it. You eye the rocky walls and roof uneasily as, 
half bent, you thread the narrow passage, until, on turning some angle in the drift, you 
catch a glimpse of the miner, he looks small and dark, and mole-like, as on his knees, and 
pick in hand, he is prying from a perpendicular crevice in the rock, a lump of mineral as 
large as his head, and which, by the light of his dim candle, flashes and gleams like a 
huge carbuncle ; or, perhaps, it is a horizontal sheet or vein of mineral, that presents its 
edge to the miner ; it is imbedded in the solid rock, which must be picked and blasted 
down to get at the mineral. He strikes the rock with his pick, and it rings as though he 
had struck an anvil. You can conceive how, with that strip of gleaming metal, seeming 
like a magician's wand, to beckon him on and on, he could gnaw, as it were, his narrow 
way for hundreds of feet through the rock. But large, indeed, you think, must be his or- 
gan of hope, and resolute his perseverance, to do it with no such glittering prize in sight. 
Yet such is often the case, and many a miner has toiled for years, and in the whole time 
has discovered scarcely enough mineral to [lay for the powder used. Hope, however, in 
the breast of the miner, has as many lives as a cat, and on no day, in all his toilsome 
years, could you go down into his dark and crooked hole, a hundred feet from grass and 
sunshine, but he would tell you that he was " dose to it now,''^ in a few days he hoped to 
strike a lode (pronounced among miners as though it was spelled leed), and so a little 
longer and a little longer, and his life of toil wears away while his work holds him with a 
fascination equaled only by a gamblers' passion for his cards. 

Lodes or veins of mineral in the same vicinity run in the general direction. Those in 
the vicinity of Galena, run east and west. The crevice which contains the mineral, is 
usually perpendicular, and from 1 to 20 feet in width, extending from the cap rock, or the 
first solid rock above the mineral, to uncertain depths below, and is filled with large, 
loose rocks, and a peculiar red dirt, in which are imbedded masses of mineral. These 
masses are made up cubes like those formed of crystallization, and many of them as geo- 



236 



ILLINOIS. 



oietrically correct as could be made witli a compass and square. Before the mineral is 
broken, it is of tlie dull blue color of lead, but when broken, glistens like silver. Some- 
times caves are broken into, whose roofs are frosted over with calcareous spar, as pure and 
white as the frost upon the window pane in winter, and from dark crevices in the floor 
comes up the gurgling of streams that never saw the sun. The life of a miner is a dark 
and lonesome one. His drift is narrow, and will not admit of two abreast ; therefore, 
there is but little conversation, and no jokes are bandied about from mouth to mouth, by 
fellow-laborers. The alternations of hope and disappointment give, in the course of years, 
a subdued expression to his countenance. 

There are no certain indications by which the miner can determine the existence of a 
vein of mineral without sinking a shaft. Several methods are resorted to, however. The 
linear arrangement of any number of trees that are a little larger than the generality of 
their neighbors, is considered an indication of an opening underground corresponding to 
their arrangement. Depressions in the general surfice are also favorable signs, and 
among the older miners there are yet some believers in the mystic power of witch-hazel 
and the divining rod. In the largest number of cases, however, but little attention is 
paid to signs other than to have continuous ground — that is, to dig on the skirts of a ridge 
that is of good width on top, so that any vein that might be discovered would not run out 
too quickly on the other side of the ridge. On such ground the usual method of search is 
by suckering, as it is called. The miner digs a dozen or more holes, about six feet deep, 
aiid within a stone's throw of each other, and in some one of these he is likely to find a 
few pieces of mineral, the dip of certain strata of clay then indicates the direetitm in whicii 
he is to continue the se.irch, in which, if he is so successful as to strike a lode, his Ibrtune 
is made ; in the other event, he is only the more certain that the lucky day is not 
lar off. 




KortlKcestern view of Bock Island City. 

The view shows the appearance of the city as seen from Davenport, on the opposite bank of the Missis- 
sippi. The ferry landing appears on the left, the Court House and Presbyterian Churches on the right. 

Rock Island City, and county scat of Rock Island Co., is situated on 
the jMis.sissippi River, opposite the city of Davenport, 2 miles above the 
mouth of Rock River, 178 W. by S., from Chicago, and 131 N. N. W. of 
Springfield. It is at the foot of the Upper Rapids of the Mississippi, which 
extend nearly 15 miles, and in low stages of water obstruct the passage of 
loaded vessels. It is a flourishing manufacturing place, at the western ter- 
minus of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Pop. 1860, 5,130. 

It derives its name from an island three miles in length, the southern ex- 
tremity of which is nearly opposite the town. The principal channel of the 
river is on the west side of the island, while that on its eastern side has been 
so dammed as to produce a vast water power above and a good harbor below. 
The island forms one of the capacious buttresses of the immense railroad 



ILLINOIS. 



237 



bridge across the Mississippi, connecting tlie place with Davenport, and createa 
a junction between the raih-oad from Chicago and the Mississippi, and the Mis- 
souri E,aih-oad through Iowa. 

Fort Armstrong, on Kock Island, was erected in 1816, by Lieut. Col. 



.Lawrence, of the United States Army. 




FoitT .\K.M.siuuMi, KofK Island. 



It was then in the heart of the In- 
dian country, and was the scene 
of many wild exploits, both be- 
fore and during the continuance 
of the " Black Hawk War." The 
old chief, Black Hawk, was born 
in 1768, on Bock Biver, about 
three miles from where the fort 
now stands. From the time this 
fortification was first constructed, 
until the close of the war above 
mentioned, this fort was used as 
a depot of supplies, etc., and for 
a long time was commanded by 
Col. Z. Taylor, afterward presi- 
dent of the United States. 
Col. AVilliam Lmvrence, the founder of the fort, arrived here May 10, 1816, 
with the 8th regiment and a company of riflemen. As soon as tliey had 
completed their encampment, he employed the soldiers to cut logs and build 
storehouses for the provisions, and had a bake house and oven put up. This 
was the first regular building erected at this point. 

"The soldiers now set to work to build the fort, which was named Fort Arm- 
strong!. At tliis time there lived a l;irL;e boiiy of Indians in the vicinity, niimber- 
inii some 10,000, divided in three vilhiges, one on the east side of the river, near 
the loot of the island called ' Waupeilo V'ilhige;' about tliree miles south on the 
bank of Rock Kiver, stood the famous village of ' Black Hawk,' and on tlie west 
side of the river was a small village named after an old brave, '■Oshkosh.' Upon 
the first am-ival of the troops on the Island, the Indians were very much dissatis- 
fied, hut the officers took great pains to jj.ain their friendship, by making them 
many presents, and they soim became reconciled and were most excellent neigh- 
bors. During the first summer they would frequently bring over supplies of sweet 
corn, beans, pumpkins, and such other vegetables as they raised, and present 
theiu to Mr. Davenport and the officers, with the remarks that they had raised none, 
and that they themselves had plenty, invariably refusing to take any pay." 



The following account of the defeat of Maj. Zachary Taylor, at Bock Is- 
land, in August 1814:, is from the personal narrative of Mr. J. Shaw, of Wis- 
consin : 

About two months after the capture of Prairie du Chien, Maj. Zachary Taylor 
came up the Mississippi, with 22 fortified boat-s, each containing an average of 
about 80 men, under his command. When the expedition arrived near Rock Is- 
land, it was discovered that about 4,000 Indians had there collected. The British 
had erected a false, painted battery, on the left bank of the river, apparently 
mounted with six twelve-pounders ; but in reality they had but two guns with 
them, one of which was entrusted to the care of the Indians. Mr. Shaw Avas on 
board the boat with Mr. Taylor. The battle commenced, and the first ball from 
the British guns passed completely through the advance boat, on which was Tay- 
lor, and ha instantly oi'dered it to be put about; the second ball cut off the 
steering oar of the next boat that was advancing, and a strong wind springing 
up at that moment, this boat drifted over the river to the western bank, a short 
distance below the present town of Davenport; the men having no oar to steer 



208 ILLINOIS. 

with, could not prevent this occurrence. About 1,000 Indians immediately took 
to their canoes, and paddled over the river, expecting, no doubt, to get the boat aa 
a prize, as she must inevitably drift into shallow water. The Indians kept up a 
constant fire on the unfortunate boat, and a number of Indians, mounted on horse- 
back, came galloping down the western shore, with their guns elevated in their 
riglit hands, gleaming in the sun, and shouting their war-cries in the most hideous 
manner. On the first fire from the British guns, and immediately after the pas- 
sage of, the ball through the foremost boat, Maj. Taylor had ordered a retreat. 
Gen. Samuel Whiteside, who had command of one of the boats, impelled with the 
natural desire of assisting the disabled boat, that was drifting across the river, in- 
to the power of merciless enemies, disobeyed the order, and steered toward the 
disabled craft. When he approached it, he called for "some brave man to cast a 
cable from his own boat on board of her." An individual, named Paul Ilarpole, 
jumped from the disabled boat,in a most exposed situation, caught the cable, and 
made it fast to tlie boat. In less than a minute's time, a thousand Indians would 
have been aboard of her; she was then in two and a half feet water, amonii small 
willows, wliich in some measure protected tlie Indians. In the moan while, Har- 
polo ealleil for guns to be handed him from below; stood on the deck of the boat 
comjiletelv exposed; fired no less than 14 guns, when he was eventually struck in 
the forehead by a ball; he pitched forward toward the ln<lians, and the instant he 
struck tlie water, the savages had hold of him, hauled him on shore, and cut him 
with their knives into a hundred pieces. All this was witnessed by the other 
boats, and the crippled l)0:it having lieen towed off into deep water, the whole body 
retreated, and descended the Mississippi. 

Fort Armstrong wa.s finally evacuated by the United States troops, May 
4 1836. Col. Davenport had a fine situation near the fort, about half a 
mile distant. At first he supplied the fort with provisions, and was after- 
ward extensively engaged in the Indian trade. He was murdered, at the 
ao-e of 02, while alone in his house, on the island, on July 4, 1845, by a 
band of robbers. The following account is from "Wilkies' Hist, of Daven- 
port, Past and Present : " 

On last Friday afternoon we were witness to a strange and interesting ceremony 
peribrmed by the Indians, over the remains of Mr. Davenport, who was murdered 
at his residence on Kock Island, on the 4th inst. Upon preceding to the beautiful 
spot selected as his last resting place, in the rear of his mansion on Kock Island, 
we found the war chief and braves of the band of Fox Indians, then encamped in 
the vicinity of this place, reclining on the grass around his grave, at the head of 
which was planted a white cedar post, some seven or eight feet in hight. 

The ceremony began by two of the braves rising and walking to the post, upon 
which, with paint, they began to inscribe certain characters, while a third brave, 
armed with an emblematic war club, after drinking to the health of the deceased, 
from a cup placed at the base of the post, walked three times around the gi'ave, iu 
an opposite direction to the course of the sun, at each revolution delivering a 
speech with sundry gestures and emphatic motions in the direction of the north- 
east. When he had ceased, he passed the club to another brave, who went through 
the same ceremony, passing but once around the grave, and so in succession with 
each one of the braves. This ceremony, doubtless, would appear pantomimic to 
one unacquainted with the habits or language of the Indians, but after a full in- 
terpretation of their proceedings, they would be found in character with this tra- 
ditionary people. 

In walking around the grave in a contrary direction to the course of the sun, 
they wished to convey the idea that the ceremony was an original one. In their 
speeches they informed the Great Spirit that Mr. Davenport Was their friend, and 
they wished the (ireat Spirit to open the door to him, and to take charge of him. 
The enemies whom they had slain, they called upon to act in capacity of waiters 
to Mr. Davenport, in the spirit land — they believing that they have unlimited power 
over the spirits of those whom they have slain in battle. Their gestures toward 
the north-east, were made in allusion to their great enemies, the Sioux, who live 



ILLINOIS. 239 

m that direction. They recounted their deeds of battle, with the number that 
they had slain and taken prisoners. Upon the post were painted, in hieroglyphics, 
the number of the enemy that they had slain, those taken prisoners, together with 
the tribe and station of the brave. For instance, the feats of Wau-co-shaw-she. the 
chief, were thus portrayed: Ten headless figures were painted, which signified 
that he had killed ten men. Four others were then addeed, one of them smaller 
than the others, signifying that he had taken four prisoners, one of whom was a 
child. A line was then run from one figure to another, terminating in a plume, 
signifying that all had been accomplished by a chief A foxwasthen painted 
over the plume, which plainly told that the chief Avas of the Fox tribe of Indians. 
These characters are so expressive, that if an Indian of any tribe whatsover were 
to see them, he would at once understand them. 

Following the sign of Pau-tau-co-to, who thus proved himself a warrior of high 
degree, Avere placed 20 headless figures, being the number of Sioux that he. had 
slain. 

The ceremony of painting the post was followed by a feast, prepared. for the oc- 
casion, which by them was certainly deemed the most agreeable part of the pro- 
ceedings. Meats, vegetables, and pies, were served up in such profusion that 
many armsful of the fragments were carried off — it being a part of the cerei7]ony, 
which is religiously observed, that all the victuals left upon such an occasion are 
to be taken to their homes. At a dog feast, which is frequently given by them- 
selves, and to which white men are occasionally invited, the guest is either obli""ed 
to eat ?J1 that is placed before him, o* hire some other person to do so, else it is 
considered a great breach of hospitality. 





Distant view of Kauvoo. 

The view shows the appearance of Naiiroo, as it is approached when sailing up the Mississippi. 

Nauvoo, Hancock county, is 103 miles N. W. by W. from Springfield; 
52 above Quincy, and 220 above St. Louis. It is laid out on an extensive 
plan, on one of the most beautiful sites on the river for a city. In conse- 
quence of a graceful curve of the Mississippi, it bounds the town on the 
north-west, west, and south-west. The ground rises gradually from the 
water to a considerable hight, presenting a smooth and regular surface, with 
a broad plain at the summit. The place has now about 1,500 inhabitants, 
the majority of whom are Germans; there are, also, French and American 
settlers. The inhabitants have fine gardens, wine is manufactured, and many 
cattle are raised. 

Nauvoo, originally the village of Commerce, is noted as the site of the Mor- 
mon city, founded by Joseph Smith, in 1840. The population, at one time, 
when under the Mormon rule, was estimated at about 18,000. The dwell- 
ings were mostly log cabins, or small frame houses. The great Mormon 
Temple — the remains of which are still, by far, the most conspicuous object 
in the place — was 128 feet long. 88 feet wide, and 65 feet high to the cor- 



2 iO ILLINOIS. 

nice, and 163 feet to the top of the cupola. It would accommodate an as- 
semblage of 3,000 persons. It -was built of polished limestone resembling 
mai'ble, and obtained on the spot. The architecture, in its main features, 
resembled the Doric. In the basement of the temple was a larg-e stone basin 
or baptistry, supported by 12 oxen of a colossal size ; it was about 15 feet 
high, altogether of white stone and well carved. This building, at that time, 
without an equal at the west, was fired October 9, 1848, and for the most 
part reduced to a heap of ruins. 

It is believed that Capt. White erected the first building in the place, a 
log cabin near the river, about a mile westward of where the temple after- 
ward stood. Mr. Gallard brought out Capt. White ; he lived in a two story 
house near the log cabin. Smith, the Mormon, when he first came to Nauvoo, 
put up with Mr. G. : he purchased about a mile square of territory. He 
built the Mansion House near the river. Smith's widow, who is described 
as amiable and intelligent, married Maj. Bideman. The Mormon Church 
property was sold to a company of French socialists, about 600 in number, 
under M. Cabot, for about $20,000. It appears that many of the French 
are leaving the place, finding that they can do better elsewhere, individually, 
than by living in common with others. 

After the Mormons had been driven fr,om Missouri, the people of Illinois 
received them with great kindness. When they had established themselves 
at Nauvoo, the legislature granted them extraordinary powers, and the city 
laws, in some respects, becjime superior to those of the state. Under these 
laws, difiiculties ensued. Smith acted as mayor, general of the Nauvoo Le- 
gion, keeper of the Nauvoo Hotel, and as their religious prophet, whose will 
was law. Smith, and some others, forcibly opposed the process issued against 
them for a riot. The people were aroused at their resistance, and deter- 
mined that the warrants should be executed. In June 1844, some 3,000 
militia from the adjacent country, and bands from Missouri and Iowa, as- 
sembled in the vicinity of Nauvoo. Gov. Ford hastened to the spot to pre- 
vent blood-shed. On the 24th, Gen. Joseph Smith, the prophet, and his 
brother, Gen. Hyrum Smith, having received assurances of protection from 
the governor, surrendered, and went peaceably to prison, at Carthage, to 
await their trial for treason. On the evening of the 27th, the guard of the 
jail were surprised by a mob of some 200 men disguised, who overpowered 
them, broke down the door, rushed into tne room of the prisoners, fired at 
random, severely wounding Taylor, editor of the Nauvoo Neighbor. They 
finished by killing the two Smiths, after which they returned to their 
homes. 

In Sept. 1845, the old settlers of Hancock county, exasperated by the 
lawless conduct of the Mormons, determined to drive them from the state, 
and commenced by burning their farm houses.- scattered through the county. 
The result was, that they were comj. lied to agree to emigrate beyond the 
settled parts of the United States. On the 16th of September, 1846, the 
Anti-Mormons took possession of Nauvoo. Whatever doubts might have 
then existed abroad, as to the justice of the course pursued by them, it is now 
evident by the subsequent history of the Mormons, that they are, as a people, 
governed by doctrines which render them too infamous to dwell in the heart 
of civilized communities. 



Hev. Peter Cartwright, the celebrated pioneer Methodist itinerant of Illi- 



ILLINOIS. 241 

nois, gives this amusing account of an interview he had with Joe Smith, the 
father of Mormonism: 

At an early day after they were driven from Missouri and took up their residence 
in Illinois, it fell to my lot to become acquainted with Joe Smith, personally, and 
with many of their leading men and professed followers. On a certain occasion 1 
fell in with Joe Smith, and was formally and officially introduced to him in Spring- 
field, then our county town. We soon fell into a free conversation on the subject 
of religion, and Mormonism in particular. I found him to be a very illiterate and 
impudent desperado in morals, but, at the same time, he had a vast fund of low 
cunning. 

In the first place, he made his onset on me by flattery, and he laid on the soft 
sodder thick and fast. He expressed great and almost unbounded pleasure in the 
high privilege of becoming acquainted with me, one of whom he had heai'd so 
many great and good things, and he had no doubt I was one among God's noblest 
creatures, an honest man. He believed that among all the churches in the world, 
the Methodist was nearest right, and that, as far as they went, they were right. 
But they had stopped short by not claiming the gift of tongues, of prophecy, and 
of miracles, and then quoted a batch of scripture to prove his positions correct. 
Upon the whole, he did pretty well for clumsy Joe. I gave him rope, as the sail- 
ors say, and, indeed, 1 seemed to lay this flattering unction pleasurably to my 
Boul. 

" Indeed," said Joe, " if the Methodists would only advance a step or two further, 
they would take the world. We Latter-day Saints are Methodists, as far as they 
have gone, only we have advanced further, and if you would come in and go with 
us, wo could sweep not only the Methodist Church, but all others, and you would 
be looked up to as one of the Lord s greatest prophets. You would be honored 
by countless thousands, and have, of the good things of this world, all that heart 
could v.ish." 

I then began to inquire into some of the tenets of the Latter-day Saints. He 
explained. I criticized his explanations, till, unfortunately, we got into high de- 
bate, and he cunningly concluded that his first bait would not take, for he plainly 
saw 1 was not to be flattered out of common sense and honesty. The next pass he 
made at me was to move upon my fears. He said that in all ages of the world, 
the good and right way was evil spoken of, and that it was an awful thing to fight 
against God. 

"Now," said he, " if you will go with me to Nauvoo, I will show you many living 
witnesses that will testify that they were, by the Saints, cured of blindness, lame- 
ness, deafness, dumbness, and all the diseases that human flesh is heir to; and I 
will show you," said he, "that we have the gift of tongues, and can speak in un- 
known languages, and that the Saints can drink any deadly poison, and it will not 
hurt them; " and closed by saying, " the idle stories you hear about us are noth- 
ing but sheer persecution." 

i then gave him the following history of an encounter I had at a camp-meeting 
in Morgan county, some time before, with some of his Mormons, and assured him 
1 could prove all I said by thousands that were present. 

The camp-meeting was numerously attended, and we had a good and gracious 
work of religion going on ahiong the people. On Saturday there came some 
20 or 30 Mormons to the meeting. During the intermission after the eleven 
o'clock sermon, they cellected in one corner of the encampment, and began to 
sing, they sang well. As fast as the people rose from their dinners they drew up 
to hear the singing, and the scattering crowd drew until a large company sur- 
rounded them. 1 was busy regulating matters connected with the meeting. At 
length, according, I have no doubt, to a preconcerted plan, an old lady Mormon 
began to shout, and after shouting a while she swooned away and fell into the 
arms of her husband. The old man -oroclaimed that his wife had gone into a 
trance, and that when she came to she would speak in an unknown tongue, and 
that he would interpret. This proclamation produced considerable excitement, 
and the multitude crowded thick around. Presently the old lady arose and be- 
gan to speak in an unknown tongue, sure enough. 

16 



•242 ILLINOIS. 

Just then my attention was called to the matter. I saw in one moment that 
the whole maneuver was intended to brini;; tlie Mormons into notice, and break up 
the good of our meeting. 1 advanced, instantly, toward the crowd, and asked the 
people to give way and let me in to this old lady, who was then being held in the 
arms of her husband. 1 came riglit up to them, and took hold of her arm, and or- 
dered her peremptorily to hush that gibberish ; that I would have no more of it ; that 
it was presumptuous, and blasphemous nonsense. I stopped very suddenly her 
unknown tongue. She opened her eyes, took me by the hand, and said: 

" My dear friend, 1 have a message directly from God to you." I stopped her 
short, and said, " 1 will have none of your messages. If God can speak through 
no better medium than an old, hypocritical, lying woman, I will hear nothing of 
it." Her husband, who was to be the interpreter of her message, flew into a mightv 
rage, and said, " Sir, this is my wife, and 1 will defend her at the risk of my life. ' 
I replied, ''Sir, this is my camp-meeting, and I will maintain the good order of it 
at the risk of my life. If this is your wife, take her oiF from here, and clear your- 
selves in five minutes, or I will have you under guard." 

The old lady slipped out and was off quickly. The old man stayed a little, and 
began to pour a tirade of abuse on me. 1 stopped him short, and said, " Not an- 
other word of abuse from you, sir. I have no doubt you are an old thief, and if 
your back was examined, no doubt you carry the marks of the cowhide for your 
villainy." And sure enough, as if 1 had spoken by inspiration, he, in some of the 
old states, had been lashed to the whipping-post for stealing, and 1 tell you, the old 
man began to think other persons had visions besides his wife, but he was very 
clear from wishing to interpret my unknown tongue. To cap the climax, a young 
gentleman stepped up and said he had no doubt all I said of this old man was true, 
and much more, for he had caught him stealing corn out of his father's crib. By 
this time, such was the old man's excitement, that the great drops of sweat ran 
down his face, and he called out, 

^^Don't crowd me, gentlemen, it is mighty tcarm." 

Said I, " Open the way, gentlemen, and let him out." When the way was 
opened, I cried, " Now start, and don't show your ftice here again, nor one of the 
Mormons. Jf you do, you will get Lynclis law." They all disappeared, and our 
meeting went on prosperously, a great many were converted to God, and the church 
was much revived and built up in her holy faith. 

My friend, Joe Smith, became very restive before t*got through with my narra- 
tive ; and when I closed, his wrath boiled over, and he cursed me in the name of 
his God, and said, "I will show you, sir, that I will raise up a government in these 
United States which will overturn the present government, and 1 will raise up a 
new religion that will overturn every other form of religion in this country ! " 

"Yes," said I, "Uncle Joe, but my Bible tells me 'the bloody and deceitful mat 
shall not live out half his days,' and 1 expect the Lord will send the devil after you 
some of these days, and take you out of the way." 

"No, sir," said he, "1 shall live and prosper, while you will die in your sins." 

" Well, sir," said I, "if you live and prosper, you must quit your stealing and 
abominable whoredoms ! " 

Thus we parted, to meet no more on earth ; for, in a few years after this, an 
outraged and deeply injured people took the law into their own hands, and killed 
him, and drove the ilormons from the state. They should be considered and 
treated as outlaws in every country and clime. The two great political pai'ties 
in the state were nearly equal, and these wretched Mormons, for several years, 
held the balance of power, and they were always in market to the highest bidder, 
and I have often been put to the blush to see our demagogues and stump orators, 
from both political parties, courting favors from the Mormons, to gain a triumph in 
an election. 

( Jreat l)lame has been attached to the state, the citizens of Hancock county, in 
which Nauvoo is situated, as well as other adjoining counties, for the part they 
acted in driving the Mormons from among them. But it should be remembered 
they had no redress at law, for it is beyond all doubt that the Mormons would 
swear anything, true or false. They stole the stock, plundered and burned the 
houses and barns of the citizens, and there is no doubt they privately murdered 



ILLINOIS. 



243 



eome of the best people in the county; and owing to the perjured evidence al- 
ways at their command, it was impossible to have any legal redress. If it had 
not been for this state of things, Joe Smith would not have been killed, and 
they would not have been driven with violence from the state. Repeated efiFurts 
were made to get redress for these wrongs and outrages, but all to no purpose; 
and the wonder is, how the people bore as long as they did with the outrageous 
villainies practiced on them, without a resort to violent measures. 




Vieic of Mt. Joliet. 

JoLlET is a thriving town, the county seat of Will eo., situated on both 
sides of the Des Plaines River, and on the Illinois and Michigan canal, 148 
miles N. B. by N. from Springfield, 280 from Detroit, and 40 S. W. from 
Chicago. It was formerly known on the maps as " McGree's mill dam." 
On the eastern side of the river the citj'' extends over a plain of considerable 
extent, rising as it recedes from the river. Upon the western side the land 
is formed into bluffs, beneath which is one of the principal streets. It 
is an important station on the Chicago and Rock Island, and the Chicago, 
Alton, and St. Louis Railroads, and is connected directly with the east by 
Joliet and Northern (cut-off) Railroads. The river affords valuable water 
power for mills. It is the center of considerable commerce, several manu- 
factories ; and in its vicinity is a rich farming country, and valuable quar- 
ries of building stone. The new state penitentiary is in the vicinity. Popu- 
ation about 7,000. 

Joliet received its name from Mt. Joliet, a mound supposed to be an arti- 
ficial elevation, situated about two and a half miles S. W. of the court house 
in this place, and so called from Louis Joliet, who was born of French pa- 
rents, at Quebec, in 1673. He was commissioned by M. de Frontenac to 
discover the Great River, some affluents of which had been visited by mis- 
sionaries and traders. Joliet chose, for his companion, Father Marquette^ 
whose name was thus connected with the discovery of the Mississippi. 

The first dwellings erected in this place was a log house built by Charles Reed, 
about half a mile north-west of the court house, back of the biuft\ and the house 
erected by James McGee, from Kentucky, near the National Hotel. The original 
plat of the town was laid out by James B. Camphell, in 1834. West Joliet, by 
Martin H. Demmond, in Jan. 1835; East Joliet by Albert W. Bovven,in P"'eb. 1835, 
Bince which time many additions have been made. The city of Juliet was iucor* 



244 ILLINOIS. 

porateJ in LS52. The first house of worship was erected by the "Methodists, in 
1838, about L5 rods south-west of the court house: it is now used for an engine 
house. The Catholic Church, still standing, Avas commenced the next year. The 
first Episcopal Church, was organized in 1838, their house was erected in 1857. 
The Congregational Church was organized in 1844; the present Congregational 
and Methodist Church buildings were erected in 1857. The Universalists 
erected their first house in 1845; the Baptists about 1855. 

The Joliot Courier, now called Joliet Signal, was first printed by Gregg and 
Hudson, about 1836 or '37; the true Democrat, the second paper, was established 
in 1847, by A. Mackintosh, from New York.' The first regular school house, a 
stone building now standing in Clinton-street, was built in 1843, at a cost of 
$700, considered at that time an extravagant expenditure. Among the first 
settlers on the east side of the river, were Dr. Albert W. Bowen, from N. Y., the 
first physician; Edward Perkins, Oneida Co., N. Y. ; Robert Shoemaker, Thomas 
Blackburn, Richard Hobbs, from Ohio; Joel A. Matteson, since governor of the 
state ; Daniel Wade, of Penn., and Lyman White, of N. Y. On the west side, Mar- 
tin H. Demmond, from N. Y. ; James McKee, or Gee, from Kentucky; John Cur- 
ry, G. H. Woodruff, Deac. Josiah Beaumont, John J. Garland, Deac. Chauncy, 
from N. Y. ; Charles Clement, from New Hampshire, and R. J. Cunningham, from 
Maryland. 

La Salle, is a flourishing city, on the right bank of Illinois River, at the 
head of steamboat navigation, one mile above Peru, and at the terminus of 
the Illinois Canal, 100 miles long, connecting it with Chicago. It has a 
ready communication, both with the northern and southern markets, by rail- 
road, canal and river, the latter of which is navigable at all stages of water. 
At this point the Illinois Central Railroad crosses the Chicago and Rock 
Island Railroad. This place has great facilities for trade and manufactures. 
A substantial railroad bridge, 900 feet in length, crosses the Illinois at La 
Salle." An extensive establishment for the manufacture of flint glass is in 
operation here, under the charge of a French gentleman. Large warehouses 
line the river bank, and the dwellings occupy the high blufi"s a little back. 
The surrounding country is highly productive, and contains extensive beds 
of bituminous coal, which is extensively mined. The city of Peru received 
its charter in 1851: it is separated from La Salle by only an imaginary line. 
Its manufacturing interests are well developed. The two cities are in efiect 
oqe, so far as regards advantages of business, and are nearly equal in popu- 
lation. Peru and La Salle have several fine educational institutions, 11 
churches, 5 weekly newspapers, and about 7,000 inhabitants. 

Dixon, the capital of Lee county, is beautifully situated on the banks of 
Rock River, at the junction of a branch of the Galena Railroad, with the 
Illinois Central, 98 miles west of Chicago. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. 

Dunleiih, a smaller town, is the north-western terminus of the Illinois 
Central Railroad, on the Mississippi opposite Dubuque. 

Kankakee City is a fine town of 3,500 inhabitants, 56 miles south of Chi- 
cago, on Kankakee River and Illinois Central Railroad, and at a spot that a 
few years since had not a single dwelling. 

St. Anne, on the Central Railroad, in Kankakee county, is a colony of 
800 French Canadian emigrants, under the pastoral care of Father Chiniquy, 
originally a Catholic priest, who, with his people, have embraced Protest- 
antism. Each settler has about 40 acres, and thjeir farms are laid along par- 
allel roads, at right angles to the railroad. They exhibit signs of careful 
cultivation, and the village and church of the colony are prettily situated 
near the woods on the riverside. In the three years prior to 18G0, the crops 
of these people were cut off", and but for benevolent aid they would have per- 
ished from famine. 



ILLINOIS. 245 

Decatur, in Macon county, at the junction of the Illinois Central with the 
Toledo, Wabash and Great Western railroad, is a substantial, thriving little 
city, within a few miles of the geographical center of the state. It is the 
seat of a large internal trade and extensive domestic manufactures, and has 
about 6000 inhabitants. An effort has been made to create it the state 
capital. 

Vandalia, capital of Fayette county, is on Kankakee River and. Illinois 
Central Railroad, 80 miles south-easterly from Springfield. It was laid out 
in 1818, and until 1836 was the capital of Illinois. It is a small village. 

SaiiJuval is a new town, on the prairies, 230 miles from Chicago, and 60 
from St. Louis, It is a great railroad center, at the point where intersect the 
Illinois Central and Ohio and Mississippi Railroads. "Here east meets west, 
and north meets south in the thundering conflict of propulsive motion, energy 
and speed." 

Elgin^ Waukegan, St. Charles, Sterling, MoUne, Naperville, Urhana, Bcl- 
vldcre, Batavla, Aurora, Abingdon, Macomb, Belleville,, Sycamore, and Otto.- 
wa are all thriving towns, mostly in the northern part of the state, the largest 
of which may have 5,000 inhabitants. 

A few miles below Ottawa, on the Illinois River, are the picturesque bights 
of the Illinois, called the Starved Rock and the Lover s Leap. Starved Rock 
is a grand perpendicular limestone cliff, 150 feet in hight. It was named in 
memory of the fate of a party of Illinois Indians, who died on the rock 
from thirst, when besieged by the Pottawatomies. Lover's Leap is a pre- 
cipitous ledge just above Starved Rock, and directly across the river is 
Buffalo Rock, a hight of 100 feet. This eminence, though very steep on the 
water side, slopes easily inland. The Indians were wont to drive the buffa- 
loes in frightened herds to and over its awful brink. 



246 ILLINOIS. 

MISCELLANIES, 
THE BLACK HATVK TVAR. 

The following account of the " Black Hawk war" is taken from Mr. Peck's 
edition of Perkins' Annals: 

In the year 1804, Gen. Harrison made a treaty with the Sacs and Foxes — two 
tribes united as one — by which they ceded the lands east of the Mississippi, to the 
United States; hut to these lands they had no original right, even in the Indian 
sense, as they were intruders on the country of the Santeaurs and lowas. By this 
treaty, they were permitted to reside and hunt upon these lands, until sold for set- 
tlement by the government. 

This treaty was reconfirmed by the Indians, in the years 1815 and 1816. Black 
Hawk, who was 7ieve?- a chief, but merely an Indian brave, collected a few disaf- 
fected spirits, and refusing to attend the negotiations of 1816, went to Canada, 
proclaimed himself and party British, and received presents from them. 

The treaty of 1804, was again ratified in 1822, by the Sacs and Foxes, in "full 
council," at Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, on the Mississippi. In 1825, another 
treaty Avas held at Prairie du Chien, with the Indians, by William Clark and Lewis 
Cass, for the purpose of bringing about a peace between the Sacs and Foxes, the 
Chippewas and the lowas on the one hand, and the Sioux and Dacotahs on the 
other. Hostilities continuing, the United States, in 1827, interfered between the 
contending tribes. This offended the Indians, who thereupon murdered two whites 
in the vicinity of Prairie du Chien, and attacked two boats on the Mississippi, con- 
veying supplies to Fort Snelling, and killed and wounded several of the crews. 
Upon this, Gen. Atkinson marched into the Winnebago country, and made prison- 
ers of Red Bird and six others, who were imprisoned at Prairie du Chien. A part 
of those arrested, were convicted on trial, and in December of the following year 
(1828) executed. Among those discharged for want of proof, was Black Hawk, 
then about sixty years of age. 

About this time, the president issued a proclamation, according to law, and the 
country, about the mouth of Rock River, which had been previously surveyed, 
was sold, and the year following, w^as taken possession of by American families. 
Some time previous to this, after the death of old Quashquame, Keokuk was ap- 
pointed chief of the Sac nation. The United States gave due notice to the Indians 
to leave the country east of the Mississippi, and Keokuk made the same proclama- 
tion to the Sacs, and a portion of the nation, with their regular chiefs, with Keo- 
kuk at their head, peaceably retired across the Mississippi. Up to this period, 
Black Hawk continued his annual visits to Maiden, and received his annuity for 
allegiance to the British government. He would not recognize Keokuk as chief, 
but gathered about him all the restless spirits of his tribe, many of whom were 
voung, and fired with the ambition of becoming "braves," and set up himself for a 
chief 

Black Hawk was not a Pontiac, or a Tecumseh. He had neither the talent nor 
the influence to form any comprehensive scheme of action, yet he made an abor- 
tive attempt to unite all the Indians of the west, from Rock River to Mexico, in a 
war against the United States. 

Still another treaty, and the seventh in succession, was made with the Sacs and 
Foxes, on the 15th of July, 1830, in which they again confirmed the preceding 
treaties, and promised to remove from Illinois to the territory west of the Mis- 
sissippi. This was no new cession, but a recognition of the former treaties by 
the proper authorities of the nation, and a renewed pledge of fidelity to the United 
States. 

During all this time, Black Hawk was gaining accessions to his party. Like 
Tecumseh, he, too, had his Prophet-^whose influence over the superstitious savages 
was not without effect. 

In 1830, an arrangement was made by the Americans who had purchased the 
land above the mouth of Rock River, and the Indians that remained, to live as 
nei'dibors, the latter cultivating their old fields. Their inclosures consisted of 
Btakes stuck in the ground, and small poles tied with strips of bark transversely. 



ILLINOIS. 247 

The Indians left for their summer's hunt, and returned \vhen their corn was in 
the milk — gathered it, and turned their horses into the fields cultivated by the 
Americans, to gather their crop. Some depredations were committed on their hoo-s 
and other property. The Indians departed on their winter's hunt, but returned 
early in the spring of 1831, under the guidance of Black Hawk, and committed 
depredations on the frontier settlements. Their leader was a cunning, shrewd In- 
dian, and trained his party to commit various depredations on the property of the 
frontier inhabitants, but not to attack, or kill any person. His policy was to pro- 
voke the ximericans to make war on hiin, and thus seem to fight in defense of In- 
dian rights, and the " graves of their Axthcrs." Numerous affidavits, from persons 
of unquestionable integrity, sworn to before the proper ofiicers, were made out and 
sent to Gov. Reynolds, attesting to these and many other facts. 

Black Hawk had about five hundred Indians in training, with horses, well pro- 
vided with arms, and invaded the state of Illinois with hostile designs. These facta 
were known to the governor and other officers of the state. Consequently, Gov. 
Eeynolds, on the 28th of May, 1831, made a call for volunteers, and communicated 
the facts to Gen. Gaines, of this military district, and made a call for regular troopa. 
The state was invaded by a hostile band of savages, under an avowed enemy of 
the United States. The military turned out to the number of twelve hundred or 
more, on horseback, and under command of the late Gen. Joseph Duncan, marched 
to Rock River. 

The regular troops went up the Mississippi in June. Black Hawk and his men, 
alarmed at this formidable appearance, recrossed the Mississippi, sent a white Hag, 
and made a treaty, in which the United States agreed to furnish them a large 
amount of corn and other necei^saries, if they would observe the treaty. 

In the spring of 1832, Black Hawk, with his party, again crossed the Mississippi 
to the valley of Rock River, notwithstanding he was warned against doing so by 
Gen. Atkinson, Avho commanded at Fort Armstrong, in Rock Island. Troops, both 
regular and militia, were at once mustered and marched in pursuit of the native 
band. Among the troops was a party of volunteers under Major Stillman, who, on 
the 14th of May, was out on a tour (if observation, and close in the neighborhood 
of the savages. On that evening, having discovered a party of Indians, the whites 
galloped forward to attack the savage band, but were met with so much energy and 
determination, that they took to their heels in utter consternation. The whites 
were 175 in number; the Indians from five to six hundred. Of this party, twenty- 
five followed the retreating battalion, after night for several miles. Eleven whites 
were killed and shockingly mangled, and several wounded. Some four or five In- 
dians were known to be killed. This action was at Stillman's run, in the eastern 
part of Ogle county, about twenty-five miles above Dixon. 

Peace was now hopeless, and although Keokuk, the legitimate chief of the na- 
tion, controlled a majority, the temptation of war and plunder was too strong for 
those who followed Black Hawk. 

On the 21st of May, a party of warriors, about seventy in number, attacked the 
Indian Creek settlement in La Salle county, Illinois, killed fifteen persons, and took 
two young women prisoners; these were afterward returned to their friends, late 
in July, through the efforts of the Winnebagoes. On the following day, a party 
of spies was attacked and four of them slain, and other massacres followed. 
Meanwhile 3,000 Illinois militia had been ordered out, who rendezvoused upon the 
20th of June, near Peru; these marched forward to the Rock River, where they 
were joined by the United States troops, the whole being under command of Gen. 
Atkinson. Six hundred mounted men were also ordered out, while Gen. Scott, 
with nine companies of artillery, hastened from the seaboard by the way of the 
lakes to Chicago, moving with such celerity that some of his troops, we are told, 
actually went 1,800 miles in eighteen days; passing in that time from Fort Mon- 
roe, on the Chesapeake, to Chicago. Long before the artillerists could reach the 
scene of action, however, the western troops had commenced the conflict in earn- 
est, and before they did reach the field, had closed it. On the 24th of June, Black 
Hawk and his two hundred warriors were repulsed by Major Demint, with but one 
hundred and fifty militia: this skirmish took place between Rock River and Ga- 
lena. The army then continued to move up Rock River, near the heads of which, 



248 ILLINOIS. 

it was understood that the main party of the hostile Indians was collected ; and 
as provisions were scarce, and hard to convey in such a country, a detachment was 
sent forward to Fort Winnebago, at the portage between the W'isconsin and Fox 
llivers, to procure supplies. This detachment, hearing of Black Hawk's armj', 
pursued and overtook them on the 21st of duly, near the Wisconsin Kiver, and in 
the neighborhood of the Blue Mounds. Gen. Henry, who commanded the party, 
formed with his troops three sides of a hollow square, and in that order received 
the attack of the Indians ; two attempts to break the ranks were made by the na- 
tives in vain ; and then a general charge was made by the whole body of Ameri- 
cans, and with such success that, it is said, fifty-two of the red men were left dead 
upon the field, while but one American was killed and eight wounded. 

Before this action, Henry had sent word of his motions to the main army, by 
whom he was immediately rejoined, and on the 28th of July, the whole crossed the 
Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk, who was retiring toward the Mississippi. 
Upon the bank of that river, nearly opposite the Upper Iowa, the Indians were 
overtaken and again defeated, on the 2d of August, with a loss of one hundred and 
fifty men, while of the whites but eighteen fell. This battle entirely broke the 
power of Black Hawk ; he fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes, and upon the 
27th, was delivered to the officers of the United States, at Pi-airie du Chien. 

Gen. Scott, during the months of July and August, was contending with a worse 
than Indian foe. The Asiatic cholera had just reached Canada; passing up the 
St. Lawrence to Detroit, it overtook the western-bound armament, and thenceforth 
the camp became a hospital. On the 8th of July, his thinned ranks landed at Fort 
Dearborn or Chicago, but it was late in August before they reached the ISIississippi. 
The number of that band who died from the cholera, must have been at least seven 
times as great as that of all who fell in battle. There were several other skir- 
mishes of the troops with the Indians, and a number of individuals murdered; 
making in all about seventy-five persons killed in these actions, or murdered on the 
frontiers. 

In September, the Indian troubles were closed by a treaty, which relinquished 
to the white men thirty millions of acres of land, for which stipulated annuities 
were to be paid ; constituting now the eastern portion of the state of Iowa, to 
which the only real claim of the Sacs and Foxes, was their depredations on the 
unoffending lowas, about 140 years since. To Keokuk and his party, a reserva- 
tion of forty miles squai'e was given, in consideration of his fidelity; while Black 
Hawk and his family were sent as hostages to Fort Monroe, in the Chesapeake, 
where they remained until June, 1833. The chief afterward returned to his na- 
tive wilds, where he died. 

CAVE IN-KOCK. 

On the Ohio River, in Hardin county, a few miles above Elizabethtown, near the 
south- eastern corner of the state, is a famous cavern, known as Cave-in-Kock. Its 
entrance is a semi-circular arch of about 80 feet span and 25 feet in hight, and 
ascending gradually from the bed of the river, it penetrates to the distance of 
nearly 200 feet. This cave, in early times, was the terror of the boatmen on the 
Ohio, for it was one of the haunts of Mason and his band of outlaws, whose acts 
of murder upon travelers through the wilderness are elsewhere detailed in this 
work. The pioneers of the west suffered greatly from the desperadoes, who in- 
fested the country in the early stages of its history. And there have not been 
wanting, even in more recent times, instances in which bands of villains have been 
formed to set all law at defiance by preying upon society. 

Altout the year 1820, the southern counties of Illinois contained a gang of horse 
thieves, so numerous and well organized as to defy punishment by legal means, un- 
til a company of citizens was formed, called " regulators," who, taking the law into 
their own hands, at last drove the felons from tlie neighborhood. In 1S41, a gang 
of these scoundrels existed in Ogle county and its vicinity, in the Rock River coun- 
trv. W'm. CuUen Bryant was traveling there at the time, and in his published 
volume of letters, gives, substantially, this narrative of their operations : 

The thieves were accustomed to select the best animals from the drove, and these 
%/ere passed from one station to another, until they arrived at some distant market, 



ILLINOIS. 



249 



where they were sold. They had their regular lines of communication from AVis- 
consin to St. Louis, and from the Wabash to the Mississippi. In Ogle county, it is 
paid they had a justice of the peace and a constable among their associates, and 
they contrived always to secure a friend on the jury Avhenever one of their num- 
ber was tried. Trial after trial had taken place at Dixon, the county seat, and it 
had been found impossible to obtain a conviction on the clearest evidence, until in 




Ciive-in-jRuck, on the Ohio. 

April of this year, when two horse thieves being on trial, eleven of the jury threat- 
ened the twelfth juror with a taste of the cowskin, unless he would bring in a 
verdict of guilty. He did so, and the men were condemned. Before they were 
removed to the state prison, the court house, a fine building, just erected at an ex- 
pense of $20,000, was burnt down, and the jail was in flames, but luckily they 
were extinguished without the liberation of the prisoners. Such, at length, be- 
came the feeling of insecurity, that 300 citizens of Ogle, De Kalb and Winnebago 
counties formed themselves into a company of volunteers, for the purpose of clear- 
ing the country of these scoundrels. The patrons of the thieves lived at some 
of the finest groves, where they owned large farms. Ten or twenty stolen horses 
would be brought to one of these places of a night, and before sunrise, the despera- 
does employed to steal them were again mounted and on their way to some other 
station. In breaking up these haunts, the regulators generally proceeded with 
some of the formalities commonly used in administering justice, the accused being 
allowed to make a defense, and witnesses examined both for and .against^ him. 

At this time, there lived at Washington Grove, in Ogle countj;, one Bridge, a no- 
torious confederate and harborer of horse thieves and counterfeiters. In July two 
horse thieves had been flogged, and Bridge received a notice from the regulators 
that he must leave the county by the 17th, or become a proper subject for the 
Ijrnch law. Thereupon he came into Dixon, and asked for assistance to defend 
his person and dwelling from the lawless violence of these men. The people ot 
Dixon then came together, and passed a resolution to the effect that they fully ap- 
proved of what the association had done, and that they allowed Mr. Bridges the 
term of four hours to depart from the town. He went away immediately, and in 
great trepidation, but made preparations to defend himself He kept 20 armed 
men about his place for two days, but thinking, at last, that the regulators did not 
mean to carry their threats into execution, he dismissed them. The regulators 
subsequently removed his family, and demolished his dwelling. 

Not long after, two men, mounted and carrying rifles, called at the residence of 



250 ILLINOIS. 

a Mr. Campbell, living at Whiterock Cirove, in Ogle county, who belonged to tbo 
company of regulators, and who acted as the messenger to convey to Bridges the 
order to leave the county. Meeting Mrs. Campbell without the house, they toid 
her that they wished to speak to her husband. Campbell made his appearance s»t 
the door, and immediately both the men fired. He fell, mortally wounded, and dirtd 
in a few minutes. " You have killed my husband," said Mrs. Campbell to one of 
the murderers, whose name was Driscoll. Upon this they rode ofl' at full speed. • 

As soon as the event was known, the whole country was roused, and every man 
who was not an associate of the horse thieves, shouldered his rifle to go in pursuit 
of the murderers. They apprehended the father of Driscoll, a man nearly 70 
years of age, and one of his sons, William Driscoll, the former a reputed horse 
thief, and the latter a man who had hitherto born a tolerably fair character, and 
subjected them to a separate examination. The liither was wary in his answers, 
and put on the appearance of perfect innocence, but William Dri.scoll was greatly 
agitated, and confessed that he, with his father and others, had planned the mur- 
der of Campbell, and that David Driscoll, his brother, together with another asso- 
ciate, was employed to execute it. The father and son were then sentenced to 
death; they were bound and made to kneel. About 50 men toolc aim at each, and 
in three hours from the time they were taken, they were both dead men. A pit 
was dug on the spot where they fell, in the midst of the prairie near their dwelling. 
Their corpses, pierced with bullet holes in every part, were thrown in, and the 
earth was heaped over them. 

The pursuit of David Driscoll, and the fellow who was with him when Campbell 
was killed, went on with great activity, more than a hundred men traversed the 
country in every direction, determined that no lurking place should hide them. 
The upshot was, that the Driscoll family lost another member, and the horse thieves 
and their confederates were driven from the country. 

Within a very few j^ears, the thinly settled parts of Iowa have suffered from like 
crganized gangs of horse thieves, until the people were obliged to resort to a like 
summary process of dispelling the nuisance. To the isolated settler in a wilder- 
ness country, living many a long mile from neighbors, the horse is of a peculiar 
value, elsewhere unknown. So keenly is the robbery of these animals felt, that, 
in the failure of ordinary penalties to stop the perpetration of this crime, public 
opinion justifies the generally recognized ^^ Frontier Law," that death is to be 
meted out to horse thieves. 



MICHIGAN. 




The discovery and early settlement of Michigan is due to the Frencli 
whose motives were the prosecution of the fur trade, and, incidentally, the 

conversion of the Indians. To pro- 
mote the latter object, Father Sagard 
reached Lake Huron in 1632, seven 
years after the founding of Quebec, 
but the present site of the city of 
Detroit appears to have been visited 
somewhat earlier. The tract of ter- 
ritory now embraced in the state of 
Michigan, derives its name, it is said, 
from the Indian word, Michl-sawg-ye- 
gau, the meaning of which, in the 
Algonquin tongue, is, the Lake 
Country. 

The Huron tribe of Indians were 
the aboriginal inhabitants of Michi- 
gan. They were anciently very nu- 
merous, brave and powerful, and their 
settlements extended as far north as 
Lake Superior. As early as 1634, 
the French Catholic missionaries 
founded a mission near Lake Huron, 
and in 1660, a station was established on the rocky and pine clad borders of 
Lake Superior. In 1668, the Mission at St. Marys Falls was founded, and 
in 1671, Father Marquette gathered a little flock of Indian converts at Point 
St. Ignatius, on the main land, north of the island of Mackinaw. The great 
body of the Hurons were converted to the profession of Christianity by the 
efforts of the missionaries. The Iroquois, or Five Nations, made war upon 
them, and massacred or dispersed most of their number. 

In 1667, Louis XIV sent a party of soldiers to this territory, to protect 
the French fur traders. In 1701, a French colony left Montreal, and begun 
the settlement of Detroit, which was a place of resort of the French mis- 
sionaries at a much earlier period. Having established military posts at this 
and other places in Michigan, they soon extended their commerce westward 
of Lake Michigan, to the Indians on the Mississippi. They were steadily 
opposed by the Iroquois, and the settlements being somewhat neglected by 

251 



Arms of SIicniaAN. 

Motto — Tuehor si gwcEn's peninsulam amrenam cir- 
cumspice — If you seek a beautiful pcuiiisula, look 
around you. 



252 ' MICHIGAN. 

the French government, they never flourished as colonies. At the peace of 
1763, all the Frejich possessions in North America came under the dominion 
of Great Britain. On the expulsion of the French, the celebrated Indian 
chief, Pontlac, seized the occasion to rid the country of the hated whites, by 
a general uprising, and simultaneous attacks on all the forts of the English 
on the lakes. Mackinaw was taken by stratagem, and the garrison butch- 
ered. Detroit was besieged some months, by Pontiac, with GOO Indians, but 
it held out until the Indian allies, becoming weary of the siege, retired, and 
left Pontiac no choice but to make peace. At the termination of the revo- 
lutionary war, by the peace of 1783, Michigan, being included in the jN'orth- 
west Territory, was ceded to the United States ; the British, however, did 
not surrender the post of Detroit until 1796. 

Soon after the treaty of Greenville, by "Wayne, with the Indians, which 
was made in 1795, the settlements upon the Maumee (now wholly included 
in Ohio), upon the Raisin and Detroit Rivers, were organized under the 
name of Wayne county, and Detroit was the seat of justice. In 1796, the 
whole of the North-west Territory wasrorganized into five extensive counties, 
of which Wayne, as described above, was one. The others, with their loca- 
tion, were as follows: "Washington county comprised all that portion of the 
present state of Ohio within forty miles of the Ohio River, and between the 
Muskingum and the Little Miami; Marietta w^as the seat of justice. Ham- 
ilton county comprised all that region of country between the Little and 
the Great Miami, within the same distance of the Ohio River; and Cincin- 
nati was the county seat. Knox county embraced the country near the Ohio 
River, between the Great Miami and the Wabash Rivers; and Vincennes was 
the county seat. St. Clair county embraced the settlements upon the Illinois 
and upon the Kaskaskia Rivers, as well as those upon the Upper Mississippi; 
and Kaskaskia was the seat of justice." 

In 1805, the territory of Michigan was organized, and Gen. Wm. Hull 
appointed governor; Detroit was the seat of government." The census 
of 1820 gave it an aggregate population of only 8,900. This included the 
Huron District, on the west side of Lake Michigan, now known as the state 
of Wisconsin. " About the year 1832, the tide of emigration began to set 
strong toward Michigan Territory. Steamboat navigation had opened a new 
commerce upon the lakes, and had connected the eastern lakes and their pop- 
ulation with the Illinois and Upper Mississippi. This immense lake navi- 
gation encircled the peninsula of Michigan. It became an object of explo- 
ration. Its unrivaled advantages for navigation, its immense tracts of the 
most fertile arable lands, adapted to the cultivation of all the northern grains 
and grasses, attracted the attention of western emigrants. The tide soon 
began to set strong into Michigan. Its fine level and rolling plains, its deep 
and enduring soil, and its immense advantages for trade and commerce had 
become known and duly appreciated. The hundreds of canoes, pirogues, 
and barges, with their half-civilized couriers du bois, which had annually 
visited Detroit for more than a century, had given way to large and splendid 
steamboats, which daily traversed the lakes from Buifalo to Chicago, from 
the east end of Lake Erie to the south-western extremity of Lake Michigan. 
Nearly a hundred sail of sloops and schooners were now traversing every 
part of these inland seas. Under these circumstances, how should Michigan 
remain a savage wilderness? New York state and the New England states 
began to send forth their numerous colonies, and the wilderness to smile. 

At the end of two years more, or in 1834, the population of Michigan had 



MICHIGAN". 253 

increased to 87,273 souls, exclusive of Indians. The following year the 
number amounted to more than ninety thousand persons, distributed over 
thirty-eight counties, comprised in the southern half of the peninsula, and 
the 'attached Huron, or Wisconsin District,' lying west of Lake Michigan. 
The town of Detroit, which in 1812 was a stockade village, had now become 
'a city,' with nearly 2,500 inhabitants. 

The humble villages and wigwams of the Indians, sparsely distributed over 
a wide extent of wilderness, had now given way to thousands of farms and 
civilized habitations. Towns and smiling villages usurped the encampment 
and the battle-field. The fertile banks of the 'River Raisin' were crowned 
with hamlets and towns instead of the melancholy stockade. A constitu- 
tion had been adopted on the 15th of June, 1836, and the 'state of Michi- 
gan ' was admitted into the Union on the 26th day of January, 1837, and 
Stephens T. Mason was made the first governor." 

In the war of 1812, the important fortress of Mackinaw, being garrisoned 
by only 57 men, under Lieut. Hanks, was surrendered to a party of British 
and Indians on July 17, 1812. On the 15th of August, Gren. Brock, 
with a force of 1,300 men, of whom 700 were Indians, summoned Gen. Hull 
to surrender Detroit, stating that he would be unable to control the Indians 
if any resistance should be offered. Although Hull had a force of 800 men, 
he supposed it would be useless to resist, and, to the astonishment of all, he 
surrendered the fort, and, in the capitulation, included the whole territory 
of Michigan. The indignation was great against him, and after he was ex- 
changed, he was tried by a court martial, sentenced to death, but on account 
of his age and services in the Revolution, the president remitted the punish- 
ment, but deprived him of all military command. In Jan., 1813, Gen. Win- 
chester, who was encamped at Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, was sur- 
prised by a force of British and Indians, under Gen. Proctor. After a severe 
contest. Gen. Winchester surrendered, under the promise of being protected 
from the Indians. The promise was broken: a large number of prisoners, 
mostly those who were wounded, were murdered by the Indians. The cele- 
brated naval victory of Perry occurred on the waters of Lake Erie, only a 
few miles from her shores, and the victory of the Thames, in which the Brit- 
ish and Indians were defeated by Harrison, and in which Tecumseh was 
elain, took place only a short distance from Detroit, within the adjacent 
Canadian territory. A brief outline of these events we present below: 

^'■perry's Victory. — The grand object of the Americans in the campaign of 1813, 
in the west, was to attack Maiden and reconquer Michigan from the enemy; but 
this could not be effectually done, so long as the lleet of the enemy held possession 
of Lake Erie. To further the desired object, a number of vessels had been build- 
ing at Erie, on the south-oast shore of the lake, and were finished early in August. 
They consisted of two twenty gun vessels, and seven smaller vessels, carrying from 
one to three each — the whole fleet numbering fifty-four guns On the 10th of Sep 
tember, Perry fell in with, and gave battle to, the British fleet near the western 
end of the lake, under Commodore Barclay, consisting of six vessels, carrying in 
all sixty-four guns. Tlie number of guns in both fleets, in some cases, is surpassed 
by those of a single battle-ship of the line. The engagement between these little 
fleets was desperate, and lasted three hours. Never was victory more complete; 
every British ship struck her colors, and the Americans took more prisoners than 
they themselves numbered men. 

Gen. Harrison, at this time, lay with the main body of the Americans in the 
vicinity of Sandusky Bay and Fort Meigs; the British and their Indian allies, un- 
der Proctor and Tecumseh, were at Maiden, ready, in case of a successful issue, 
to renew their ravages upon the American borders. 



254 MICHIGAN. 

Battle of the Thames. — Harrison's army had reo-oived a reinforcement of 3,000 
Kentucky volunteers, under Gov. Shelby. On the 27th of September, the main 
body of the army sailed for Detroit River, intending; to enter Canada by the valley 
of the Thames. Two days after, Harrison was at Sandwich, and ^['Arthur took 
possession of Detroit. Proctor retreated up the Thames, was pursued, and come 
up with on the 5th of October, by Harrisons army ; the Americans numbering 
something; over 3,000, and their enemy about 2,000. The latter Avere badly posted 
in order of l)attle. Their infantry was formed in two lines, extending from tho 
river to a small dividing swamp; the Indians extended from the latter to a larger 
swamp. The Kentucky mounted men, under Col. Richard M. Johnson, divided 
into two parts. The one under the colonel in person, charged the Indians; the 
other under his brother James, charged the inHintry. The latter received the 
enemy's fire, broke through their ranks, and created such a panic, that they at 
once surrendered. Upon the left, the contest with tlie Indians was more severe; 
but there the impetuosity of the Kentuckians overcame the enemy, Tecumseh, 
their leader, being among the slain. The battle was over in half an hour, with a 
loss to both armies of less than fifty killed. Proctor fled at the beginning of the 
action. In January, 1814, the enemy again took a position near the battle-field of 
the Thames. Capt. Holmes, while advancing to meet thmn, learned that a superior 
force was approaching. Having posted himself on a hill, and thrown up intrench- 
ments, he was vigorously attacked, liut repulsed the enemy with considerable loss. 

Attack on Mackinaw. — In the June following. Col. Croghan attempted to take 
the island of Mackinaw, but his force being insuflicient, he was repelled with the 
loss of twelve men, among whom w-as Major Holmes. 

M' Arthur s Expedition. — The last movement of consequence in the north-west, 
during the war, was the expedition of Gen. M'Arthur. He left Detroit on the 26th 
of October, with seven hundred cavalry, intending to move to the relief of Gen. 
BroAvn, who was besieged by the enemy at Fort Erie, on the Niagara River, oppo- 
site Buffalo. When he had proceeded about two hundred and fifty miles, he ascer- 
tained that the enemy were too strong in front, and he changed his course, de- 
feated a body of opposing militia, destroyed several mills, and returned to Detroit, 
without the loss of a man, although pursued by about 1,200 regular troops." 

"The history of Michigan," says Lanman, "exhibits three distinct and 
strongly marked epochs. The first may properly be denominated tlie roman- 
tic, which extends to the year 17G0, when its dominion was transferred from 
France to Great Britain. This was the period when the first beams of civili- 
zation had scarcely penetrated its forests, and the paddles of the French fur 
traders swept the lakes, and the boat songs of the traders awakened tribes afc 
wild as the wolves which howl around the wigwams. The second epoch ifi 
the nulitarj/, commencing with the Pontiac war; and, running down througti 
the successive struggles of the British, the Indians and the Americans, to 
obtain the dominion of the country, it ends with the victory of Commodoro 
Perry, defeat of Proctor, and the death of Tecumseh, the leader of tlie Anglo- 
savage confederacy upon the banks of the Thames. The third epoch is the 
cnterpri&ing., the hardy, the practical, the working age of Michigan, and it 
commences with the introduction of the public lands into market. It is 
the age of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures; of harbors, cities, ca- 
nals, and railroads." 

Michigan consists of two peninsulas, lying between latitudes 41° 45' and 
48° N., and between longitudes 82° 25' and 90° 34" W. from Greenwich. 
It is bounded N., N. E. and E., by Canada, from which it is separated by 
Lake Superior, the Sault St. Marie, Lake Huron, the Strait and Lake St. 
Clair, Detroit Strait and Lake Erie; on the S. by the states of Ohio and 
Indiana; and on the W. by Lake Michigan and the state of Wisconsin. 
The total land surface comprises an area of more than 5fi,000 square miles, 
and the area of waters within the constitutional limits of the state, is computed 



MICHIGAN. 0-^ 

at 36,324 square miles. The lake coast of Michigan is more than 1,400 
miles long. The Soiitherii Peninsula, or Michigan proper, comprises nearly 
two thirds of the land surftice of the state. The Northern Peninsula has 
Lake Superior on the north, and Lake Huron and Lake Michigan on the 
south. It is about 220 miles from S. E. to N. W., and about 120 miles in 
its greatest width. The Southern Peninsula, about 283 miles from N. to S., 
and 200 from E. to W. in its broadest part. 

The Southern Peninsula of Michigan may be considered, generally, as one 
vast undulating plain, seldom becoming rough or broken. There are occa- 
sional conical elevations from 150 to 200 feet in hight, but generally much 
less. The shores of Lake Huron are often steep, forming bluffs; while those 
of Lake Michigan are coasted by shifting sand hills of from 100 to 200 feet 
in hight. The central part of the peninsula may be regarded as a fertile 
table land, elevated about 300 feet above the level the great lakes. To the 
traveler, the country presents an appearance picturesque and delightful. 
Through a considerable part, it is so even and free from brush as to permit 
carriages to be driven through with considerable facility. The lowerino' 
forest and grove, the luxuriant prairie, the numerous crystal lakes and lim- 
pid rivulets, are so frequently and happily blended together, especially in the 
southern section, as to render this country one of the most beautiful in the 
Union. 

The part of the Southern Peninsula generally known to travelers, and 
containing seven eighths of the population and productive industry of the 
state, stretches north 100 miles or so, from the north line of Indiana, reach- 
ing from Toledo on the east to within some 50 miles of Chicago on the west, 
embracing some 20,000 square miles of mainly arable land, having the aver- 
age climate of New York, or Connecticut and. Rhode Island, with about the 
area of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. 

The Northern Peninsula exhibits a striking contrast to the Southern. 
While the latter is level or moderately undulating and quite fertile, the for- 
mer (sometimes called the Siberia of Michigan) is rugged, mountainous, and 
to a considerable extent, sterile in soil. The shores of Lake Superior are 
composed of a sandstone rock, which, in many places, is worn by the action 
of the winds and waves into fancied resemblances of castles, etc., forming 
the cGlehrated ^' Picfured Rocks ;'^ while the shores of Lake Michigan are 
composed of a limestone rock. 

The Northern Peninsula is primitive in formation, but rich in mineral 
wealth. Here are the richest copper mines in the world. A block of almost 
pure copper, weighing over a tun, and bearing the arms of the state rests 
imbedded in the walls of the national monument at Washington. 

Michigan has not advanced with equal rapidity to the prairie states ; but 
she has enduring elements of solid wealth, which, in time, will render her 
among the most prosperous. Among these are her vast forests of valuable 
timber, her inexhaustible quarries of the finest of gypsum, her extensive 
fisheries; her recently discovered salt springs, and deposits of coal, and of 
copper and iron ore, a climate rendered equable and healthy by the vast 
bodies of water which nearly surround her, together with a soil that pays 
fairly the labors of the husbandman. A popular journalist gives us some 
substantial thoughts upon this subject. He says: 

At first view, Michigan would seem far less inviting to farmers in quest of a lo- 
cation, than her more western sisters, and accordingly her growth has, for the last 
20 years, been far slower than theirs. Her soil is, in the average, not nearly so 
vich as that of the prairies, and is generally covered with heavy timber, while 



256 MICHIGAN. 

her untliabered lands are apt to be swampy. There are some exceptions near 
her southern border; but in general, her low levels are covered with bog-grass, 
or with a growth of black ash or low spruce, and can not be made productive 
of grain nearly so soon, so cheapl}^, nor so abundantly, as can the prairies of 
Illinois or Iowa. Hence it is but natural that the great majority of eastern far- 
mers, in quest of new lands, should push on to the prairie states, there to secure 
lands that are readily made, broadly and generously productive. 

To buy a heavily timbered quarter section, let daylight in upon it, put up a \o^ 
cabin, and move a family into it, with a determination to make there a farm, and 
get a living while making it, is an act of genuine courage. Many a man has 
been crowned a hero on considerably cheaper terms. He who does it, better de- 
serves a pension than the ex-soldiers, whom congress has seemed disposed to 
quarter for life on the treasury. For the first half dozen years or so, the growth 
of that ftirm will be scarcely perceptible, since five days' work must be done else- 
where to every one devoted to the enlargement of the clearing. Making roads, 
going to mill, hunting cattle astray in the dense forest, making fences, etc., with 
the necessity of working for others to procure those necessaries of life that the 
narrow patch of stumpy clearing refuses to supply, consume at least five sixths of 
the time; so that the poor man who, from the first, adds five acres per annum to 
the area of arable soil which surrounds his cabin, does very well. But when 15 
or 2(t acres thus cleared, begin to furnish adequate bread for his fiimily, and grass 
for his cattle, the case is bravely altered. Mills are by this time nearer and more 
easily reached; roads are better, and require less labor at his hands; each addi- 
tion to his clearing requires fencing on but two sides, instead of three or four as 
at first; the older stumps begin to yield to the plow; wild animals and birds are 
less destructive of his growing crops than when the clearing was but a hand s 
breadth ; so that two or three days per week may now be given to clearing instead 
of one. After 40 acres have been cleared, the timber ceases to be an obstacle; 
the neighboring saw mill or embryo village will take some of it at a price that will 
at least pay for cutting and drawing; the black ash swamp supplies in abundance 
the best of rail timber; a barn this year, a corn-crib next, and a wagon shed the 
year after, absorb a good many trees ; the household fires lick up the residue ; so 
that acres are insensible swept off without an elfort; the remaining woods break 
the force of the sharp winds, and furnish nuts and other food for swine; and when 
the eightieth acre has been cleared, the quarter section is worth more than if it 
were all treeless, and clearing for clearing's sake may be suspended. Local or 
personal circumstances must necessarily modify this picture, but its essential and 
general truth will be conceded. And thus a state or section, like a single farm, 
when denuded of a portion of its timber, is far more inviting to the settler than if, 
it had no timber at all. 

"Michigan is encompassed by five lakes, four of which are the largest col- 
lections of fresh water on the globe. These are. Lake Superior, Lake Michi- 
gan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie, which are connected by 
the Straits of Detroit, St. Clair, Michilimaekinac, and St. Mary. Nor is this 
state merely surrounded by lakes, but the interior is interspersed with them 
from one border to the other. The country, indeed, is literally maculated 
•with small lakes of every form and size, from an area of 1 to 1,000 acres, 
though, as a general rule, they do not, perhaps, average 500 acres in extent, 
they are sometimes so frequent that several of them may be seen from the 
same position. They are usually very deep, with gravelly bottoms, watera 
transparent, and of a cool temperature at all seasons. This latter fact ia 
supposed to be in consequence of springs which furnish them constant sup- 
plies. Water fowl of various sorts inhabit their shores, and their depths are 
the domain of abundance of fish, trout, bass, pike, pickerel, dace, perch, cat- 
fish, sucker, bull-head, etc., which often grow to an extraordinary size. It 
is usual to find some creek or rivulet originating in these, but what is a sin- 
gular fact, and not easily accounted for, many of these bodies of living water 



MICHIGAN. 



257 



have no perceptible outlet, and yet are stored with fish. A lake of this de- 
scription, with its rich stores offish and uame, forms no unenviable append- 
age to a farm, and is properly appreciated. But with all its length of lake 
coast, Michigan can boast of but few good harbors, yet there are several that 
afi"ord excellent shelter from the storms that frequently sweep over these 
great island seas, and lash them into turmoil." 

The fisheries of Michigan are an important element of her industry. The 
proceeds of these amount, annually, to more than half a million of dol- 
lars, exceeding, in value, the combined product of the rest of the fresh- 
water fisheries in the Union. 

Among them the white fish, Mackinaw trout, and the muscolonge, are un- 
surpassed for their delicacy of flavor. Mackinaw has been famous as the 
greatest fishing point on the lakes. The work in that vicinity is mostly 
done by half-breeds — of French and Indian blood — in the employ of mer- 
chants. Of late years colonies of Norwegians have embarked in the busi- 
ness. Trained in the severe school of their rugged northern homes, they 
exhibit the greatest daring, going out in their tiny craft during the heaviest 
gales. 

The settled parts of Michigan are well supplied with railroads, and others 
ire in progress which will bring her valuable lands on the north into.mar- 
tet. Within the state are an unusually large number of plank roads. In 
d country so full of lumber, these are easily constructed, and add much to 
the increase of business communication. 

The great bulk of the present population of Michigan, is of New England 
descent. About one third of its settlers came directly from the state of New 
York. The number of inhabitants in 1810, was 4,762; in 1830,31,639, 
in 1850, 397,654 : in 1860, 754,291. 




Sonth-easiern viexc of Detroit. 

.^^0"'"g tlie appearance of the city as spen fi-om tlie Great Western Depot, at Windsor, on Jli'e'Canada 
Bide of the river. The buildings of the Micliigau Central Railroad appear on the left. 

Detroit, the principal city, and formerly the capital of Michigan, is sit- 
uated on the N.W. or right bank of Detroit River, or strait, 82 mOes E.S.'E. 
from Lansing, the present capital. The name cTctroif, the French word for 
"strait," indicates its location. The city extends more than a mile and a half, 
the center of it being about 7 miles from Lake St. Clair, and 18 above the 
west end of Lake Erie, 526 from AVashington, and, by steamboat, 327 from 

17 



258 MICHIGAN. 

Buffalo. The width between the docks at Windsor, Canada West, and those 
of Detroit, opposite, is about half a mile, and the depth of water from 12 to 
48 feet. The current in the deepest part of the stream, opposite the city, 
flows at the rate of two and a^half miles per hour. Such is its depth and 
uniformity, that it makes Detroit a secure and accessible harbor in all 
seasons. 

• Bordering the river, and for 1,200 feet back from it, the plan of the city 
is rectangular — in rear of this triangular. The streets are spacious, and 
among the more noted are eight avenues; three of these are 200 feet, and 
five others 120 feet wide. Five of these center at a public ground called the 
Grand Circus. In the city are several public squares or spaces, the princi- 
pal of which are the Campus Martins and the Circus. A large portion of 
the buildings are of wood, but there are many handsome and substantial 
brick buildings. Among these may be mentioned, the old state house, now 
used for literary purposes ; the two Catholic cathedrals; the first Presbyte- 
rian church, and several others. There are in all about 30 churches. The 
Central Railroad freight depot, is one of the largest in the United States. 
The city is supplied with the purest of water from the Detroit River; the 
reservoir, which is of cast iron, is kept supplied by means of a steam engine. 
The business of Detroit is immense. It has several extensive manufactories, 
large steam saw mills, founderies, machine shops, etc. It is most admirably 
situated for trade, and is becoming a great commercial emporium. The nav- 
igation of the river and lake is open about eight months in the year; the 
arrivals and departures of steam and sailing vessels is very great, and con- 
stantly increasing. By this, and the numerous railroad communications, 
thousands of emigrants travel annually, and millions of dollars worth of 
produce are transported. A direct trade has, of late years, sprung up with 
Europe, by means of sailing vessels, from this and other lake ports, via the 
Welland Canal, of Canada, the St. Lawrence River, and Atlantic Ocean. In 
1859, 22 vessels in all sailed for Europe, laden with staves and lumber. The 
population of Detroit, in 1830, was 2,222; in 1840, 9,102; in 1850, 21,057; 
in 1853,-34,436; and in 1860, 46,834. 

Detroit was founded in 1701, by Cadillac, a French nobleman, acting under 
a commission from Louis XIV. In June of this year, he left Montreal with 
one hundred men, a Jesuit missionary, and all the necessary means for the 
erection of a colony; reached Detroit in July, and commenced the founda- 
tion of the settlement. Before this period, and as far back as 1620, it was 
the resort of the French missionaries: when first visited by them, its site 
was occupied by an Indian village, named Teiichsa Grondie. A rude fort 
was erected by Cadillac, and surrounded with pickets, which inclosed a fe-W 
houses, occupied by the French traders and the soldiers attached to the post 
This establishment was, however, rude, frail, and mounted with small cannon, 
which were more adapted to overawe the Indians than for solid and efiective 
defense.* 

In May, 1712, the Iroquois, or Five Nations, who were hostile to the 
French and friendly Indians, instigated the Ottagamies or Foxes, their allies, 
to capture Detroit. They were probably backed by the English, who wished 
to destroy this post and erect a fort of their own upon its ruins. At this 
period, the French had established three villages of friendly Indians in the 
immediate vicinity of the post, occupied by the Pottawatomies, the Ottawas, 

♦Lanman's History of Michigan. 



MICHIGAN. 



259 



and tlie Hurons. The Foxes, having laid a secret plan for the destructwnr 
of the French fort, the plot was revealed by one of the friendly Indians, a 
convert to the Catholic faith. On the 13th of iMay, Detroit was attacked by 
the Foxes. At this critical juncture, the friendly Indians, to whom the 




View ill Woodtcard Avenue^ Detroit. 

The City Hull and MarkPt apiiear on the left ; the Uussell House in the central part. In the extreme 
distance on the ris!;ht, at tlie t'uot of VVoudHanl Avenue, on the opjiosite or Canada side of the river, is .seen 
the depot of the Great Western Railroad. 

French commander, M. D'Buisson, had sent for aid, appeared through the 
wilderness, naked, painted and armed for battle; they were received into the 
fort, and the Foxes were obliged to retreat. They afterward endeavored to 
burn out the French, and for this purpose discharged blazing arrows upon 
the fort. Many of the roofs of the houses, being thatched with straw, were 
set on fire, but by covering the remainder with wet skins they were pre- 
served. 

The French power in Michigan ceased with the conquest of Canada. In 
the fall of 1760, jNIajor Rogers, with an English detachment, proceeded to- 
ward Detroit, to take possession. De Bellestre, when he heard of the ad- 
vance of Rogers, erected a high flag-staff, with an effigy of a man's head on 
top, and upon this head he had placed the image of a crow. He told the 
Indians, who are strongly impressed with symbols, that the head represented 
Maj. Rogers, and the crow was himself The interpretation of this group 
was, that the French commandant would scratch out the brains of the En- 
glish. The Indians, however, were skeptical as to the truth of this emblem, 
and told him that the reverse would be the fact. Maj. Rogers, having 
pushed his boats up the Detroit River, drew up his detachment in a field 
within half a mile of the fort. Lieuts. Lefflie and M'Cormick, accompanied 



260 MICHIGAN. 

by thirty-sis Royal Americans, were sent forward to take possession of De- 
troit. The French garrison surrendered their arms, and the first Eritish 
flag was raised upon the fort, amid the shouts of 700 Indians, collected 
around that station, who exulted that their prediction respecting the crow 
had been verified. 

The next event of importance in the history of Detroit, and, indeed, of 
the whole north-west, was the Indian outbreak called the "Pontiac War." 
The fort at Detroit was, at this time, garrisoned by 122 men and 8 oflScers, 
under the command of Maj. Gladwyn. Two armed vessels were anchored 
in front of the town for defense. The Indians who besieged it were 600 in 
number. 

" The plan which was devised by Pontiac to destroy the fort at Detroit; exhibited 
re^l^'kable cunnino; as well as strategy. He had ordered the Indians to saw off 
their rifles so as to conceal them under their blankets, gain admission to the fort, 
and, at a preconcerted signal, which was the delivery of a belt of wampum in a 
certain way, to rush upon the troops, massacre the officers, and open the gates to the 
warriors on the outside, who should stand ready to co-operate with those within. 
In order to carry this plan into execution, he encamped at a little distance from 
Detroit, and sent word to Major Gladwyn that he and his warriors wished to hold 
a council with the English commandant on the following day, that 'they might 
brighten the chain of peace.' This was the Sth of May, 1763. The council was 
granted. On the evening of that day, an Indian woman, who had been employed 
by Major Gladwyn to make him a pair of elk-skin moccasins, which he intended 
to present to a friend, brought them to the fort. These were finished in so band- 
some a manner, that he requested the woman to take back the remainder of the 
skin, and make them into others for himself He then paid her for those which 
she had made, and ordered his servant to see her from the fort. Having arrived 
at the gate which looks out upon the Detroit River, she lingered as if her business 
had been unfinished ; and this conduct excited some remark. The servant of the 
commandant was ordered to inquire the reason of her delay, but he could procure 
no satisfactory answer. At length the commandant called her within the fort, and 
inquired why she loitered about the gate, and did not hasten home before they 
were shut, so that she might complete the moccasins <at the proper time. She re- 
plied that the commandant had treated her with great kindness, and that she did 
not wish to take the skin away, as he prized it so much, bec;ause she could ' never 
bring it hack.' Something seemed to be struggling in her bosom for utterance, and 
at length, after a promise that the disclosure should not turn to her disadvantage, 
and that, if profitable, she might be rewarded, this Indian woman, named Catha- 
rine, developed the plot. Major Gladwyn mentioned his apprehensions to the officer 
next in command, but he deemed it a mere trick to frighten him, and not worthy 
of consideration. The night was occupied in making the proper preparations ; the 
ammunition was examined and arranged, and every man within the fort, both tra- 
der and soldier, was directed to be prepared for sudden and active service. The 
defenses of the fort were strengthened, the arms made ready, and during the night 
guards were kept upon the ramparts. The war songs and dances of the Indians, 
which generally precede any important enterprise, breaking upon the silence of 
midnight, only strengthened his suspicions that the Indian woman had told the 
truth. In the morning of the 9th, about ten o'clock, Pontiac and his warriors re- 
paired to the fort of Detroit, and they were immediately admitted to the council- 
house, where they were received by Major Gladwyn and his officers. During their 
progress toward the fort, the savages had noticed a remarkable parade of soldiers 
upon the ramparts .and within the town, and that the officers in the council cham- 
ber, and also the governor, had each pistols in their belts. When the Indians were 
seated on their skins in the council chamber, Pontiac inquired what was the cause 
of this extraordinary military preparation ; and he was told that it was necessary 
to keep the soldiers to rigid discipline. The council commenced by a speech from 
Pontiac, in which he professed the utmost friendship for the English; and as ho 
approached the period of the concerted signal, the delivery of the belt of warn 



MICHIGAlf. 261 

pum, his gesticulations became more violent. Near the period which had been 
described by the Indian woman as the time when the belt was to be delivered, and 
the tire upon the garrison commenced, the governor and his oflicers drew their 
swords from their scabbards; and the soldiers of the fort, who had been drawn 
around the doors of the council-house, which had been intentionally left open, 
made a clattering upon the ground with their arms. Pontiac, whose eagle eye had 
never quailed in battle, turned pale and trembled, and delivered the belt in the 
usual manner; while his warriors looked at each otherwith astonishment, but con- 
tinued cahn. 

I'ontiac's speech having been concluded. Major Gladwyn commenced his answer; 
but instead of thanking Pontiac for his professions of friendship, he accused him 
of being a traitor; and in order to convince him of his knowledge of the plot, he 
advanced toward the chief who sat nearest, and drawing aside his blanket, dis- 
closed the shortened rifle. He .advised him at the same time, to leave the fort be- 
fore his young men should discover the design and massacre the Indians; and as- 
sured him that his person should be held safe until he had advanced beyond the 
pickets, as he had promised him safety. As soon as the warriors had retired from 
the gates of the fort, they gave the yeil, and fired upon the English garrison. 

After this the fort was closely besieged, and the garrison reduced to great 
distress. On the 29th of July, the garrison was relieved by a detachment 
of 300 regular troops, under Capt. Dalyell. This officer, supposing that 
Pontiac might be surprised in his camp, marched out with 247 men, during 
the night of the 30th of July. The Indians, having information of the 
proposed attack, laid in wait for the party, concealed in the high grass, near 
a place since called the Bloody Bridge., upward of a mile from Detroit on 
the main road. Upon their arrival, a sudden and destructive fire was poured 
upon them, Capt. Dalyell and 19 others were killed and 42 wounded ; the 
rest made g^od their retreat to the fort. Pontiac, having invested Detroit 
for about twelve mouths, hearing that Gen. Bradstreet was advancing with 
3,000 men, gave up the siege and sued for peace, which was granted. 



In 1796, the post of Detroit was delivered up by the British to the United 
States, according to treaty. 

On the 11th day of June, 1805, the sun rose in cloudless splendor, over the little town 
of Detroit. A few minutes alter a poor washer- woman kindled a fire in a back yard, to 
begin her daily toil, a spark set fire to some hay. At noon of the same day, but one soli- 
tary dwelling remained, to mark the site of the town. All the others were in ashes, and 
the whole population, men, women and children — the aged and the young, the sick, the 
halt, and the blind, were driven into the streets, houseless and homeless. All the boats, 
pirogues and skiffs lying along the beach (as it then was), were loaded with goods, and 
pushed off into the stream; but burning shingles, driven by the wind, followed and de- 
stroyed them even there. The town being built of dry pine, and very compact, the sti-eets 
being but about twenty feet wide (the width of a sidewalk on Jefferson Avenue), the pro- 
gress of the fire was extremely rapid, and the heat tremendous. The whole population, 
like Bedouins of the desert, pitched their tents, by the cooling embers of their late happy 
dwellings. Fortunately, Providence permitted the calamity to fall on them in summer. 
The Lea-light hearts of the French habitans rose above the pressure of misfortune, and to 
work they went, to repair damages. No grumbling at Providence. Their religion told 
them that repining was useless. So they worked, and fiddled, and danced, and sung, and 
soon a new town began to appear, in its present extended form; and with the regret of the 
momeut, passed away all sorrow for the losses endured. — WithereU's Reminiscences. 



The following account of the invasion of Detroit, by Gen. Broet, and of 
its surrender by Gen. Hull, on the 15th of August, 1812, is from Perkins' 
History of the Late War: 

Gen. Brock had been educated in arms, and had sustained a distinguished rank 



262 MICHIGAN. 

and character in the army of Egypt. He arrived at Maiden with reinforcements 
in high spirits on the iStifi, just as the American troops retired from the Canadian 
shore, dispirited, disappointed and disgusted with their commander. On the loth, 
he planted batteries on the bank of the river opposite the fortress of Detroit, and 
sent a summons to the American general to surrender, stating that he should other- 
wise be unable to restrain the fury of the savages. This was answered by a spir- 
ited refusal, and a declaration that the fort and town would be defended to the 
last extremity. The firing froMi the batteries and the fort immediately commenced, 
and continued with little interruption, and without much effect, until the next day. 
The alarm and consternation of Gen. Hull had now become extreme, and appeared 
in a series of irregular and incoherent measures. On the 12th, the field officers 
suspecting the general intended a surrender of the fort, had determined on his 
arrest. This was prevented in consequence of Cols. Duncan M'Arthur and Lewis 
Cass, two very active, intelligent, and spirited officers, being detached on the 13th 
with four hundred men, on a third expedition to the River Raisin. They advanced 
about fourteen miles, when on the 15th they received orders to return. At day- 
light on the 16th, the British commenced crossing the river at Spring Wells, three 
miles below the town, under cover of two ships of war. They accomplished their 
landing by seven o'clock without opposition, and took up their line of march in 
close column of platoons, twelve in front, toward the fort along the bank of the 
river. The fourth regiment of United States troops was stationed in the fort; the 
Ohio volunteers and a part of the Michigan militia behind the pickets, in a situa- 
tion where the whole flank of the enemy would have been exposed. The residue 
of the militia were in the upper part of the town to resist the incursions of the 
savages. Two twenty-four pounders loaded with grape were posted on a command- 
ing eminence, ready to sweep the advancing columns. Cols. M'Arthur and Cass 
had arrived within view of Detroit, i-eady to act on the rear of the enemy. In this 
situation the troops waited in eager expectation the advance of the British, antici- 
pating a brilliant victory.' .^ 

When the head of the British columns had advanced within five htindred yards 
of the lino, and the artillery ready to sweep their ranks, orders were given for the 
troops to retire into the fort, and for the artillery not to fire. A white flag was 
hoisted. A British officer rode up to inquire the cause. A communication pa!5sed 
between tlie commanding generals, which soon ended in a capitulation. The for- 
tress of Detroit, with all the public stores, property, and documents of every kind, 
were surrendered. The troops were made prisoners of war. The detachment un- 
der JI'Arthur and Cass, and the troops at the River Raisin, were included in the 
capitulation. On the 17th, Gen. Brock dispatched a flag to Capt. Brush with the 
terms. He immediately called a council of his officers, who determined that they 
■were not bound by the capitulation, and advised to break up the camp and return. 
Jn pursuance of their advice, Capt. Brush immediately broke up his camp, took 
with him what public stores and property he could, and commenced his retreat to 
Ohio. The Michigan militia who had not joined the army were paroled, on con- 
dition of not serving during the present war. No provision was made for the un- 
fortunate Canadians who had joined Gen. Hull, or accepted his protection. They 
were left exposed to suffer as traitors ; nine were executed at one time, and several 
more afterward. Gen. Hull in this measure took counsel only from his own fears. 
He held no council of war, knowing that all his officers would be opposed to the 
surrender. In his official report he expressly exempts them from any share in the 
disgraceful transaction. 

The British force at Maiden at the time Gen. Hull entered Canada, and until 
the 12th of August, consisted of one hundred regular troops, four hundred Cana- 
dian militia, and several hundred Indians. After the arrival of Gen. Brock with 
his reinforcements, the whole amounted to three hundred and thirty regulars, four 
hundred militia, and six hundred Indians. The troops surrendered by Gen. Hull 
amounted -to twenty-five hundred, consisting of two troops of cavalry, one compa 
ny of artillery, the fourth United States regiment, and detachments from the first 
and third; three regiments of Ohio volunteers, and one regiment of Michigan 
militia, amounting to about twelve hundred. By this capitulation the British ob- 
tained 2,500 muskets stacked on the esplanade at the time of the surrender, 450 



MICHIGAN. 263 

brought in by the detachment under M' Arthur and Cass, 700 received from the 
Michi2;an militia, thirty-three pieces of ordnance, one thousand rounds of fixed 
ammunition, 200 tuns of ball, 200 cartridges of grape shot, 75,000 musket car- 
tridges made up, 24 rounds in the possession of each man, 60 barrels of gunpow- 
der, 150 tuns of lead, provisions for the army for 25 days in the fort, and a large 
escort at the River Kaisin, An event so disgraceful to the American arms did not 
fai) to excite universal indignation. When M' Arthur's sword was demanded, he 
indignantly broke it, tore the epaulets from his shoulders, and threw himself on 
the ground. 

John Kinzie, Indian trader, so long identified with the annals of Chicago, 
•was, at the time of the surrender, residing in Detroit. In " Wau-bun, the 
'Early Day' in the North-west," is. given this narrative, which shows the 
conduct of the British to their prisoners in no pleasing light: 

It had been a stipulation of Gen. Hull, at the surrender of Detroit, that the inhabitants 
of th:it place should be permitted to remain undisturbed in their liomes. Accordingly the 
family of Mr. Kii.zie took up their quarters with their friend? in the old mansion, which 
many will still recollect as standing on the north-east corner of Jefl'erson-avenue and 
Wayne-street. 

The feelings of indignation and sympathy were constantly aroused in the hearts of the 
citizens during the winter that ensued. They were almost daily called upon to witness the 
cruelties practiced upon the American prisoners brought in by their Indian captors. Those 
who could scarcely drag their wounded, bleeding feet over the frozen ground, were com- 
pelled to dance for the amusement of the savages, and these exhibitions sometimes took 
place before the Government House, the residence of Col. McKee. Some of the British 
officers looked on from their windows at these heartrending performances; for the honor 
of humanity we will hope such instances were rare. 

Everything that could be made available among the eftects of the citizens were offered, 
to ransom their countrymen from the hands of these inhuman beings. The piisoners 
brought in from the River Raisin — those unfortunate men who were permitted after their 
surrender to Gen. Proctor, to be toitured and murdered by inches by his savage allies, ex- 
cited the sympathies and called for the action of the whole community. Private houses 
were turned into hospitals, and every one was forward to get possession of as many as pos- 
sible of the survivors. To effect this, even the articles of their apparel were bartered by 
the ladies of Detroit, as they watched from their doors or windows the miserable victims 
carried about for sale. 

In the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie one large room was devoted to the reception of the suf- 
ferers. Few of them survived. Among those spoken of as objects of the deepest inter- 
est were two young gentlemen of Kentucky, brothers, both severely wounded, and their 
■wounds aggravated to a mortal degree by subsequent ill-usage and hardships. Their so- 
Ucitude for each other, and their exhibition in various ways of the most tender fraternal 
nfFection, created an impression never to be forgotten. 

Mr. Kinzie joined his family at Detroit in the month of January. A short time after 
luspicions arose in the mind of Gen. Proctor that he was in correspondence with Gen. Har- 
rison, who was now nt Fort Meigs, and who was believed to be meditating an advance up- 
>n Detroit. Lieut. Watson of the British army waited upon Mr. Kinzie one day, with an 
invitation to the quarters of Gen. Proctor, oil the opposite side of the river, saying he 
wished to speak with hmi on business. Quite unsuspicious, he complied with the invita- 
tion, when to his surprise he was oidercd into confinement, and strictly guarded in the 
house of his former partner, Mr. Patterson, of Sandwich. Finding that he did not return 
uO his home, Mrs. Kinzie informed some of the Indian chiefs, his particular friends, who 
immediately repaired to the headquarters of the commanding officer, demanded their 
"friend's" release, and brought him back to his home. After waiting a time until a fa- 
vorable opportunity presented itself, the general sent a detachment of dragoons to arrest 
him. They had succeeded in carrying him away, and crossing the river with him. Just 
at this moment a party of friendly Indians made their appearance. 

" Where is the Shaw-nee-aw-kee? " was the first question. " There," replied his wife, 
pointing across the river, " in the hands of the red-coats, who are taking him away 
again." 

The Indians ran to the river, seized some canoes that they found there, and crossing 
over to Sandwich, compelled Gen. Pioctor a second time to forego his intentions. 

A third time this officer was more successful, and succeeded in arresting Mr. Kinzie and 
conveying him heavily ironed to Fort Maiden, in Canada, at the mouth of the Detroit 
River. Here he was at first treated with great severitv, but after a time the rigor of his 



254 MICHIGAN. 

confinement was somewhat relaxed, and he was permitted to walk on the bank of the 
river for air and exercise. 

On the 10th of September, as he was taking his promenade under the close Fupcrvision 
of a guiud oi' soldiers, the whole part}' were startled by the sound of guns upon Lake Erie, 
at no great distance below. What could it mean? It must be Commodore Barclay tiring 
into some of the Yankees. The firing continued. The time allotted the prisoner for his 
daily walk expired, but neither he nor his guard observed the lapse of time, so anxio.isly 
were they listening to what they now felt sure was an engagement between ships of war. 
At length Mr. Kiuzie was reminded that the hour for his return to confinement had arrived. 
He petitioned for another half-hour. 

" Let me stay," said he, " till we can learn how the battle has gone." 

Very soon a sloop appeared under press of sail, rounding the point, and presently two 
gun-boats in chase of her. 

" She is running — she bears the British colors," cried he, " yes, yes, they are lowering 
— she is striking her flag! Now," turning to the soldiers, " I will go back to prison con- 
tented — I know how the battle has gone." 

The sloop was the Little Belt, the last of the squadron captured by the gallant Perry on 
that memorable occasion which he announced in the immortal words: — " We have met the 
enemy, and they are ours! " 

Matters were growing critical, and it was necessary to transfer all prisoners to a place 
of greater security than the frontier was now likely to be. It was resolved, therefore, to 
send Mr. Kinzie to the mother country. Nothing has ever appeared, which would explain 
the course of Gen. Proctor, in regard to this gentleman. He had been taken from the 
bosom of his family, where he was living quietly under the parole which he had received, 
and protected by the stipulations of the surrender. He was kept for months in confine- 
ment. Now he was placed on horseback under a strong guard, who announced that they 
had orders to shoot him through the head if he offered to speak to a jierson upon the road. 
He was tied upon the saddle in a w:iy to prevent liis escape, and thus they sat out for 
Quebec. A little incident occurred, which will help to illustrate the course invariably pur- 
sued toward our citizens at this period, by the British army on the north-western frontier. 

The saddle on wliich Mr. Kinzie rode had not been properly fastened, and owing to the 
rough motion of the animal on which it was, it turned, so as to bring the rider into a most 
awkward and painful position. His limbs being fastened, he could not disengage himself, 
and in tliis manner he was compelled by those who had charge of him to ride until he was 
nearly exhausted, before they had the humanity to release him- 

Arrived at Q.uebec, he was put on board a small vessel to be sent to England. The ves- 
sel when a few days out at sea was chased by an American frigate and driven into Hali- 
fax. A second time she set sail, when she sprung a leak and was compelled to put back. 

The attempt to send him across the ocean was now abandoned, and he was returned to 
Quebec. Another step, equally inex]ilicable with his arrest, was now taken. I'his was 
his release and that of Mr. Macomb, of Detroit, who was also in confinement in Quebec, 
and the permission given them to return to their friends and i'amilies, although the war 
was not yet ended. It may possibly be imagined that in the treatment these gentlemen 
received, the British commander-in-chief sheltered himself under the plea of tiieir being 
"native born British subjects," and perhaps when it was ascertained that Mr. Kinzie was 
indeed a citizen of the United States, it was thought safest to release him. 

In the meantime. Gen. Harrison at the head of his troops had reached Detroit. He 
hindcil on the 2.9th September. All the citizens went forth to meet him — Mrs. Kinzie, 
leading her childieu by the hand, was of the number. The general accompanied her to 
her home, and took up his abode there. 



Watson visited Detroit in the summer of 1818, and has given in his Remi- 
niscences a sketch of his visit, descriptive of what then fell under his notice 
here : 

Here I am at the age of sixty in Detroit, seven hundred miles west of Albany. I little 
di earned thirty years ago, that I should ever tread upon this territory 

Tiie location of Detroit is eminently jileasaiit, being soniewh;it elevated, and boldly front- 
ing it^ beautiful river. The old town h;is been burnt, which was a cluster of miserable 
s luctuies picketed in and occupied by the descendants of Frenchmen, wlio pitched their 
tents liere e:irly in the seventeenth century in prosecution of the fur trade. The city is 
now laul out upon a large scale, the streets spacious, and crossing at right angles. The 
main strfCt is called JeH'erson-avenue, and stretches the whole length of the city. De- 
troit must always be the emporium of a vast and fertile interior. By the existing estima- 
tion of the value of real estate here, it has, I think, been greatly overrated. Commerce 



MICHIGAN. 



265 



is iangui.-h'.njr, and agriculture at its lowest degradation. In proof of this, I saw at the 
Grand Marie, four miles nortli of tlie city, a hirge, clumsy, wooden plow, such as doubt 
less were in use in France, at the period of the emigration from that country of tlie ances- 
tors of this people. It was drawn by two yoke of oxen and two horses, and was con- 
ducted by three men, who were making as much noise as if they were moving a barn. 

The most attractive object I have seen on this beautiful river are its innumerable and 
lovely islands, most of which are cultivated. The dense forest approaches iu close prox- 
imity to the city, and spreads over a level surface quite into the interior. From tlie high- 
est point of elevation I could attain, I discerned no uplands, all was a dead plain, 'i'he land 
belongs to the government, and is of the richest quality, but has hitherto been represented 
as unhealthy. The territory of Michigan has not been adequately explored; but while I 
was at Detroit, several parties of enterprising and energetic yoinig men penetrated into 
the woods with packs on their shoulders to investigate, and returned with the most glow- 
ing and flattering accounts of a country of tlie choicest land, generally undulating, and 
requiring nothing but the vigorous arm of industry to couvert it into the granary of 
America. 

The near approach of the wilderness to Detroit, brings the howling wolvr*? within a 
short distance of the city, and I was frequently called on to listen to their shrill cries in 
the calm, hot nights. The numerous and large old orchiirds of the finest app.les, origin- 
ally imported from France, and the extensive ti^heiies of white fish in the vicinitv, greatly 
augmeut the wealili and ccmibrt of the people. Although possessing the most fertile soil 
such is the wretched char 'Cter of their agriculture, that the inhabitants are mainly de- 
pendent upon the young and thriving state of Ohio, for their supplies of pork, beef, bread- 
stuffs, and even uf potatoes. 




Eaat view of the State House at Lansing. 

The engraving sluv.vs the front or the eastern siite of the Michigan State Capitol. One of the Union 
Pnblic Schools is seen in the distance on the left, and tlie State bnilding containing tho office of the Secre- 
tary of State, Auditor, etc., on the right. 

I daily notice squaws fighting in the streets like wildcats, and in conditions Joo revolt- 
ing to describe. They lay about the city like swine, begging for cats and ™gs, which 
they devour at the river side half-cooked. The most disgusting and loathsome sight I 
ever witnessed, was that of a coarse, fat, half-naked Indian, as filthy as a beast, under a 
tree immediately in front of my son's residence, filling his mouth with whisky until his 
cheeks were completely distended, and then two or three squaws in succession sucking it 
out of the corners. I called my daughter-in-law to see the revolting sight, but she as 
sured me it was nothing unusual, and that the practice was common with this tribe of In- 
dians. I often visited the fort that my old friend Hull so fatally and ignominiously sur- 
rendered. Col. Myers, who was in command of Fort George at its capture, informed me 
while a prisoner in Pittsfield, that one half of Brock's army, at the surrender of Detroit, 
wore Canadian militia dressed in British red coats. 

Lansing, the capital of Michigan, is situated on both sides of Grand 
River, here a large mill stream, 85 miles N. W. of Detroit, 20 from St. Johns 
on the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and 40 from Jackson on the Central 



266 MICHIGAN. 

Railroad. The town, which is kid out on an extended plan, has at present 
a scattered appearance. The state capitol (of wood) was erected in the sum- 
mer of 1847, at an expense of about S15,000. The state agricultural college 
is situated three and a half miles east from the capital, and has a model farm of 
about 700 acres: it is crowded With pupils, and the noble example set by 
Michigan, in founding this institution, has been followed by several other 
states. The house of Correction, for juvenile offenders, opened in 1856, is 
about three fourths of a mile east from the capital. In 1852, a plank road 
to Detroit was constructed, at an expense of f 130,000. Plank roads also 
connect it with Jackson and Marshall. Population about 3,000. 

The lands comprising the northern part of Lansing were first entered from the 
United States, in 1836, "by James Seymour, Frederic Bushnell, and Charles M. Lee, 
of RoL^hester, New York. The first settler was John W. Burchard, a young lawyer, 
who bou'dit, on the east side of Grand River, 109 acres of James Seymour, situated 
at the lower town bridge extending up the'river to the school section. He built a 
lo;:; cabin still standing in the rear of the SeyuK^ur House. This was in 1843 ; and 
in June of the same year, he removed his family to this place, and immediately 
commenced building a saw-mill and dam. In the spring of 1844, he was drowned 
while amusing himself, in a boat, at the sheet of water which fell over the dam, 
which he had constructed. Appi-oaching too near, his boat was overturned, and 
he perished amid the eddying waters. He was buried at Mason, 12 miles distant, 
universally lamented. He was a man of much promise, and was the first prose- 
cuting attorney in the county. On the death of Mr. Burchard, his family left the 
placed and the settlement was, for a short time, abandoned, and the lands and im- 
provements reverted back to Mr. Seymour. 

In Aug. 1844, Mr. Seymour employed Joab Page, and his two sons-in-law, Whit- 
ney SmiUi and Geo. D. Pease, all of Mason, to finish the mill, etc. All these 
lived in Burchard's log house for several years. 

In Jan. 1847, Mr. Seymour made a proposition to the legislature of ]\Iic!iigan, 
that if thev would remove the seat of government on to his lands, he would give 
20 acres, e"rect the capitol and buildings for the use of the state. This offer, how- 
ever, was not accepted ; but they passed an act to locate the capital in the town- 
ship. A commission was appointed, consisting of the commissioner of the land 
office, James Seymour, and Messrs. Townsend and Brother, of New York, to make 
a definite location. The commission selected a spot on which to erect a capitol 
buildim:, one mile from the Burchard Mill, on section 16, called the " School Sec- 
tion." The commission, in May of the same year, united in laying out a town 
plat, two and one fourth miles long, and one wide, comprising both sides of the 
river. At this period there were no settlers on the tract but the Page family, whose 
nearest neighbors, on the south and east, were four and a half miles distant, and 
one settler, Justus Gilkley, a mile and a half to the north-west. Within a few 
weeks after the towu was laid out, one thousand persons moved into the 
place. 

The foll^ing are the names of some of the first settlers besides those already 
mentioneu^ 

E. B. Danforth, D. L. Case, James Turner, Charles P. Bush, George W. Peck, 
John Thomas, Whitney Jones, A. T. Grossman, Henry C. AValker, C. C. Darling, 
Dr. B. S. Taylor, J. C. Bailey, M. W. Quackenbush. 

Lansing received its name from Lansing in New York, from which some of the 
settlers had emigrated. The first public worship in the place Avas held in the Bur- 
chard log house, by the Methodist traveling preachers. In 1849, the Methodists 
and Presbyterians united in building the first church in the place, now solely oc- 
cupied by the Methodists. The first Presbyterian clergyman here, was the Rev. 
S. Millard, from Dexter. The first school was kept in a little shanty built in 1847 
and stood near the Seymour House. The first physician was a Dr. Smith, who, 
eoon after his arrival in 1847, died of a fever in Page's log house. The first post- 
master was George W. Peck, who, for a time, kept the office in Bush and Town- 
send's store, near the upper town bridge. The first framed house in the township 



MICHIGAN. 



267 



waa erected in 1847, by James Turner, a native of New York, whose ancestors 
were from New London, Connecticut. This building is now standing, about 40 
rods below the lower town bridge. 




Southern vieic of the Penitentiary at Jackson. 
Showing its appearance as seen from the railroad. 

Jackson is a large, thviviug. and well-built town, on the line of the 
Michigan Central Railroad, on and near the head of Grand Eiver, 76 miles 
W. from Detroit, and 32 S. from Lansing, the capital. The streams here 
afford excellent water power, and the soil is well adapted to grass or grain. 
Coal and an abundance of white sand-stone and lime-stone are found in the 
vicinity. The inhabitants are extensively engaged in the manufactures of 
flour, leather, iron ware, machinery, etc. It contains the county buildings, 
a branch of the state university, the state penitentiary, 7 churches, and several 
banks. Its situation and facilities for travel give it a large trade. Popula- 
tion about 9,500. 

"In this, Jackson county, the matter of mining coal has recently become 
an enterprise of considerable magnitude. There are several 'workings' of 
coal in the vicinity of Jackson, and companies have been formed for the pur- 
pose of mining coal. Considerable coal has been mined and sold from these 
different workings and mines. The principal mine, and one which in all its 
arrangements and provisions, is equal to any mine in the country, is that of 
the Detroit and Jackson Coal and Mining Company. The works of this 
company are at Woodville station, on the line of the Michigan Central Rail- 
road, about three and a half miles west of Jackson city. The mine is situated 
on the north side of the railroad, and about half a mile from the main track. 
The Coal Company have built a side track from the Central Road to the 
mouth of their shaft. The shaft from which the coal is taken, is 90 feet 
deep, and at the bottom passes through a vein of coal about four feet in 
thickness. This vein has been opened in different directions, for several 
hundred feet from the shaft, and with a tram road through the different 
entries the coal is reached and brought from the rooms to the shaft, and 
then lifted by steam to the surface. This coal has been transported to 
different points in the state, and is rapidly coming into use for all ordinary 
purposes, taking the place of many of the Ohio coals^ and at a reduced 
cost. The existence of valuable beds of coal, in Central Michigan, has 
only been determined within the past few years. Beside the openings in 
this county, there have been others made at Owesso and Corunna, in Shia- 
wassee county; at Flint in Genesee county, and at Lansing. Most of these 
have been upon veins outcropping at the surface of the ground." . 



268 



MICHIGAN. 



Adrian, a flourishing town, is situated on a branch of the Raisin River, 
£ind on the Michigan Southern Railroad, 80 miles S. E. from Lansing; 37 
W. from Monroe, and 70 W. S. W. from Detroit. The Erie and Kahimazoo 
Railroad, which was opened in 183G, connects the town with Toledo, 32 
miles distant; and the Southern Railroad was extended westward to Chicago, 
in 1852. Adrian was incorporated as a city in 1853. Being in the midst 
of a fine, fertile, farming region, it has, since the construction of its railroads, 
increased with rapidity. It has several flouring mills, foundries, machine 
shops, etc.; 10 houses of worship, and about 6,000 inhabitants. 

The village was surveyed and platted in 1828, by Addison J. Comstock, who 
made a location in 1826, and having erected a shanty, he brought his family here 
in the spring of 1827, and was soon joined by Noah Norton and others, 'i'he first 
sermon preached in the place, was in 1827, by Rev. John Janes, of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, at the house occupied by Mr. Norton. In 1830 a Methodisl 
Church was urganized. Other churches were soon after established by the Bap 
tists and Presbyterians. The first house of worship was erected in 1832, on Church 
street, Ijy the Proshyterians: it was afterward sold to the Episcopalians, and ii 
now owned liy the Metliodists. The first framed school house was erected in th» 
winter of 1 S3 1-2. It stooil at the corner of Main and Winter-streets, and was used 
for some time, for the double purpose of school and church. Mr. Comstock built 
a saw mill in 1827, and soon after a flouring mill, the only one for many miles 
around, 'i'he seat of justice for Lenawee county was removed from Tecumseh to 
Adrian, in 1836. The city received its name from Mrs. Comstock. James Sword 
was the first mayor. Mi". S. is a native of the county of Kent, in England; he was 
a soldier in the Peninsular war, in Spain, and was in several important battles at 
that period, 'i'he Lenawee Republican and Adrian Gazette, K. W. Ingalls, editor 
and proprietor; the first paper in tlie county, was issued Oct. 22. 1834. Its name 
has been changed to " Tlie Watch Tower." In 1843, the Messrs. Jerniain com- 
menced the publication of the ^^ Expositor." The first physician was Dr. Ormsby, 
the second Dr. Bebce, who died of the small pox, and the third, Dr. P. J. Spalding, 
who came to Adrian in 1832. 

Ann Arhor, the county seat of Washtenaw county, is on Huron River, and 
on the Michigan Central Railroad. It is 37 miles W. from Detroit, and 51 

southerly from Lansing. It is 
considered one of the most beau- 
tifully situated places in the 
state. The site of the city is 
elevated, dry, and healthy, and 
it is regularly laid out. The 
state university, in this place, 
was established in 1837, and is 
now a flourishing and well en- 
dowed institution. The literai-y 

department was opened in 1841 ; 
Univebsity OF Michigan. ,, tit \ i.- -loin 

file medical department in 1849, 

and in 1853 a scientific course was added. The buildings are large, in an 
elevated, commanding, and pleasant situation. Ann Arbor is surrounded by 
an excellent farming district, has considerable trade and manufactures of va- 
rious kinds. Population about 6,000. 




Monroe is near the head of Lake Erie, on one of the branches of the 
Michigan Southern Railroad, 41 miles from Detroit and 24 from Toledo, by 
the railroad connecting those cities. It is on both sides of the River Raisin, 
2 miles from its entrance into the lake. It has a fine harbor, and the soil 



MICHIGAN". 



269 




Wixchesteb's Head Qu'^eters, 

On the River Raisin. 

This house, modernized, is now the Episcopal par- 
sonage in Monroe. It is of hewn h;gs: the liimneys 
were built of stone from the river bed a few yards 
distant, and tlie original form of the house in the 
usual s^yle of the French settlers, with a very steep 
roof. The grove of pear trees iu tlie rear is sup- 
posed to be over 70 years old. 



ua limestone formation wliicli fuvni.slies inexhaustible quarries for the manu- 
facture of lime. Po])ulation about 4,000. 

This point formerly called Fkenchtown, and sometimes the settlement of 
the Eicer liaisiii, is one of the most noted in the history of Michigan. The 

following details are communicated 
for this work, by Edwin ^Villits, 
Esq., of Monroe, who has given 
much attention to the investigation 
of the history of this section : 

Monroe was one of the earliest set- 
tlements in the state of Michigan, a 
small body of Cantidians and French 
having settled there in 1784. In 1794, 
Detroit and Frenchtown (Monroe) were 
the principal towns on the eastern side 
of the peninsula. The latter consisted, 
however, of only a few log cabins bor- 
dering both banks of the River Kaisin, 
the claims on which they were situated 
being narrow and running back trora 
the river a long distance. The culti- 
vated portions of the claims lay next to 
the river, and wei-e inclosed by pickets 
which were very substantial, being split 
outroughly from logs,and driven or setin 
the ground closely together. The 
first American settlement was established there in 1793, and soon after a Catholic 
chapel was erected for the French. 

The region around about Frenchtown was originally inhabited and claimed by 
the Pottawatomie Indians. At a treaty concluded at Fort Mcintosh in 1785, tliese 
Indians and other tribes ceded to the United States a strip of territory six milea 
wide, extending from the southern bank of the lliver Raisin to Lake »St. Clair. 
As late as the year 1800, the Pottawatomies had a village of a thousand warriors, 
beside their wives and children, at what is now called Chase's Mill, on the River 
Raisin, eight miles west of the city of Monroe. Their huts were made of bark, and 
were thatched with wild grass. This was their permanent dwelling place, save 
when they were absent on hunting expeditio^iis. They cultivated the flat between 
the high grounds and the river for their cornfields : they were peaceable when 
sober. 

At Hull's treaty at Detroit, in 1807, the Indians ceded to the United States about 
14 of the present counties in the eastern part of Michigan, and two and one half 
counties in northern Ohio. After this, therefore, the Pottawatomies tibandoned 
their village near Monroe, and moved west. They reserved, however, a tract of 
Itind in Monroe county, three miles square, called the Macon Reservation, 14 miles 
from the mouth of the River Raisin. 

In 1805, there were, according to the report of Judge Woodwarl, 121 settle- 
ments, or farms, on the River Raisin. These, however, must have included the 
neighlioring settlement on Sandy and other creeks, as there could scarcely have 
been that number on the River Raisin, according to the memory of the oldest set- 
tlers. At this time there was no village, nor any collection of houses nearer than 
they would naturally be on the narrow French claims. In 1807 a block house and 
stockade were built on the spot now occupied by the residence of Hon. Charles 
Noble ; they were erected for the protection of the people from the Indians. The 
stockade Avas an acre in size, surrounded with pickets 12 feet hijih, and 12 to 15 
inches through, set closely together, forming a very substantial defense. For some 
time the upper part of the block house was used to hold courts in, and the lower 
part was the prison. 



270 



MICHIGAN. 



In consequence of the fact, that the settlement of the River Raisin was on the 
direct road from Detroit to Ohio, it was deemed a post of considerable importance 
during the difficulties that preceded, as well as during the actual hostilities of the 
war()f]S12. Detroit depended, in a great measure, on Ohio and Kentucky for 
men and provisions, and as tliese, since Gen. Hull had cut a narrow wagon road 
through, wouKi pass through Frenchtown, it was of imfiortance tliat tlio place 
should he kept out of the hands of the enemy, who could easily cross over from 
Canada and cut off the supplies before they reached Detroit. For this reason, 
Monroe became the scene of actual warfare, not on a very extended scale, it is true, 
but worthy of record among the incidents of the war of 1812. 

Just previous to, or about the first of August, 1812, Col. Brush was sent from 
Ohio at the head of two companies of Ohio militiii, witli 3 or 400 cattle, and a large 
stock of provisions, and some arms and ammunition, for Gen. Hull, then in com- 
mand of the American troops at Detroit. He got as far as Frenchtown, but learn- 
ing that a large party of Dritish and Indians had been sent out from Maiden, 
Canada, to intercept him at iirownstown, a place some 20 miles from Frenchtown, 
on the road to Detroit, and fearing to advance farther without assistance from Gen. 
Hull, he occupied the block house and stockade. Two expeditions were sent out 
by (xcn. Hull to relieve Col. Brush. 'J'lie first consisting oT 2;>0 men under Misj. Van 
Horn, fell into an ambusc:ide of Indians at Brownstown, on the Nth of August, and, 
after lighting gallantly against a hidden and superior force, he thought it best, as 
his force was evidently too small, to return to Detroit, leaving 18 dead on the field. 
The second expedition was made by Col. Miller, on the 9th of August, with 600 
men, who met, fought and dispersed, alter a desperate battle, a large body of 
British and Indians at ^longuagon, a place Ir) miles below Detroit. The British 
were commanded by Maj. Muir, the Indians by the celelirated Indian warrior and 
statesman, Tecumseh, who, on that day, fought with desperate valor, and although 
wounded, maintained his ground while the British regulars gave way. Col. Miller 
was obliged to await provisions before he could advance further toward the Raisin, 
and was finally ordered back by Gen. Hull, who feared or expected an attack on 
Detroit. Arrangements were now made to convey Col. Brush and the supplies in 
his charge by a more circuitous and less exposed route, which had been traveled by 
James Knaggs, who had carried a letter from Col. Brush to (jien. Hull, in order 
to effect this. Colonels McArthur and Cass were sent to his relief with 350 of the 
best troops, on the 13th of August, but they had not arrived at the Raisin before 
the surrender of Detroit to the British, which occurred the IGth of August, their 
command, as well as that of Col. Brush and his supplies, being included in the 
capitulation. 

In order to secure the force under Col. Brush and the supplies in his charge, 
Capt. Elliott, a British ofiicer, accompanied by a Frenchman and a Wyandot In- 
dian, was sent to Frenchtown with a copy of the capitulation. Col. Brush, learn- 
ing from his scouts that Capt. Elliott was coming with a flag of truce, sent a guard 
out to meet him. He and his companions were blindfidded and brought into the 
stockade. Brush would not believe Elliott's story, and thought it was a hoiix, and 
the copy of the capitulation a forgery, so utterly improbable did it seem that De- 
troit had been taken. For this reason he threw Elliott and his two companions 
into the block-house. The next day, however, the story Avas confirmed by an 
American .soldier, who had escaped from l.letroit. Upon this. Brush packed up 
what provisions he could, and, driving his cattle before him, escaped to Ohio, leav- 
ing orders to release Elliott on the next day, which was dime. Elliott, of course, 
Avas indignant at his treatment, and at the escape of Brush with so much of the 
supplies. To add to his rnge, a great portion of the provisions and ammunition 
left by Brush, had been carried off and secreted by the inhabitants of the place, 
before he had been released, they thinking it no great harm to take, for their own 
use, what would otherwise fall into the hands of the rascally British, as they called 
them. These acts were certainly very injudicious, and all c(mcur in attributing a 
greit portion of the calamities that befell the settlement to the manner in which they 
had treated Elliott, and to their evasion of the terms of the capitulation. Elliott 
Bent for Tecumseh to pursue Brush, and permitted the Indians to ravage and plun- 



MICHIGAN. 271 

der the settlement in spite of the remonstrances of Tecumseh.* The settlement 
■was plundered not only of provision and cattle, but horses, saddles, bridles, house- 
hold furniture, and every valuable which had not been secreted. The place was 
so stripped of horses, that James Knag.i^s, who, for lo days, lay hid in the set- 
tlement (a reward of $500 having been ottered for his scalp), could find only one on 
which to escape to Ohio, and that one had been hidden by a tailor in a cellar: 
Knaggs gave his coat and a silver watch for it. After much peril he succeeded 
in escaping, and afterward was present at the battle of the Thames, under Col. R. 
M. Johnson, and was not far from Tecumseh at the time of his death. ]\Ir. Knaso-g 
is still living, and resides at Monroe. 

About this time, at the command of Elliott, the block-house was burned, and also 
a portion of the pickets were destroyed, as it was impossible for the British to oc- 
cupy the place then, and it would not answer to leave ihem standing. Elliott 
then left, and bands of Indians repeatedly came and plundered the settlement, until 
about October, when some British officers came with some militia and took per- 
manent possession of the place. They occupied the houses of Jerome and Cou- 
ture, below the brick house now owned by Gibson, not far from the present rail- 
road bridge. This location was made from the fact that it was adjacent to, and 
commanded the road to Detroit, and because, from its elevation, it overlooked the 
opposite (south) side of the River Raisin, whence would come the attacks of the 
Americans, who were shortly expected to advance under Gen. Harrison to Detroit. 




from Maumee on the ice, and attacked, on the afternoon of that day. the ene- 
my, from a point below where the storehouses on the canal are now situated. 
Tiie British had posted a six-pounder on the high ground in front of the camp, and 
with it attempted to prevent the Americans from crossing, by firing diagonally 
down the river, but the attack was made with such vigor, that the British were dis- 
lodged after a short contest, and compelled to retreat toward Maiden. The In- 
dians held out until dark, being protected, in a measure, by the rushes which con- 



*One incident we have never seen published, shows the character of the great Indian 
chieftain, Tecumseh, in a noble light. AVhen he came to the Kaisin, after the retreat 
of Col. Brush, he found that most of the cattle of the settlement had been driven off, either 
by the settlers in order to save them, or by the Indians as plunder. Therefore he expe- 
rienced much difficulty in getting meat for his warriors. He, however, discovered a yoke 
of fine black oxen, belonging to a man by the name of Kivard, who resided up the river 
some distance above Monroe. Tecumseh took the cattle, but Rivard begged so hard, stat- 
ing that they were the only property he had left, and taking him into the house, showed 
the chieftain his father, sick and in need of medicine, find appealed so hard to Tecumseh's 
generosity, that Tecumseh said he must have the cattle, as his men were hungry, but that 
he would pay him $100 for them. The cattle were speedily killed, and during the evening 
a man who could write made out an order on Elliott for $100, and it was signed by Tecum- 
seh. The next morning Rivard went to the block-house to get the money, but Elliott 
would not pay the order, and treated Rivard harshly, telling him the oxen did not belong to 
him, but to the British who had conquered the country. Rivard returned and reported what 
had occurred. Tecumseh was indignant, declaring that if that was the way his orders 
were treated, he would pay the debt himself, and leave with his men. The truly insulted 
chieftain then strode into Elliott's presence, accompanied by Rivard, and demanded why 
his order had not been paid ? Elliott told him that he had no authority to pay such debts 
that it was no more than right that the citizens should support the army for their willful- 
ness. Tecumseh replied that he had promised the man the money, and the money he should 
have, if he had to sell all his own horses to raise it: that the man was poor and had a sick 
father as he knew, having seen him, and that it was not right that this man should suffer 
for the evil deeds of his government, and that if this was the way the British intended to 
carry on the war, he would pay the debt and then leave with his men for his home, and let 
the British do their own fighting. EIHott, subdued by the will of the Indian leader, 
brought out $100 in government scrip, but Tecumseh bade him take it back, as he had 
promised the man the moiie;/, and the money he should have, or he would leave. Elliott 
was therefore compelled to pay the specie, and then, in addition, Tecumseh made him give 
the man a dcUar extra for the trouble he had been at. 



272 



MICHIGAN. 



cealed them, on the low grounds below the British camp. Finally they retreated 
to the woods, and the Americans so lieediessly pursued them, that in the darkness 
they fell info an ambuscade, and had about 13 men killed and several wounded. The 
loss in the afternoon is not known, but is supposed to have amounted to as many more. 
Colonels Lewis and Allen took possession of the quarters vacated by the British, 
and established guards at the picket fences, some distance from the houses, and 
patrols in the woods. 

On the lyth, two hundred Americans, under Col. Wells, arrived and encamped 
on the Reaume farm, about 80 rods below the other troops. On the 2Uth of Janu- 
ary, Gen. Winchester arrived and took up his quarters in the house of Col. Francis 
Navarre, on the opposite (south) side of the river, about three quarters of a mile 
above tlie position of Cols. Lewis and Allen. The troops that came with him, un- 
der iMajor Madison, occupied the same camp that the others did. All the forces 
amounted to not far from 1,000 men. 

Immediately after the battle of the 18th, some of the French inha])itants who 
had sold provisions to the British, followed them to j\Ialden to get their pay. On 
their return, they brought word that the British and Indians wei-e collecting in 
large force, to the amount of 3,000 to attack Frenchtovvn. Gen. Winchester paid 
but^ little attention to these reports, feeling considerable contidence in his own 
strength, and expecting reinforcements that would render him safe beyond a doubt, 
before the enemy could possibly attack him. The British seemed to be aware that 
they must make the attack before these reinforcements came up, if they wished to- 
effect anything; hence they hastened their preparations. On the 21st, several of 
the more prominent French citizens went to Winchester and told him that they 
had reliable information that the American camp would be attacked that night or 
the next day. He was so infatuated that he paid no further deference to their 
statement than to order those soldiers who were scattered around the settlement, 
drinking cider with the inhabitants, to assemble and remain in camp all night. 

About daylight on the morning of the 22d of January, 1813, a large force of 
British and Indians, under Proctor and the celebrated Indian chiefs, Round Head 
and Split Log, attacked the camp of the Americans. 'J'he attack was made all 
along the lines, but the British forces were more particularly led against the upper 
camp, occupied by Major Madison and Cols. Lewis and Allen, and the Indians 
against the lower camp, occupied by Col. Welis. The British were unsuccessful 
at their part of the lines, where the Americans fought with great bravery, and were 

protected very much 
by the pickets, which 
being placed at some 
distance . from the 
woods, afforded the 
Kentucky riflemen a 
tine opportunity t o 
shoot tlie enemy down 
as they v.ere advanc- 
ing. An attempt was 
then made by the Brit- 
ish to use a Held piece 
just at the edge of the 
woods, by which they 
hoped to prostrate the 
pickets and batter 
down the houses, but 
the Kentuckians with their sharpshooters picked the men off as fast as they at- 
tempted to load it, so that they were forced to abandon the attack and suffer a re- 
pulse. 

While these things were happening at the upper camp, a far different state of 
things existed at the lower one. The attack of the Indians ttas so impetuous, the 
position so indefensible, and the American force so inadequate, consisting of only 
200 men, that, notwithstanding the bravery of Col. Wells and his men, it was im- 
possible to retain the position. Cols. Lewis and Allen attempted to take a rein- 




Site of the Stucicvde on the Kiveu Raisin. 

The upper camp and where the wounded prisoners were massacred after 
their .surrender, wud on the site of the large bouse on the extreme left. 
The site of the lower camp appears in thi! distance below. The \ iew was 
taken from the railroad bridge on the Toledo, Monroe and Detroit R.E. 



MICHIGAN". 273 

« 

forcement to the right winsr, to enable Col. Wells to retreat up the river on the ice, 
under cover of the high bank, to the upper camp. But before they arrived at tho 
lower camp, the fire of the savages had become so galling that Wells was 
forced to abandon his position. This he attempted to do in good order, but as soon 
as his men began to give way, the Indians redoubled their cries and the impetuos- 
ity of their attack, so that the retreat speedily became a rout. In this condition 
they were met by Col. Allen, who made every efibrt to call them to order and lead 
them in safety to the upper camp. But, notwithstanding the heroic exertions of 
Col. Allen, and his earnest protestations and commands, they continued their dis- 
ordered flight, and from some unaccountable reason, probably through an irre- 
sistible panic, caused by the terrible cries and onslaught of the savages, instead 
of continuing up the river to the upper camp, they fled diagonally across 
to tho Hull road, so called, which led to Maumee, and attempted to escape 
to Ohio. And now the flight became a carnage. The Indians seeing the 
disorder of the Americans, who thought of nothing save running for their 

. lives, and escaping the tomahawks of the savages, having warriors posted all 
along the woods which lined or were within a short distance of the river, now 
raised the cry that the Americans were flying, which cry was echoed Ity thousands 
of warriors, who all rushed to the spot and outstripped the fleeing soldiers. .Some 
followed them closely in their tracks and brained them with their tomahawks from 
Dchind; some posted themselves both sides of the narrow road and shot them 
down as they passed ; and finally some got in advance, and headed them off at 
['lumb creek, a small stream about a mile from the River Ivaisin. Here the panic 
■stricken soldiers, who had thrown away most of their arms to (acilitate their flight, 
huddled together like sheep, with the brutal foe on all sides, were slaughtered, and 
so closely v.-ere they hemmed in, that tradition says, that after the battle, forty 
dead bodies were found lying scalped and plundered on two rods square. 

(ilen. Winchester, impressed with the foolish idea that an attack would not be 
made, had retired the night before without having made any arrangements for 
safety or dispatch in case of an attack. Therefore when awakened by the tiring, 
he and his aids made great confusion, all crying for their horses,*which were in 
Col. Navarre's stable, the servants scarcely awake enough to equip them with haste. 
The luckless commander became very impatient to join his Ibrces, nearly a mile 
distant, and, to gratify his desire. Col. Navarre offered him his best and fleetest 
horse, which had been kept saddled all night, as Navarre, in common with all the 
French inhabitants, expected an attack before morning. On this horse he started 
for the camp, but, on the way, finding that a large number of the troops were then 
fleeing on the Hull road, he followed after them to rally them, and, if possible, re- 
gain the day, but on his way he was taken prisoner by an Indian (said to have 
been Jack Brandv), who knew by his clothes that he was an officer, and therefore 
spared his life. "Proctor persuaded the Indian to deliver him over into his hands. 
Col. Allen was also taken prisoner about the same time; he had behaved with ex- 
traordinary courage during the whole action, although wounded in the thigh. 
He was finally killed by an Indian while held a prisoner. 

With Winchester as his prisoner. Proctor felt that he could dictate terms to that 

.portion of the American troops under the command of Major Madison in the upper 
camp, who had thus far made a successful resistance. Proctor sent with a flag 
one of Gen. Winchester's aids, with the peremptory orders of the latter, directinfj- 
Major Madison to surrender. Col. Proctor had demanded an immediate surrender, 
or he would burn the settlement, and allow the Indians to massacre the prisoners 
and the inhabitants of the place. Major Madison replied, that it was customary 
for the Indians to massacre the wounded and prisoners after a surrender, and he 
would not agree to any capitulation Gen. Winchester might make, unless the safe- 
ty and protection of his men were guaranteed. After trying in vain to get an un- 
conditional surrender. Major Madison and his men being disposed to sell their lives 
as dearly as possible, rather than run the risk of being massacred in cold blood. 
Proctor agreed to the terms demanded, which were, that private property should 
be respected, that sleds should be sent next morning to take the sick and wounded 
to Maiden, and that their side arms should be restored to the officers on their ar- 
rival there. 

18 



274 MICHIGAN. 

These terms completed, the surrendor was made, and the prisoners and British 
and Indians started for ]\Ialden : not, however, until the Indians had violated the 
first article of the ap-eement, hv pliinderint;- the settlement. But finally all de- 
parted, except the sick and wounded American soldiers, who were left in the two 
houses of the upper camp, to await the comina; of the sleds on the morrow. Only 
two or three persons Averc left in charge of them, a neglect which was nearly or 
quite criminal on the part of Proctor. The last and most disgraceful scene in this 
bh)ody tragedy was yet to be enacted. The sleds that were to take the ill-fated 
sufferers to Maiden never came. In their stead came, the next moi-ning, 300 In- 
dians, painted black and red, determined on massacreing the wounded Americans, 
in revenge for their loss the day before. The slaughter soon commenced in earn- 
est. Breaking into the houses where the Americans were, they first plundered 
and then tomahawked them. The houses were set on fire, and those within were 
coHsnmed; if any attempted to crawl out of the doors or windows they were 
wounded with the hatchet and pushed back into the flames: those that happened 
to be outside were stricken down, and their dying bodies thrown into the burning 
dwellings. Major Wolfolk, the secretary of Gen. AVinchester, was killed in the 
massacre. Thus ended the ^'■Massacre of the River Raisin." Thus perished in 
cold blood some of Kentucky's noblest heroes : their death filled with sorrow many 
homes south of the Ohio. No monument marks the place of their death : but lit- 
tle is known of the private history of those brave spirits who traversed a wilder- 
ness of several hundred miles, and gave up their lives for their country : Avho died 
alone, unprotected, wounded, in a settlement far from the abode of civilization. 

But few of the killed were ever buried. Their bones lay bleaching in the sun 
for years. On the 4th of July, 1818, a company of men under the charge of Col. 
Anderson, an old settler of Frenchtown, went to the spot of the battle and col- 
lected a large quantity of the bones, and buried them, with appropriate ceremo- 
nies in the old graveyard in Monroe. For years after, however, it was not un- 
common to find a skull, fractured by the fatal tomahawk, hidden away in some 
clump of bushes, where the dogs and wild beasts had dragged the body to devour 
its flesh. 

In addition to the preceding communication, we annex extracts from Dar- 
nall's Journal of Winchester's Campaign, which gives additional light upon 
the disaster of the River Raisin : 

Jan. 19/A. Frenchtown is situated on the north side of this river, not niore than three 
miles from the place it empties into Lake Erie. There is a row of dwelling houses, about 
twentv in number, principallv frame, near the bank, surrounded with a fence made in the 
form of picketing, with split timber, from four to five feet high. This was not designed 
as a fortification, but to secure their yards and gardens. 

2ls<. A reinforcement of two hundred and thirty men arrived in the afternoon: also 
Gen. Winchester, Col. "Wells, Major M'Clanahan, Capt. Hart, Surgeons Irvin and Mont- 
gomery, and some other gentlemen, who came to eat apples and drink cider, having been 
deprived of every kind of spirits nearly two months. The officers having viewed and laid 
off a piece of ground for a camp and breastworks, resolved that it was too late to remove 
and erect fortifications that evening. Further, as they resolved to remove early next day, 
it was not thought worth while, though materials were at hand, to fortify the right wing, 
which therefore encamped in the open field; this want of precaution was a great cause of 
our mournful defeat. Col. Wells, their commander, set out for the Rapids late in the 
eveniu". A Frenchman arrived here late in the evening from Maiden, and stated that a 
lar"e number of Indians and British were coining on the ice, with artillery, to attack us; 
he judged their number to be three thousand; this was not believed by some of our lead- 
ino- men, who were regaling themselves with whisky and loaf sugar; but the generality of 
the troops put great confidence in the Frenclmiau's report, and expected some fatal disas- 
ter to befall us; principally because Gen. Winchester had taken up his head-quarters near- 
ly half a mile from any part of the encampment, and because the right wing was exposed. 
Ensi"-n Harrow, who w"as sent with a party of men, some time after night, by the oiders 
of Col. Lewis, to bring in all the men, either officers or privates, that he might find out 
of their quarters; after finding some and giving them their orders, went to a brick house 
about a mile up the river, and entered a room; finding it not occupied, he immediately 
went above stairs, and saw two men whom he took to be British officers, talking with the 
landlord; the landlord asked him to walk down into a store room, and handing his bottle, 
asked him to drink, and informed him " there was no danger, for the British had not a 



MICHIGAN". 



275 



force sufficient to whip us." So Harrow returned about 1 o'clock, and reported to Col. 
Lewis what he had seen. Col. Lewis treated the report with coolness, thinking the per- 
sons seen were only some gentlemen from town. Just at daybreak the reveille began to 
beat as usual; this gave joy to the troops, who had passed the night under the apprehen- 
sions of being attacked before day. The reveille had not been beating more than two 
minutes, before the sentinels fired three guns in quick succession. This alarmed our 
troops, who quickly formed, and were ready for the enemy before they were near enough 
to do execution. The British immediately discharged their artillery, loaded with balls, 
bombs, and grape-shot, which did little injury. They then attempted to make a charge on 
those in the pickets, but were repulsed with great loss. Those on the right being less 
secure for the want of fortification, were overpowered by a superior force, and were ordered 
to retreat to a more advantageous piece of ground. They got in disorder, and cuuld not 
be formed.* The Indians pursued them from all quarters, and surrounded, killetl, and 
took the most of them. The enemy again charged on the left with redoubled vigor, but 
were again forced to retire. Our men lay close behind the picketing, through which they 
had port holes, and every one having a rest, took sight, that his ammunition might not be 
spent in vain. After a long and bloody contest, the enemy finding they could not either 
by stratagem or Ibrce drive us from our fortification, retired to the woods, leaving their 
dead on the ground (except a p;irty that kept two pieces of cannon in play on our right.) 
A sleigh was seen three or four hundred yards from our lines going toward the right, sup- 
posed to be laden with ammunition to supply the cannon; four or five men rose up and 
fired at once, and killed the man and wounded the horse. Some Indians who were hid 
behind houses, continued to annoy us with scattering balls. At this time bread from the 
commissary's house was handed round among our troops, who sat composedly eating and 
•R'atching the enemy at the same time. Being thus refreshed, we discovered a white flag 
advancing toward us; it was generally supposed to be for a cessation of arms, that our ene- 
mies might carry off their dead, which were numerous, although tliey had been bearing 
nway boih dead and wounded during the action. But how were we surpriseil and mortified 
\yhen we heard that Gen. Winchester, with Col. Lewis, had been taken prisoners by the 
Indians in attempting to rally the right, wing, .ind that Gen. Winchester had surrendered 
us prisoners of war to Col. Proctor! MJor Madison, then tiie highest in command, did not 
agree to this until Col. Proctor had promised that the prisoners should be protected from 
the Indians, the wounded taken care of, the dead collected and buried, and private proper- 
ty respected. It was then, with extreme reluctance, our troops accepted this proposition. 
There was scarcely a person that could refrain from shedding tearsl some plead witli the 
ofScers not to surrender, saying they wo"^ld rather die on the field! We had only five 
killed, and twenty-five or thirty wounded, inside of the pickets. 

The British collected their troops, and marched in front of the village. We marched 
out and grounded our arms, in heat and bitterness of spirit. The British and Indians took 
possession of them. All the prisoners, except those that were badly wounded. Dr. Todd, 
Dr. Bowers, and a few attendants, were marched toward Maiden. The British said, as 
they had a great many of their wounded to take to Maiden tiiat evening, it would be out 
of their power to take ours before morning, but they would leave a sufficient guard so that 
they should not be interrupted by the Indians. 

As they did not leave the promised guard, I lost all confidence in them, and expected 
we would all be massncred before morning. I being the only person in this house not 
wounded, with the assistance of some of the wounded, I prepared something for about 
thirty to eat. 

We passed this night under the most serious apprehensions of being massacred by the 
tomahawk, or consumed in the flames: — I frequently went out to see if the house was set 
on fire. At length the long wished for morn arrived, and filled each heart with a cheerful 
hope of being delivered from the cruelty of these merciless savages. We were making 
every preparation to be ready for the promised sleighs. But, alas! instead of the seighs, 
about an hour by sun, a great number of savages, painted with variou.s colors, came'yell- 
ing in the most hideous manner! These blood-thirsty, terrific savages (sent here by tlieir 
more cruel and perfidious allies, the British), rushed into the houses where the desponding 
wounded lay, and insolently stripped them of their blankets, and ail tlieir best clothes, and 
ordered them out of the houses! I ran out of the house to inform the interpreters + what 
the Indians were doing; at the door, an Indian took my hat and put it on his own head; I 

* When the right wing began to retreat, it is said orders were given by some of the officers 
to the men in the ea.stern end of the picketing, to march out to their assistanee. Captain 
Price, and a number of men salHcd out. Captain Price was killed, tind most of the men. 

fl was since informed that Col. Elliott instructed the iuterprutors lo Itave the wounded, 
after dark, to the mercy of the savages. They all went off except om; Jiali-Indian. 



276 MICHIGAN. 

then discovered that the Indians had been at the other house first, and had used the 
wounded in like manner. As I turned to go back into the house, an Indian taking hold 
of mo, made signs for me to stand by the corner of the house. I made signs to him 1 
wanted to go in and get my hat; for I desired to see what they had done with the wounded. 
The Indians sent in a boy who brought out a hot and threw it down to me, and I could not 
get in the house. Three Indians came up to me and pulled oft' my coat. My feeble pow- 
ers can not describe the dismal scenes here exhibited. I saw my fellow soldiers naked and 
wounded, crawling out of the houses, to avoid being consumed in the flames. Some that 
had not been able to turn themselves on their beds for four days, through fear of being 
burned to death, arose and walked out and about the yard. Some cried for help, but there 
was none to help them. "Ah! " exclaimed numbers, in the anguish of their spirit, " what 
shall we do? " A number, unable to get out, miserably perished in the unrelenting flames 
of the houses, kindled by the more unrelenting savages. Now the scenes of cruelty and 
murder we had been anticipating with dread, during last night, fully commenced. The 
savages rushed on the wounded, and, in their barbarous manner, shot and tomahawked, and 
scalped them; and cruelly mangled their naked bodies while they lay agonizing and wel- 
tering in their blood. A number were taken toward Maiden, but being unable to march 
with speed, were inhumanly massacred. The road was, for miles, strewed with the mangled 
bodies, and all of them were left like those slain in battle, on the 22d, for birds and beasts 
to tear in pieces and devour. The Indians plundered the town of every thing valuable, 
and set the best houses on fire. The Indian who claimed me, gave me a coat, and when 
he had got as much plunder as he could carry, he ordered me, by signs, to march, which I 
did with extreme reluctance, in company with three of the wounded, and six or seven In- 
dians. In traveling about a quarter of a mile, two of the wounded lagged behind about 
twenty yards. The Indians, turning round, shot one and scalped him. They shut at the 
other and missed him; he, running up to them, begged that they would not shoot him. He 
paid he would keep up, and give them money. But these murderers were not moved with 
his doleful cries. They shot him down, and rushing on him in a crowd, scalped him. In 
like manner, my brother Allen perished. He marched with difficulty after the wounded, 
about two or three hundred yard:^, and was there barbarously murdered. 

In traveling two miles, we came to a house where there were two British officers; the 
Indian made a halt, and I asked one of the officers what the Indian was going to do with 
me; he said he was going to take me to Amherstburgh (or Maiden.) I judged these vil- 
lains had instructed the Indians to do what they had done. ...... 

During my captivity with the Indians, the other prisoners were treated very inhumanly. 
The first night they were put in a woodyard; the rain commenced early in the night and 
put out all their fires; in this manner they passed a tedious night, wet and benumbed with 
cold. From this place they were taken to a cold warehouse, still deprived of fire, with 
their clothes and blankets frozen, and nothing to eat but a little bread. In this wretched 
condition they continued two days and three nights. 

Captain Hart, who was among those massacred, was the brother-in-law of 
Henry Clay. Timothy Mallary, in his narrative of his captivity, says on 
this point: 

The Indians ordered several other prisoners and myself to march for Maiden. We had 
not proceeded far before they tomahawked four of this number, amongst whom was Capt. 
Hart, of Lexington. He had hired an Indian to take him to Maiden. I saw part of this 
hire paid to the Indian. After having taken him some distance, another Indian demanded 
him, saying that he was his prisoner; the hireling would not give him up; the claimant, 
finding that ho could not get him alive, shot him in the left side with a pistol. Captain 
Hart still remained on his hor.se; the claimant then ran up, struck him with a tomahawk, 
pulled him off hia horse, scalped him, and left him lying there. 

Hon. B. F. H. Witherell, of Detroit, in his Reminiscences, gives some 
facts upon the inhuman treatment of the prisoners taken at the River Raisin. 
He says : 

Our fellow-citizen, Oliver Bellair, Esq., at that time a boy, resided with his parents at 
Maiden. He states that, when the prisoners, some three or four hundred in number, ar- 
rived at Maiden, they were pictures of misery. A long, cold march from the states in 
mid winter, camping out in the deep snow, the hard-fought battle and subsequent robbery 
of their effects, left them perfectly destitute of «ny comforts. Many of the prisoners wero 
also slightly wounded; the blood, dust, and smoke of battle were yet upon them. At 
Maiden, they were driven into an open woodyard, and, without tents or covering of any 
kind, thinly clad, they endured the bitter cold of a long January night; but they were 
eoldiers of the republic, and suifered without murmuring at their hard lot. They were 



MICHIGAN, 



277 



surrounded by a strong chain of sentinels, to prevent their escape, and to keep the savages 
otf, who pressed hard to enter the iuclosure. The inhabitants of the viUage, at night, in 
hirge numbers, sympathizing!}- crowded around, and thus favored the escape of a lew of 
the prisoners. 

The people of Maiden were generally kind to prisoners. It is not in the nature of a 
Frenchman to be otherwise than kind to the suffering. 

Mr. Bellair tells me, that, at the time these prisoners were brought into Maiden, the til- 
lage presented a horrid spectacle. The Indians had cut off the heads of tTiose who hud 
fallen in the battle and massacre, to the number of a hundred or more, brought tlieni to 
Maiden, and stuck them up in rows on the top of a high, sharp-pointed picket fence; and 
there they stood, their matted locks deeply stained with their own gore — their eves wide 
open, staring out upon the multitude, exliibiting all variety of feature; some with a pleas- 
ant smile; others, who had probably lingered long in mortal agony, had a scovri of de- 
tiauce, despair, or revenge; and others wore the appearance of deep distress and sorrow — 
they may liave died thinking of their far-off' wives and children, and friends, and pleasant 
homes which they should visit no more; the winter's frost had fixed their leaiures as thev 
died, and they changed not. 

The savages had congregated in large numbers, and had brought back with tliem from 
the bloody b:inks of the Raisin, and other parts of our frontiers, immense numbers of 
scalps, strung upon poles, among «h''^h might be seen the soft, silky locks of youi"'; cliil- 
dien, the ringlets and Cresses of fair maidens, the burnished locks of middle lile, and the 
silver gray of age. Tlie scalps were hung some twenty together on a pole; each was ex- 
tended by a small hoop around the edge, and they were all painted red on the flesh side, 
and were carried about the town to the music of the war-v.hoop and the scalp-yell. 

That the British government and its officers did not attenipt to i-estrain the savages is 
well known; on tiie contrary, they were instigated to the commission of these barbarous 
deeds. Among the papers of Gen. Proctor, captured at the battle of the Thames, was 
found a letter from Gen. Brock to Proctor, apparently in answer to one asking whether he 
should restrain the ferocity of the savages. The reply was: " The Indians are necessary 
to his Majesty's service, and must be indulged." If the gallant Brock would tolerate the 
atrocious conduct of his savage allies, what could be expected from others? 




The State Asylum for Deaf Mutes and the Blind, Flint. 

The cut shows the west front of the .isylura. (luscription ou the corner stone.) 1857. Erected by the 
State of Michigan. J. B. Walker, Building Commissioner; J. T. Johnson, foreman of the mason work ; 
K. Vantifflin, foreman of the joiner work. 

Flint, the county seat for Genesee county, on both sides of the river of 
its own name, is situated in the midst of a beautiful and I'ertile country, 46 
miles E.N.E. from Lansing, and 58 N.W. from Detroit. It has considerable 
water power. The Michigan Asylum for Deaf Mutes and the Blind, 
one of the most elegant and beautiful buildings in the state, is at this 
place. The city was incorporated in 1855, comprising three localities or 
villages, viz : Flint, Flint River, and Grand Traverse. Population about 
4,000. 



278 ' MICHIGAN. 

In 1S32, Olmsted Chainberlin and Gideon O. Whittemore, of Oakland, Mich,, 
made a location in Flint of 40 acres, and Levi Gilkey, of 50 acres. John Todd, 
with his wife, originally Miss P. M. Smith, of Cayuga county, New York, with 
their children, Edwin A. and Mary L. Todd, were the first white settlers of Flint. 
They arrived here April 18, 1833, with two wagons, on the second day after leav- 
ing Fontiac. They moved into a log hut on the bank of the river, then a trading 
house, a few rods from the bridge, and used afterward as a stopping place. The 
next regular settler was Nathaniel Ladd, who located himself on Smith's reserva- 
tion, on the north side of the river, in a hut which had been occupied by two In- 
dian traders. I^yinan Stow, from Vermont, who bought out Mr. Ladd, came next. 
At the time of tiie arrival of Mr. Todd, the whole country here was an entire for- 
est, excepting a small tract cleared by the Indian traders. The silence of the wil- 
derness was nightly broken by the howling of wolves. The " wild forest serenade," 
as not inaptly termed by Mrs. Todd, began with a slight howl, striking, as it were, 
the key note of the concert; this was soon succeeded by others of a louder tone, 
which, still rising higher and louder, the whole forest finally resounded with one 
almost continuous yell. 

In I8;>4, there were only four buildings at this place, then without a name: at 
this period there was a fort at Saginaw, and the U. S. government was opening a 
military road from Detroit to Saginaw. They had just built the first bridge across 
Flint Kiver, where previously all travelers had been ferried over in an Indian 
canoe. Among the first settlers was Col. Cronk, from New York, who bought land 
for his children, among whom were James Cronk, who died in the Mexican war, 
and his son-in-law, Elijah Davenport, now Judge Davenport, of Saginaw. Col. 
Cronk died at the house of John Todd, after an illness of eight days. He was dis- 
tinguished for his aifability and benevolence, and was much respected. The first 
religious meeting was held by Rev. O. F. North, a Methodist traveling preacher, at 
the dv.'elling of Mr. Todd, who built a frame house the fall after his arrival; the 
lumber used was sawed at Thread mill, about one and a half miles from Flint. 
}le\\ W. II. Drockway, an Indian missionary, was for a time the only regular 
preacher in the Avide range of the counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Shiawasse, and 
Saginaw. lie traveled on foot, and usually alone. Once in four weeks he visited 
Flint, and preached in Todd's log cabin, afterward in a room over the store of 

& Wright. Daniel Sullivan commenced the first school near the close of 

1834, and had some 10 or 12 scholars, comprising all the white children in the 
neighborhood. His compensation was ten cents weekly for each scholar. Miss 
Lucy IJiggs, the daughter of Judge Riggs, it is believed, was the first female teacher; 
she kept her school in a kind of shanty in Main-street, some 60 or 70 rods from 
the river. 

The township of Flint was organized under the territorial government, in 1836. 
The first election for town.ship officers was held in the blacksmith shop of Kline & 
Freeman, Kufus W. Stephens, acting as moderator, and David ]\Iather as clerk. 
The first church erected was the Presbyterian: it stood on Poney Bow, a, street 
said to have been named from the circumstance that, at an early period, a number 
of men who lived there were short of stature. The Episcopalians erected the 
second church ; Kev. ^Ir. Brown was their first minister. The Methodist church 
Avas the third erected, the Catholic the fourth, and the Baptist the fifth, the first 
minister of wliich was the Rev. Mr. Gamble. The Episcopal church of St. Paul 
was raised in 1844. The present Methodist church was built in 1845. The Pres- 
byterian church was erected about the year 1847. The first regular physician was 
John ITa^'es, from Massachusetts; the second was Dr. Lamond. The first printing 
press was introduced about 1836; the "Genesee Whiii" was established in 1850; 
the first newspaper printed by steam power was the "Wolverine Citizen," by F. H. 
Rankin, a native of Ireland. 

Grand Rapids, first settled in 1833, laid out as a village in 1836, and in- 
corporated in 1850, is the second city in importance in Michigan. It is the 
county seat of Kent county, on the line of the Detroit and Milwaukie Rail- 
road, at the Rapids of Grand River; GO miles W. N.W. of Lansing, and 150 
from Detroit. 



MICHIGAN. 



279 



0^' # 




Grand River is here about 900 feet wide, and has a fall of 18 feet, "whioh 
gives an immense water power. The city contains a hir^e number of mills 
of various kinds, as flouring, saw, plaster; also founderies, lime-kilns, lum- 
ber dealers, marble gypsum, gravel sand, and manufactories of staves, hubs, 
etc. Building material of every description is found in the neighborhood, 
and also salt springs of extraordinary strength, fir greater than tho.^e at 
Syracuse, requiring but 29 gallons to produce a bushel of salt. 

The manufacture of salt, now in its infancy here, is destined to work mar- 
velous changes in this 
region of country. — 
"Grand llapids also has 
in its vicinity inexhausti- 
ble quarries of the finest 
gypsum, of which 20,000 
tuns per annum a;re al- 
ready u-sed in agriculture 
by the farmers of Michi- 
gan, which amount will 
be doubled, and soon 
trebled, on the construc- 
tion of the north and 
south land-grant road 
from Indiana through 
Kalamazoo and Grand 
Rapids, to some point 
near Mackinaw, of which 
road a part has already 
been graded." 

Grand Rapids now has 
a population of about 
8,000, and it is the re-' 
mark of the editor of the 
New York Tribune, after visiting this place, that in view of its natural ad- 
vantages, he shall be disappointed if the census of 1870 does not swell its 
population to 50,000. 

Grand Rapids is a handsome city, and is remarkable for the energy and 
•mterprisc of its population. It is the great seat of the lumber trade in west- 
»!rn Michigan. This being a branch of industry of primary importance, not 
imly to this point, but to the whole state, we introduce here an extract from 
II recent article in the Detroit Tribune, from the pen of Kay Haddock, Esq., 
Its commercial editor, which will give an idea of the amount of wealth Michi- 
lian possesses in her noble forests. These although repelling the early emi- 
grants to the west, in view of the easy tillable lands of the prairie states, will 
in the end add to her substantial progress, and educate for her a population 
rendered more hai'dy by the manly toil required to clear up and subdue vast 
forests of the heaviest of timber. Careful estimates show that, in prosper- 
ous times, the annual products of the pineries of the state even now amount 
to about TEN MILLIONS of dollars. 

It is 710W almost universally admitted that the state of Michigan possesses in 
her soil and timber the material source of immense wealth. While in years past 
it has been difScult to obtain satisfactory information concerning the real condi- 
tion and natural resources of a large portion of the surface of the Lower Penin- 
sula, the re-survey of portions of the government land, the exploration of the coud- 








View in MoxaoE-iSTREET, Grand Kapids. 



280 



MICHIGAN. 




Lumberman s Camp, 
In tire Pine Forests of Michigan. 



try l)y parties in search of pine, the developments made by the exploring and sur- 
veyin.;<; parties along the lines of the Land (irant Railroads, and the more recert 
examinations by the dilFerent commissions for laying out the several slate roads 
under the acts passed by the last legislature, have removed every doubt in refer- 
ence to the subject. The universal testimony from all the sources above mentioned, 
seem to be that in all the natural elements of wealth the whole of the northern 
part of the peninsula abounds. 

Tlie pine lands of the state, which are a reliable source of present and fuhire 
wealth, are so located and distributed as to bring almost every portion of the state, 
sooner or later in connection with the commerce of the lakes. The pine timber 

of Michigan is generally interspersed 
with other varieties of timber, such 
as beech, maple, whiteash, oak, cher- 
ry, etc., and in most cases the soil is 
suited to agricultural purposes. This 
is particularly the case on the west- 
ern slope of the peninsula, on the 
waters of Lake Michigan, and along 
the central portion of the state. On 
the east and near Lake Huron, the 
pine districts are more extensively 
covered with pine timber, and gener- 
ally not so desirable for farming pur- 
poses. There are good farming lands, 
however, all along the coast of Lake 
Huron and extending back into the 
interior. 

A large proportion of the pine lands 
of the state are in the hands of the Canal Company, and individuals who are hold- 
ing them as an investment, and it is no detriment to this great interest, that the 
whole state has been thus explored, and the choicest lands secured. The develop- 
ments which have thus been made of the quality and extent of the pine districts, 
have given stability and confidence to the lumbering interest. And these lands 
are not held at exorbitant prices, but are sold upon fair and reasonable terms, such 
as practical business men and lumbermen will not usually oltject to. 

It is a remarkable fact that almost every stream of Avater in the state, north of 
Grand Kiver, penetrates a district of pine lands, and the mouths of nearly all these 
streams are already occupied with lumbering establishments of greater or lesa 
ma'j;nitude. These lumber colonies are the pioneers, and generally attract around 
them others who engage in agriculture, and thus almost imperceptibly the agricul- 
tural interests of the state are spreading and developing in every direction. Tho 
want of suitable means of access alone prevents the rapid settlement of large and 
fertile districts of our state, which are not unknown to the more enterprising and 
perscverinii; pioneers, who have led tlie way through the wilderness, and are now 
enga'ied almost single-handed in their labors, not shrinking from the privations and 
sutTerings wliich are sure to surround these first settlements in our new districts. 

'J'he (Jrand Traverse region, with its excellent soil, comparatively mild climate, 
and abundance of timber of every description is attracting much attention, and 
extensive settlements have already commenced in many localities in that region. 
The coast of Lake Michigan, from Grand River north, for upward of one hundred 
mill's to .Manistee River, presents generally a barren, sandy appearance, the sand 
hills of that coast almost invariably shutting out from the view the surrounding 
country. 

North of the Manistee, however, this characteristic of the coast changes, and 
the h:ird timber comes out to the lake, and presents a fine region of e(nintry cx- 
tendintr from Lake .Michigan to Grand Traverse Bay and beyond, embracing the 
he;id waters of the Manistee River. This large tract of agricultural land is one 
of the richest portions of the sttite, and having thi'oughout its whole extent ex- 
tensive groves of excellent pine timber interspersed, it is one of the most desirable 
portions of the peninsula. Grand Traverse Bay, the Manistee River, and the 



MICHIGAN. 281 

River Aux Bees Scies are the outlets for the pine timber, and afford ample means 
of communication between the interior and the lake for such purposes. The 
proposed state roads Avill, if built, do much toward the settlement of this rojrion. 

A natural harbor, which is being improved by private enterprise, is found at the 
mouth of the River Aux Bees Scies, and a new settlement and town has been 
started at this point. This is a natural outlet for a considerable portion of the re- 
gion just described. The lands here, as in other localities in the new portions of 
the E^ate, are such as must induce a rapid settlement whenever the means of com- 
aunication shall be opened. 

The valley of the ^Muskegon embraces every variety t)f soil and timber, and is 
one of the most attractive portions of the peninsula. The pine lands upon this 
river are scattered all alono- the valley in groups or tracts containing several thous- 
and acres each, interspersed with hard timber and surrounded by line agricuUaral 
lands. The I'ere Marquette Kiver and Wliite River, large streams emptying into 
Lake Michigan, pass through a region possessing much the same characteristics. 
This whole region is underlaid with lime rock, a rich soil, well watered with living 
springs, resembling in many features the Grand River valley. Beds of gypsum 
have been discovered on the head waters of the Pere Marquette. The unsettled 
counties in the northern portion of the state, the northern portion of Montcalm, 
and Gratiot, Isabella. Gladwin, Clare, and a portion of IMidland, are not inferior to 
any other portion. There is a magnificent body of pine stretching from the head 
of Flat River, in ^lontcalm county, to the upper waters of the Tettibewassee, and 
growing upon a fine snil, well adapted to agriculture. This embraces a portion of 
the Saginaw valley, and covers the high ground dividing the waters of Lakes Huron 
and jMichigan. 

The eastern slope of the peninsula embraces a variety of soil and timber some- 
what different in its general features from other portions of the strife;. The pine 
lands of this region are near the coast of the lake, and lie in large tracts, but with 
good agricultural land adjoining. 

There are in the lower peninsula, in round nuiubers, about 24,000,000 acres of 
land. Taking Houghton Lake, near the center of the state, as a point of view, the 
general surface maybe comprehended as follows: The JMuskegon valley to the 
south-west, following the Muskegon River in its course to Lake Micliigan. The 
western slo^e of the peninsula direotly west, embracing the pine and agricultural 
districts along the valleys of several large streams emptying into Lake Michigan. 
The large and beautiful region to the north west, embracing the valley of the Ma- 
nistee and the undulating lands around Grand Traverse Bay. Northward, the re- 
gion eiiibraces the head Avaters of the Manistee and Au Sauble, with the large 
tracts of excellent pine in that locality, and beyond, the agricultural region extend- 
ing to Little 'J'raverse Bay and the Straits of Mackinaw. To the north-east, the 
valley of the Au Sauble, and the pine region of Thunder Bay. To the etvst, the 
pine and hard timber extending to Saginaw 15ay. To the south-east, the Saginaw 
valley; and to the south, the high lands before described in the central counties. 

That portion of the state south of Saginaw and the Grand River valley, is so well 
known that a description here would be unnecessary. Thus we have yot undevel- 
oped over half of the surface of this peninsula, embracing, certainly, 12,000,000 to 
15,000,000 of acres, possessing stores of wealth in the timber upon its surface, re- 
serving soil for the benefit of those, who, as the means of communication are 
opened, will come in and possess it, and thus introduce industry and prosperity into 
our waste places. 

We have not the figures at hand, but it is probable that at least one tenth of the 
area north of the Grand River is embraced in the pine region. The swamp lands 
granted to the state will probably cover nearly double the area of the pine lands 
proper. The remainder, for the most part, is covered with a magnificent growth 
of hard timber suited to the necessities of our groAving population and commerce. 

The trade in pine timber, lumber, shingles, and other varieties of lumber, with 
the trafSc in staves form one of the most Important branches of manufacture 
and commerce in our own state, and this trade alone is now accomplishing more 
for the development and settlement of the country than all other causes in opera- 
tion. 



282 MICHIGAN. 

Suqinaw, tlie county seat of Saginaw county, is 57 miles N. E. of Lansing, 
and 95 N. N. W. of Detroit, and is built on the site of a trading post which, 
during the war of 1812, was occujiied as a military post. It is on the W. 
bank of Saginaw River, elevated about 30 feet above the water, 22 miles 
from the mouth of the river at Saginaw Bay, an inlet of Lake Huron. It 
possesses advantages for commerce, as the river is large, and navigable 
for vessels drawing 10 feet of water. The four branches of this river 
coming from various directions, unite a few miles above the town, and afford 
intercourse by boats with a large portion of the state. Population about 
3,000. 

A very extensive lumber business is carried on at Saginaw. AVithin a 
short time the manufacture of salt has begun here, from brine obtained at 
the depth of (120 feet. The salt is of extraordinary purity, and the brine of 
unusual strength. This industry, when developed, will greatly increase tho 
prosperity of the Saginaw valley. 

PoHtiac., named after the celebrated Indian chieftain, is situated on Clin- 
ton River, on the line of the railroad, 25 miles N. W. from Detroit. It is a 
flourishing village, and the county seat of Oakland county. Is an active 
place of business, and is one of the principal wool markets in the state. It 
has quite a number of stores, mills, and factories, and six churches. Popu- 
lation about 3,000. 

Mr. Asiihel Fuller, a native of Connecticut, emigrated to Michigan in 48-", and 
located himself at Waterford, seven miles north-west from Pontiac, on the Old In- 
dian trail from Detroit to Saginaw, and was a long period known as an inn-keeper 
in this section of the state. The Chippewa Indians who received their annuities 
from the British government at Maiden, Canada West, in their journeyings, "t'ten 
camped or stopped near his house, soraetimes to the number of 2 or o(J-0. On 
one occasion he saw them go through their incantations to heal a sick man, one 
of their number. They formed a circle around him, singing a kind of hum drum 
tune, beating a drum made of a hollow log with a deer skin stretched ofer it. The 
Indian priest or powaw would occasionally throw into the lire a little tobacco, 
which had been rubbed in the hand, likewise pour whiskey into the fire after 
drinking a little himself, evidently as a kind of sacrifice. On another occasion a 
man breathed into a sick child's mouth, and prayed most fervently to the Great 
Spirit to interpose. In 1830, Mr. Fuller purchased the first lot of government 
lands in Springfield, 12 miles from Pontiac. He removed there in 1831, and 
erected the first house in the place, his nearest neighbor being 5 miles to the south- 
east, and 15 to the north-west. Here he kept a public house on tho Indian trail 
on a most beautiful spot, called Little Spring, near two beautiful lakes; a favorite 
place of resort for the Indians, and where they sometimes held the "White Dog 
Feast," one of their sacred observances. Mrs. Julia A. O'Donougliue, the daughter 
of Mr. F., and wife of Mr. Washington O'Donoughue, was the first white child 
born in Springfield. 

Port Huron is in St. Clair county, 77 miles from Detroit, at the junction 
af Black and St. Clair Rivers, two miles south from Lake Huron, and one 
mile from Fort Gratiot, a somewhat noted post. It has a good harbor and su- 
perior facilities for ship building, and is largely engaged in the lumber busi- 
ness. Great amounts of excellent pine* timber are sent down Black River, 
and manuftictured or shipped here. It is the eastern terminus of the Port 
Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad, the western terminus of the Grand 
Trunk Railroad, which extends from the eastern to the western limits of the 
Canadas. It is one of the greatest lumber markets in the west. Its annual 
exports amount to $2,000,000. Population about 3,500. 

On the line of the Michigan Central Railroad, beside those already de- 
Ecribed. are the following large and flourishing towns, all having abundance 



MICHIGAN. 



283 



of water power mills, factories, etc., and each containing from 3,000 to 7,000 
inhabitants. Ypsilanti, 30 miles from Detroit on Huron River, is the seat 
of the state normal school, a branch of the state university. Marshall is 
107 miles from Detroit. Battle Creek 120 miles from Detroit Kalamazoo^ 
23 miles farther west, contains a United States land office, the scate asylum 
for the insane, and a branch of the state university. This is one of the most 
beautiful of villages : it is planted all over with trees, every street being 
lined with them. Niles, 191 miles from Detroit, has a branch of the state 
university, and is the principal market for south-western Michigan. The St. 
Joseph River is navigable beyond this point for small steamers. 

Farther south, in the state, are other important towns, containing each 
about 3,000 inhabitants. They are: Tecumseh, 10 miles N. E. of Adrian, 
and connected by a branch railroad, eight miles in length, with the Michigan 
Southern Railroad. Hillsdale, on the last named railroad, 110 miles from 
Detroit, and noted as the seat of Hillsdale College, a thriving and highly 
popular institution, chartered in 1855. Coldicater is also on the same 
railroad, 22 miles westerly from Hillsdale. St. Joseph, at the entrance of 
St. Joseph River into Lake Michigan, 19J: miles west of Detroit, has a fine 
harbor and an extensive trade in lumber and fruit, with Chicago. 

In 1679, the noted explorer. La Salle, built a fort at the mouth of St. 
Joseph's River. Afterward there was a Jesuit mission here, which Charle- 
voix visited in 1721. When the west came into possession of , Great Britain, 
they had a fort also at this point. This was twice captured in the war of 
the revolution, by expeditions of the brave frontiersmen of Cahokia, Illi- 
nois. The annexed sketch of these exploits is thus given in Perkins' Annals, 
Peck's edition: 

" There was at Cahokia, a restless, adventurous, daring man, by the name 
of Thomas Brady, or as he was familiarly called, 'Tom Brady;' a native 
of Pennsylvania, who, by hunting, or in some other pursuit, found him- 
self a resident of Cahokia. He raised a company of 16 resolute persons, 
all of Cahokia and the adjacent village of Prairie du Pont, of which the 
father of Mr. Boismenue, the informant, was one. After becoming organ- 
ized for an expedition, the party moved through a place called the 'Cow 
Pens,' on the River St. Joseph, in the south-western part of Michigan. 
Here was a trading-post and fort originally established by the French, 
but since the transfer of the country, had been occupied by the British 
by a small force, as a protection of their traders from the Indians. In 1777, 
it consisted of 21 men. 

Brady, with his little band of volunteers, left Cahokia about the 1st of 
October, 1777, and made their way to the fort, which they captured in the 
night, without loss on either side, except, a negro. This person was a slave 
from some of the colonies on the Mississippi, who, in attempting to escape, 
was shot. One object of this expedition, probably, was the British goods 
in the fort. 

The company started back as far as the Calumet, a stream on the border 
of Indiana, south-east of Chicago, when they were overtaken by a party of 
British, Canadians and Indians, about 300 in number, who attacked the Ca- 
hokians and forced them to surrender. Two of Brady's party were killed, 
two wounded, one escaped, and 12 were made prisoners. These remained 
prisoners in Canada two years, except Brady, who made his escape, and re- 
turned to Illinois by way of Pennsylvania. 31. Boismenue, Sr., was one of 
the wounded men. 



284 



MICHIGAN. 



The next spring, a Frenchman, by the name of Paulette Maize, a daring 
fellow, raised about 300 volunteers from Cahokia, St. Louis, and other French 
villages, to re-capture the fort on the River St. Joseph. This campaign was 
oy land, across the prairies in the spring of 1778. It was successful ; the 
fort was re-taken, and the peltries and goods became the spoil uf the victors. 
The wounded men returned home with Maize. One gave out; they had no 
horses; and he was dispatched by the leader, to prevent tli.e company being 
detained on their retreat, lest the same disaster should befall them as hap- 
pened to Brady, and his company. Some of the members of the most an- 
cient and respectable families in Cahokia, were in this expedition. Thomas 
Brady became the sheriff of the county of St. Clair, after its organization by 
the governor of the North-western Territory in 1790. He was regarded as 
a trust-worthy citizen, and died at Cahokia many years since." 

Almont, Mt. Clemens, Romeo, Allegan, and Grand Haven, are floinishiiig 
towns in the Southern Peninsula of Michigan. Almont is in Lapeer county, 
49 miles north of Detroit. 3It. Clemens is the county seat of Macomb, and 
is 20 miles from Detroit, on Clinton River, 4 miles from its entrance into 




J'Ae Isle, Mackinatc. 
Engraved from a drRwing by the late Francis Howe, of Chicago, taken about the year 1846. 

Lake St. Clair. It is well situated for ship building, and has daily steam 
boat communication with Detroit. Romeo is also on Clinton River, 40 miles 
from Detroit. Allegan, distant from Kalamazoo 28 miles, at the head of 
navigation on Kalamazoo River, is a young and thrifty lumbering viUagc. 
Grand Haven is at the mouth of Grand River, at the termination of 
tlie Detroit and Milwaukie Railroad. It has a noble harbor, and does an 
enormous lumber trade. Lumber is shipped from here to Chicago, and oilier 
ports on the west side of the lake; and steamers ply regularly between this 
point and Chicago, and also on the river to the flourishing city of Grand 
ila])ids, above. 

Mackinaw, called ^^the Gem of the LaJces," is an exquisitely beautiful 
island in the straits of Mackinaw. It is, by water, 320 miles north of De- 



MICHIGAN. 



285 



troit, in Lat. 45° 54' N. Long. 84° 30' W. Its name is an abbreviation of 
Michilimackinac, which is a compound of the word mhxi or missil, signifying 
" o-reat '' and Mackinac, the Indian word for " turtle," from a fancied resem- 
blance to a great turtle lying upon the water. 

Among the curiosities of the island, are the Arched Hock, the Natural 
Pyramid, and the Skull Rock. The Arched Bock is a natural arch project- 
ing from the precipice on the north-eastern 
side of the island, about a mile from the 
town, and elevated 140 feet above the water. 
Its abutments are the calcareous rock com- 
mon to the island, and have been created by 
the foiling down of enormous masses of rock, 
leaving the chasm. It is about 90 feet in 
bight, and is crowned by an arch of near 60 
feet sweep. From its great elevation, the 
view through the arch upon the wide expanse 
of water, is of singular beauty and grandeur. 
The Natural Pyrarald is a lone standing 
rock, upon the top of the bluff, of probably 
30 feet in width at the base, by 80 or 90 in 
bight, of a ragged appearance, and support- 
ing in its crevices a few stunted cedars. It 
pleases chiefly by its novelty, so unlike any- 
thing to be found in other parts of the world; 
and on the first view, it gives the idea of 
a work of art. The Skull Rock is chiefly 
noted for a cavern, which appears to have 
lieen an ancient receptacle of human bones. 
The entrance is low and narrow. It is here 
that Alexander Henry was secreted by a friendly Indian, after the horrid 
massacre of the British garrison at old Maehilimackinac, in 1763. 

"The world," says the poet Bryant, "has not many islands so beautiful as 
Mackinaw — the surface is singularly irregular with summits of rocks and 
pleasant hollows, open glades of pasturage, and shady nooks." 

It is, in truth, one of the most interesting spots on the continent, and is 
becoming a great summer resort, from its natural attractions ; its bracing, 
invigorating atmosphere, and the beauty of its scenery. Its sky has a won- 
derful clearness and serenity, and its cold deep waters a marvelous purity, 
that enables one to discover the pebbles way down, fathoms below. To 
movint the summits of Mackinaw, and gaze out northward upon the expanse 
of water, with its clustering islets, and the distant wilderness of the Northern 
Peninsula ; to take in with the vision the glories of that sky, so clear, so 
pure, that it seems as though the eye penetrated infinity; to inhale that 
life-giving air, every draught of which seems a luxury, were well worth 
a toilsome journey, and when once experienced, will remain among the 
most pleasant of memories. 

The island is about nine miles in circumference, and its extreme elevation 
above the lake, over 300 feet. The town is pleasantly situated around a 
small bay at the southern extremity of the island, and contains 1.000 inhabi- 
tants, which are sometimes nearly doubled by the influx of voyagers, 
traders, and Indians. On these occasions, its beautiful harbor is seen 
checkered with American vessels at anchor, and Indian canoes rapidly shoot- 




The Arched Kock, 
On the Ijl« of MiicUinaw. 



286 



MICHIGAN. 



ing across the water in every direction. It was formerly the seat of an ex- 
tensive fur trade : at present it is noted for the great amount of trout and 
white fish annually exported. Fort Mackinaw stands on a rocky bluff over- 
looking the town. The ruins of Fort Holmes are on the apex of the island. 
It was built by the British in the war of 1812, under the name of Fort 
George, and changed to its present appellation by the Americans, in com- 
pliment to the memory of Maj. Holmes, who fell in an unsuccessful attack 
upon the island. This occurred in 1814. The expedition consisted' of a 
strong detachment of land and naval forces under Col. Croghan, and was 
shamefully defeated, the death of the gallant Holmes having stricken 
them with a panic. 

The first white settlement in this vicinity was at Point Ignace, the south- 
ern cape of the upper peninsula of Michigan, and shown on the map where 
Father Marquette established a mission in 1G71. 

The second site was on the opposite point of the straits, now called Old 
Mackinaw, nine miles south, being the northern extremitv of the lower pe- 
ninsula, or Michigan Proper. 

"In (he summer of 1G79, the Griffin, built by La Salle and his company on the 
shore of Lake f^rie, at the present site of the town of Erie, passed up the St. Clair, 
sailed over the Huron, and entering the straits, found a safe harbor at Ohl iVhick- 
inaw. La Salle s expedition passi^d ei,i;;ht or nine years at this place, ami from 
hence thev penetrated the country in all diroeticms. At the same time it continued 
to be the summer resort of numerous Indian tribes, who came here to trade and 
engage in the wild sports and recreations peculiar to the savage race. As a city 
of peace, it was reszarded in the same light that the ancient Hebrews resarded their 
cities of refuge, and among those who congregated here all animosities wore for- 
gotten. The smoke of the calumet of peace always ascended, and the war cry 
never as yet has been heard in its streets. 

In Heriot s Travels, published in 1807, we find the following interesting item: 
" In 1G71 Father Marijuette came hither with a party of Hurons, whom he pre- 
vailed on to form a settlement. A fort was constructed, and it afterward became 

an important spot. It was the 

_ _ place of general assemblaiie for all 

—' " the Frencli who went to tral!ic with 

the distant nations. It was the 
asylum of all savages who came to 
exchange their furs for merchan- 
dise. When individuals l)elonging 
to tribes at war with each other 





5L*-iy-U-s^^Jjf»f —.*• .-^^^SsS^^^^ came thither, and met on coinmer- 
' ' — -^ ^ '-— J Wii 1.1 .«m"gi cut! adventure, their animosities 

_^ Avere suspended." 

" Notwithstanding San-go-man 
BuiNs OF OLD Fort m.\ckinaw. and his warriors had braved the 

danaers of the straits and had slain 

Brawn hy Capt. S. Eastman, U.S.A. Mackinaw Island u' i j f ii • • i 

is s..en on the right: Point St. Ignace, on the north side » hundred of their enomiOS whosB 

of the straits, on tiic left. residence was here, yet it was not 

in the town that they were slain. 
No blood was ever shed by Indian bands within its precincts up to this period, and 
had it remained in possession of the French, the terrible scenes subsequently 
enacted within its streets would in all probability never have occurred, and Old 
Ma<'kinaw would have been a city -of refuge to this day. 

The Endish, excited by the emoluments derived from the fur trade, desired to 
secure a share in this lucrative traffic of the north-western lakes. They accord- 
ingly, in the year IG.SG, fitted out an expedition, and through the interposition of 
the Fox Indians, whose friendship they secured by valuable presents, the expedi- 



MICHIGAN. 287 

tion reacheii Old Mackinaw, the "Queen of the Lakes," and found the El Dorado 
they had so long desired." 

The followinc; interesting description, from Parkman's " History of the Conspir- 
acy of Pontiac," of a voyage by an English merchant to Old Mackinaw about this 
time, will be in place here : '" Passing the fort and settlement of Detroit, he soon 
enters Lake St. Clair, which seems like a broad basin filled to overflowing, while 
along its far distant verge a faint line of forests separates the water from the sky. 
He crosses the lake, and his voyagers next urge his canoe against the current of 
the great river above. At length Lake Huron opens before him, stretching its 
liquid expanse like an ocean to the furthest horizon. His canoe skirts the eastern 
shore of Michigan, where the forest rises like a wall from the water's edge, and as 
he advances onward, an endless line of stiff and shagsiy fir trees, hung with long 
mosses, fringe the shore with an aspect of desolation. Passing on his right the ex- 
tensive Island of Bois Blanc, he sees nearly in front the beautiful Island of Mack- 
inaw rising witli its white chffs and green foliage from the broad breast of waters. He 
does not steer toward it, for at that day the Indians were its only tenants, but keeps 
along the main shore to the left, while his voyagers raise their song and chorus. 
Doubling a point he sees before him the red flag of England swelling lazily in the 
wind, and the palisades and wooden bastions of Fort Mackinaw standing close up- 
on the margin of the lake. On the beach canoes are drawn up, and Canadians and 
Indians are idly lounging. A little beyond the fort is a cluster of white Canadian 
houses roofed with bark and protected by fences of strong round pickets. The 
trader enters the gate and sees before him an extensive square area, surrounded by 
high palisades. Numerous houses, barracks, and other buildings form a smaller 
square within, and in the vacant place which they inclose appear the red uniforms 
of British soldiers, the gray coats of the Canadians and the gaudy Indian blankets 
mingled in picturesque confusion, while a multitude of squaws, with children of 
everv hue, stroll restlessly about the place. Such was old Fort Mackinaw in 
1763." 

In 1763, during the Pontiac war, Old Mackinaw, or Michilimackinac, was 
the scene of a horrid massacre, the fort being at the time garrisoned by the 
British. It had come into their possession after the fall of Quebec, in 1759. 
It inclosed an area of two acres, surrounded by pickets of cedar. It stood 
near the water, and with western winds, the waves dashed against the foot 
of the stockade. Within the pickets were about thirty houses with families, 
and also a chapel, in which religious services were regularly performed by a 
Jesuit missionary. Furs from the upper lakes were collected here for trans- 
portation, and outfits prepared for the remote north-west. The garrison con- 
sisted of 93 men ; there were only four English merchants at the fort. 
Alexander Henry was invested with the right of trafficking with the Indians, 
and after his arrival was visited by a body of 60 Chippewas, whose chieftain, 
Minavavana, addressed him and his companions in the following manner: 

Englishmen, it is to you that I speak, and I demand your attention. You 
know that tlie French King is our father. He promised to be such, and we in turn 
promised to be his children. This promise we have kept. It is you that have made 
war with this our father. Tou are his enemy, and how then could you have the 
boldness to venture among us, his children. You know that Ijis enemies are ours. 
We are informed that our father, the King of France, is old and infirm, and that 
being fatigued with making war upon your nation, he has fallen asleep. During 
this sleep you have taken advantage of him, and possessed yourselves of Canada. 
But his nap is almost at an end. I think I hear him already stirring and inquiring 
for his children, and when he does awake what must become of you? He will 
utterly destroy you. Although you have conquered the French, you have not con- 
quered us. We are not your slaves. These lakes, these woods and mountains are 
left to us by our ancestors, they are our inheritance and we Avill part with them to 
none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, can not live without 
bread, ind pork, and beef, but you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and 



238 MICHIGAN. 

Master of Life, has provided food for us in these spacious hikes and on these 
"woody mountains. 

Our father, the King of France, employed our young men to make war upon 
your nation. In this Avarfare many of them have heen killed, and it is our custom 
to retaliate until such time as the spirits of the slain are satisfied. But the spirits 
of the slain are to be satisfied in one of two ways; the first is by the spilling the 
blood of the nation by which they fell, the other by covering the bodies c>T the 
dead, and thus allaying the resentment of their relations. This is done by making 
presents. Your king has never sent us any presents, nor entered into any treaty 
Avith us, wherefore he and we are still at war, and until he does these things we 
must consider that we have no other father or friend among the white men than 
the King of France. But for you, we have taken into consideration that you have 
ventured among us in the expectation that we would not molest you. You do not 
come around with the intention to make war. You come in peace to trade with 
us, and supply us with necessaries, of which we are much in need. We sliall re- 
gard you, therefore, as a brother, and you may sleep tranquilly without fear of the 
Chippewas. As a token of friendship we present you with this pipe to smoke. 

Previous to tlie attack the Indians were notieqd assembling in great num- 
bers, with every appearance of friendship, ostensibly for the purpose of trade, 
and during one night 400 lay about the fort. In order to celebrate the king's 
birth day, on the third of June, a game of ball was proposed to be played 
between the Chippewas and Sacs for a high wager. Having induced 3Iajor 
Etherington, the commandant, and many of the garrison to come outside the 
pickets to view the game, it was the design of the Indians to throw the ball 
within the pickets, and, as was natural in the heat of the game, that all the 
Indians should rush after it. The stratagem was successful — the war cry 
was raised, seventy of the garrison were murdered and scalped, and the re- 
mainder were taken prisoners. 

" Henry Avitncssed the dreadful slaughter from his win<low, and being unarmed he 
hastened out, and springing over a low fence which divided his house from that of 
M. Langlade, the French Interpreter, entered the lattei", and requested some one 
to direct him to a place of safety. Langlade hearing the request, replied that he 
could do nothing for him. At this moment a slave belonging to Langlade, of the 
Pawnee tribe of Indians, took him to a door which she opened, and informed him 
that it led to the garret where he might conceal himself, ^hethen locked the door 
and took away the key. Through a hole in the wall Henry could have a complete 
view of the fort. He beheld the heaps of the slain, and heard the savage yells, 
until th« last victim was dispatched. Having finished the work of death in the 
fort, the Indians wont out to search the houses. Some Indians entered Langlade's 
house and asked if there were any Englislimen concetiled in it. He replied that 
he did not know, they might search for themselves. At length they opened the 
garret door and ascended the stairs, but Henry had concealed himself amid a 
heap of birch-bark vessels, which had been used in making maple sugar, and thus 
escaped. Fatigued and exhausted, he lay down on a mat and went to sleep, and 
while in this condition he was surprised by the wife of Langlade, who remarked 
that the Indians had killed all the English, but she hoped he might escape. Fear- 
ing, however, that ^he wo'iild fall a prey to their vengeance if it was found that an 
Englishman was concealed in her house, she at length revealed the place of Henry's 
concealment, giving as a reason therefor, that if he should be found her children 
would be destroyed. Unlocking the door, she was followed by several Indians, 
who were led by Wenniway, a noted chief At sight of him the chief seized him 
with one hand, and brandishing a large carving knife was about to plunge it into 
his heart, when he dropped his arm, saying, " 1 won't kill you, My brother, ^lu- 
sinigon, was slain by the English, and you shall take his place and be called after 
him." He was carried to L'Arbre Croche as a prisoner, where he was rescued by 
a band of three hundred Ottawas, by whom he was returned to Mackinaw, and 
finally ransomed by his friend Wawatam. At the capture of the place only one 
trader, M. Tracy, lost his life. Capt. Etherington was carried away by some In- 



MICHIGAN. 



289 



dians from the scene of staughter. Seventy of the English troops were slain. An 
Englishman, by the name of Solomon, saved himself by hiding under a heap of 
corn, and his boy vras saved by creeping up a chimney, where he remained two 
days. A number of canoes, filled with English traders, arriving soon after the 
massacre, they were seized, and the traders, dragged through the water, were 
beaten and marched by the Indians to the prison lodge. After they had completed 




Map of Mackinaw and vicinity. 

the work of destruction, the Indians, about four hundred in number, entertaining 
apprehensions that they would be attacked by the English, and the Indians who 
had joined them, took refuge on the Island of Mackinaw, Wawatam fearing that 
H^nry would be butchered by the savages in their drunken revels, took him out to 
a cave, where he lay concealed for one night on a heap of human bones. As the 
fort was not destroyed, it was subsequently reoccupied by British soldiers, and the 
removal to the island did not take place until about the year 1780." 

The station on the island was called New Mackinaw, while the other, on 
the main land, has since been termed Old Mackinaw. The chapel, fort,^ and 
college, at the latter place, have long since passed away, but relics of the 
stone walls and pickets remain to this day. To the Catholic, as the site of 
their first college in the north-west, and one of their earliest mission stations, 
this must be ever a spot of great interest. 
19 



290 MICHIGAN. 

New Mackinaw formerly received its greatest support from tHe fur trade, 
when in the hands of the late John Jacob Astor, being at that time the out- 
fitting and furnishing place for the Indian trade. This trade became extinct 
in 1834, and the place since has derived its support mainly from the fisheries. 
The Isle of Mackinaw, in modern times, has been a prominent point for 
Protestant missions among the Indians. The first American missionary was 
the Rev. David Bacon, who settled here in 1802, under the auspices of the 
Connecticut Missionary Society, the oldest, it is believed, in America. This 
gentleman was the father of Dr. Leonard Bacon, the eminent New England 
divine, who was born in Michigan. Prior to settling at Mackinaw, Mr. Bacon 
attempted to establish a mission upon the Maumee. The Indians in council 
listened to his arguments for this object, with due courtesy : and then, through 
one of their chiefs, Little Otter, respectfully declined. The gist of the reply 
is contained in the following sentence: 

Brother — Yom- religion is very good, hut it is onig good for white people. 
It loill not do for Indians: tlieg are quite a different sort of folks. 

Old Mackinaw, or Mackinack, is the site of a recently laid out town, Mach- 
inaiv City, which, its projectors reason, bids fair to become eventually an im- 
portant point. Ferris says, in his work on the west: "If one were to point 
out, on the map of North America, a site for a great central city in the lake 
region, it would be in the immediate vicinity of the Straits of Mackinaw. A 
city so located would have the command of the mineral trade, the fisheries, 
the furs, and the lumber of the entire north. It might become the metropo- 
lis of a great commercial empire. It would be the Venice of the Lakes." 
The c?tmate would seem to forbid such a consummation; but the tempera- 
ture of this point, softened by the vast adjacent bodies of water, is much 
milder than one would suppose from its latitude : north of this latitude is a part 
of Canada which now contains a million of inhabitants. Two important rail- 
roads, running through the whole of the lower peninsula of Michigan, are to 
terminate at this point — one passing through Grand Bapids, and the other 
through Saginaw City. These are building by the aid of extensive land 
grants from the general government to the state, and are to give southern Mich- 
igan a constant communication with the mineral region in the upper peninsula, 
from which she is now ice locked five or six months in the year, and which, 
in time is destined to support a large and prosperous population. The min- 
eral region is also to have railroad communications through Wisconsin south, 
and through Canada east to the Atlantic, extensive land grants having been 
made by the American and Canadian governments for these objects, com- 
prising in all many millions of acres. 

The Beaver Islands are a beautiful cluster of Islands in Lake Michigan, 
in the vicinity of Mackinaw. Big Beaver, the largest of them, contains 
about 25,000 acres, and until within a few years was in the possession of a 
band of Mormons. 

When the Mormons were driven from Nauvoo, in 1845, they were divided -into 
three ftictions — the Twelveites, the Rigdonites, and the Strangites. The Twelveites 
were those who emigrated to Utah, the Rigdonites were the followers of Sidney Rig- 
don, and were but few in number, and the Strangites made Beaver Island their head- 
quarters. Their leader, Strang, ayoung lawyer originally of western N. York, claimed 
to have a revelation from God, appointing him the successor of Joe Smith. " These 
Mormons held the entire control of the main island, and probably would have con- 
tinued to do so for some time, but from the many depredations committed by them, 
the neighboring fishermen and others living and trading on the coasts, became de- 
termined to root out this band of robbers and pirates, as they believed them to be. 




MICHIGAN. 291 

After organizing a strong force, they made an attack upon these Mormons, and 
succeeded, though meeting with obstinate resistance, in driving them from the 
island. The attacking party found concealed a large number of hides and other 
goods, which were buried to avoid detection. The poor, deluded followers of this 
monstrous doctrine are now dispersed. Some three or four hundred were sent to 
Chicago, and from thence spread over the country. Others were sent to ports on 
Lake Erie. Strang was wounded by one of the men he had some time previous to 
this attack robbed and beaten. He managed to escape the island, but died in Wis- 
consin shortly after, in consequence of his wounds." 

Sault de Ste. Marie, the county seat of Chippewa county, is situated 

on St. Marys River, or Strait, 400 miles 
N.W. of Detroit, and about 18 from the 
entrance of Lake Superior. The vil- 
lage has an elevated situation, at the 
Falls of St. Mary, and contains about 
1,000 inhabitants. It is a famous fish- 
ing place, immense quantities of white 
fish being caught and salted here for the 
markets of the west. The falls are 
merely rapids, having a descent of 22 
The Sault or Falls of St. mari. feet in a mile. The Sault Ste. Marie is 

The view is looking down the Rapids. ^nc of the prominent historic localities 

of the north-west. 
"On the 17th of September, 1641, the Fathers Joguesand Raymbault embarked 
in their frail birch bark canoes for the Sault Ste. Marie. They floated over the clear 
waters between the picturesque islands of Lake Huron, and after a voyage of sev- 
enteen days arrived at the Sault. Here they found a large assembly of Chippewas. 
After numerous inquiries, they heard of the Nadowessies, the famed Sioux, who 
dwelt eighteen days' journey further to the west, beyond the Great Lake. Thus 
did the religious zeal of the French bear the cross to the banks of the St. Mary 
and the confines of Lake Superior, and look wistfully toward the homes of the 
Sioux in the valley of the Mississippi, five years before the New England Elliott 
had addressed the tribe of Indians that dwelt within six miles of Boston harbor." 
In 1668, James Marquette and Claude Dablon founded a mission here. During 
the whole of the French occupancy of the Avest, this was a great point for their 
missions and fur traders. In the late war with Great Bi-itain, the trading station 
of the British North-west Fur Company, on the Canadian side, was burnt by Maj. 
Holmes: this was just before the unsuccessful attack on Mackinaw. Fort Brady, 
at this place, was built in 1823, and was at the time the most northerly fortress in 
the United States. 

Before the construction of the great canal, the copper from the Lake Su- 
perior mines was taken around the falls by railway, the cars being drawn by 
horses. It has added 1,700 miles of coast to the trade of the lakes, and is 
of incalculable advantage to the whole of the business of the Lake Superior 
country. 

St. Marys Strait, which separates Canada West from the upper peninsula of 
Michigan, is about 64 miles long, and is navigable for vessels drawing eight feet 
of water to within about a mile of Lake Superior. At this point the navigation is 
impeded by the Falls — the ''sault" (pronounced soo) of the river. Congress 
oflered Michigan 750,000 acres of land to construct a ship canal around these 
rapids; and the state contracted to give these lands, free of taxation for five years, 
to Erastus Corning and others, on condition of building the canal by the 19th of 
May, 1855. The work was completed in style superior to anything on this conti- 
nent, and the locks are supposed to be the largest in the world. The canal is 12 
feet deep, being mostly excavated through solid sandstone rock. It is 100 feet wide 
at the top of the water, and 115 at the top of its banks ; and the largest steamboata 



292 MICHIGAN. 

and vessels which navigate the Great Lakes can pass through it with the greatest 
ease. 

The Upper Peninsula^ or Lake Superior country, of Michigan, has, of late 
years, attracted great attention from its extraordinary mineral wealth, 
especially in copper and iron. The territory comprised in it, together with 
that portion of the Lake Superior region belonging to the state of Wiscon- 
sin, has interests so peculiar to itself, that the project of ceding this 
whole tract, by the legislatures of Wisconsin and Michigan, to the general 
government, for the purpose of erecting a new state to be called Superior, 
has been seriously agitated and may, in some not distant future, be consum- 
mated. 

Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water on the globe, is an object of in- 
terest to the traveler. It is 1,500 miles in circumference, and in some parts more 
than a thousand feet in depth. Among its many islands Isle Koyal is the largest, 
being nearly of the size of the state of Connecticut. The country along the lake 
is one of the moat dreary imaginable. Everywhere its surface is rocky and broken ; 
but the high hills, the rugged precipices, and the rocky shores, with their spare 
vegetation, are relieved by the transparency and purity of the waters that wash 
their base ; these are so clear that the pebbles can often be distinctly seen at the 
depth of thirty feet. A boat frequently appears as if suspended in the air, so trans- 
parent is the liquid upon which it floats. Among the natural curiosities, the Pic- 
tured Rocks and the Doric Arch, on the south shore near the east end, are promi- 
nent. The first are a series of lofty bluffs, of a light gray sandstone, 300 feet 
high, which continue for twelve miles along the shore. They consist of a group 
of overhanging precipices, towering walls, caverns, waterfalls, and prostrate ruins. 
The Doric Arch is an isolated mass of sandstone, consisting of four natural pillars, 
supporting an entablature of the* ame material, and presenting the appearance of 
a work of art. The waters of Lake Superior, being remarkably pure, abound with 
fish, particularly trout, sturgeon and white fish, which are an extensive article of 
commerce. The siskowit of Lake Superior, supposed to be a cross of the trout 
and white fish, is considered by epicures to possess the finest flavor of any fish in 
the world, fresh or salt, and to which the brook trout can bear no comparison. Ifc 
loses its delicacy of flavor when salted ; its common weight is four pounds, and 
length 16 inches. So exhilarating is the winter atmosphere here, that it is said 
that to those who exercise much in the open air, it produces, not unfreqently, an 
inexpressible elasticity and buoyancy of spirits, that can be compared to nothing 
else but to the effects of intoxicating drinks. 

The climate of the Lake Superior region is not, by any means, so severe 
as its northern latitude would indicate. A writer, familiar with it says : 

" No consideration is, perhaps, more important to those seeking a country suita- 
ble for residence and enterprise, than the character of its climate. Health is the 
first, and comfort the next great object, in selecting a permanent abode. Tested 
by these qualities, the Lake Superior region presents prominent inducements. Its 
atmosphere is drier, more transparent and bracing than those of the other states on 
the same parallel. A healthier region does not exist; here the common diseases 
of mankind are comparatively unknown. The lightness of the atmosphere has a 
most invigorating effect upon the spirits, and the breast of the invalid swells with 
new emotion when he inhales its healthy breezes, as they sweep across the lake. 
None of the American lakes can compare with Lake Superior in healthfulness of 
climate during the summer months, and there is no place so well calculated to re- 
store the health of an invalid, who has suffered from the depressing miasms of the 
fever-breeding soil of the south-western states. This opinion is fiist gaining ground 
among medical men, who are now recommending to their patients the healthful 
climate of this favored lake, instead of sending them to die in enervating south- 
ern latitudes. 

The waters of this vast inland sea, covering an area of over 32,000 square miles, 
exercise a powerful influence in modifying the two extremes of heat and cold. 



MICHIGAN. 293 

The uniformity of temperature thus produced, is highly favorable to animal and 
vegetable life. The most delicate fruits and plants are raised without injury; 
while four or five degrees further south, they are destroyed by the early frosts. It 
is a singular fact, that Lake Superior never freezes in the middle ; and along the 
shores, the ice seldom extends out more than fifteen to twenty miles. The temper- 
ature of its waters rarely, if ever change, and are almost always at 40 deg. Fahren- 
heit — the maximum density of water. I rarely omitted taking a morning bath 
during my exploring cruises along the south shore of the lake, in the months of 
A ugust and September, and found the temperature of the water near the shore, 
much warmer than that along the north shore. I also observed a rise and fall in 
the water — or a tidular motion, frequently. In midsummer, the climate is delight- 
ful beyond comparison, while, at the same time, the air is softly bracing. The 
winds are variable, and rarely continue for more than two or three days in the 
same quarter. We have no epidemics, no endemics ; miasmatic affections, with 
their countless ills, are unknown here ; and the luster of the languid eye is restored, 
the paleness of the faded cheek disappears when brought into our midst. The 
purity of the atmosphere makes it peculiarly adapted to all those afflicted with pul- 
monary complaints, and such a thing as consumption produced by the climate, is 
wholly unknown. Fever and ague, that terrible scourge of Illinois, Kanzas and 
Iowa, is rapidly driven away beiore the pure and refreshing breezes which come 
down from the north-west; and thousands of invalids from the states below, have 
already found here a safe retreat from their dreaded enemy. It is also a singular 
fact, that persons suffering from asthma or phthisis, have been greatly relieved, or, 
in some instances, permanently cured by a residence in this climate. Having had 
much experience in camping out on the shores of Lake Superior, sleeping con- 
stantly on the sandy beach, with and without a tent, a few feet from the water's 
edge. I would say, give me the open air in summer to the confinement of the best 
houses ever constructed. It is never vei'y dark in this latitude, and the northern 
lights are usually visible every clear night. Although myself and companions 
were exposed to all kinds of weather on our exploring excursions — with feet wet 
every day, and nearly all day, sleeping on the beach, exposed to heavy dew, yet not 
one of the party ever suffered from exposure! Dr. Owen, the celebrated United 
States geologist, says: 'At the Pembina settlement (in latitude 49 deg.), to a popu- 
lation of five thousand, there was but a single physician, and he told me, that with- 
out an additional salary allowed him by tlie Hudson Bay Company, the diseases of 
the settlement would not afford him a living.' " 



The Copper districts are Ontonagon, Portage Lake and Kewenaw Point. The 
principal iron district, Marquette. The principal mines in the Ontonagon district 
are the Minnesota, Central and Rockland ; in the Portage Lake, Pewaubie, Quincy, 
P'ranklin and Isle Royale ; and in the Kewenaw Point, Cliff, Copper Falls, North- 
west and Central. The value of the copper product, in I860, was about three mil- 
lions of dollars. 

The existence of rich deposits of copper in the Lake Superior region, has been 
known from the earliest times. Father Claude Allouez, the Jesuit missionary, who 
founded the mission of St. Mary, in 1668, says that the Indians respect this lake 
as a divinity, and make sacrifices to it, partly, perhaps, on account of its magni- 
tude, or for its goodness in furnishing them with fishes. He farther adds, that be- 
neath its waters pieces of copper are found of from ten to twenty pounds, which 
the savages often preserved as so many divinities. Other published descriptions 
speak of it. Charlevoix, who visited the west in 1722, says that the copper here 
is so pure that one of the monks, who was bred a goldsmith, mude from it several 
sacramental articles. 

Recent developments show that the mines were probably worked by the same 
mysterious race who, anterior to the Indians, built the mounds and ancient works 
of the west. In the latter have been found various copper trinkets bespangled 
with silver scales, a peculiar feature of the Lake Superior copper, while on the 
shores of the lake itself, abandoned mines, filled by the accumulation of ages, have 
recently been re-opened, the existence of which was unknown, even to the tradi- 



294 



MICHIGAN. 



tions of the present race of Indians. There have been found remains of cop- 
per utensils, in the form of knives and chisels; of stone hammers to the amount of 
cart loads, some of which are of immense size and weight; of wooden bowls for 
boiling water from the mines, and numerous levers of wood, used in raising mass 
copper to the surface. 



LAKE 



S U P E R I 11 




Irou MIdps * 
MAKQUETTn' 



The Copper and Iron Region on Lake Superior. 

The first Englishman who ever visited the copper region was Alex. Henry, the 
trader. In August, 176.5, he was shown by the Indians a mass of pure copper, on 
Ontonagon River, ten miles from its mouth, that weighed 3,800 pounds; it is now 
in Washington City, and forms part of the Washington monument. He cut off a 
piece of 100 lbs. Aveightwith an axe. The first mining company on Lake Superior 
was organized by this enterprising explorer. In 1770, he, with two others, having 
interested the Duke of Gloucester and other English noblemen, built a barge at 
Point aux Pius, and laid the keel of a sloop of forty tuns. They were in search 
of gold and silver, and expected to make their fortunes. The enterpi-ise failed, 
and the American Revolution occurring, for a time caused the mineral resources 
of the country to be forgotten. 

b>r. Franklin, commissioner for negotiating the peace between England and her 
lost colonics, purposely drew the boundary line through Lake Superior, so as to 
throw this rich mineral region, of the existence of Avhich he was then aware, with- 
in the possession of the United States. He afterward stated that future genera- 
tions would pronounce this the greatest service he had ever given to his countr3^ 

The celebrated Connecticut-born traveler, Capt. Jonathan Carver, visited these 
rcnons in 1769, and in his travels dwells upon their mineral wealth. The first 
definite information in regard to the metallic resources of Lake Superior, was pub- ' 
lished in 1841, by Dr. Douglas Houghton, geologist to the state of Michigan. In 
1843, the Indian "title to the country was extinguished by a treaty with the Chip- 
pewas, and settlers came in, among them several Wisconsin miners, who selected 
laroe tracts of land,* including many of those now occupied by the best mines in 
the country. In the summer of 1844, the first mining operations were commenced 



* By an act of congress, in 1850, the mineral lands of Lake Superior were thrown into mar- 
ket with the right of pre-emption, as to occupants of other public lands; and to occupants 
and' lessees, the privilege of purchasing one full section at the minimum price of §2 50 per 
acre. 



MICHIGAN. 295 

on Eagle River, by the Lake Superior Copper Company. They sold out after twc 
or three years' labor, and at the very moment when they Avere upon a vein which 
proved rich in copper, now known as the Cliff Mine. 

The first mining operations brought to light many masses of native copper which 
contained silver. This caused great excitement in the eastern cities, and, with the 
attendant exaggerations, brought on '• the copper fever " so that the next year, 1845, 
the shores of Keweenaw Point were whitened with the tents of speculators. The 
next year the fever reached its hight, and speculations in worthless stocks con- 
tinued until 1847, when the bubble had burst. Many were ruined, and the coun- 
try almost deserted, and of the many companies formed few only had actually en- 
gaged in mining. They were, mostly, merely stock gambling schemes. Now, 
about one third of all the copper produced on the globe comes from this region. 
Such is its surprising richness, that the day may not be very distant when its an- 
nual product will exceed the present product from all the other mines worked by 
man combined. 

We continue this subject from a valuable article, published in 1860, in the 
Detroit Tribune, on the copper and iron interest of Michigan. The notes 
are entirely from other sources: 

This great interest of JMichigan was first brought into public notice by the enor- 
mous speculations and the mad fever of 1845. The large spur of country which pro- 
jects far out into the lake, having its base resting on a line drawn across from 
L'Anse Bay to Ontonagon, and the Porcupine Mountains for its spine, became the 
El Dorado of all copperdom <jf that day. In this year the first active operations 
were commenced at the Clitf Mine, just back of Eagle River harbor. Three years 
later, in 1348, work was undertaken at the Minesota, some fifteen miles back from 
the lake at Ontonagon. 

The history of tlie copper mines on Lake Superior shows that even the best mines 
disappointed the owners in tlie beginning. We give the facts relative to the three 
mines at present in the Lake Superior region to illustrate this. The Cliff Mine 
was discovered in 1845, and worked three years without much sign of success; it 
changed hands at the very moment when the vein was opened which proved after- 
ward to be so exceedingly rich in copper and silver, producing now on an average 
1,500 tuns of stamp, barrel, and mass copper per annum. 

The Minesota Mine was discovered in 1848, and for the first three years gave 
no very encouraging results. The first large mass of native copper of about seven 
tuns was found in a pit made b^- an ancient race. After that discovery mu(^i mo- 
ney was spent before any farther indications of copper were found. This mine 
yields now about '2,000 tuns of copper per annum, and declared for the year 1858 
a net dividend of $300,000. 'J"he dividends paid since 1852 amount to uijward of 
$1,500,000 on a paid up capital of $G6,000.* 

*The cost to the stockholders of the Cliff Mine was $18 50 per share on 6,000 shares, and 
the total cash paid in was $110,905. The highest selling price per share has been $245. 
The years 1845, 184f) and 1847 not a dollar of returns came from the enterprise. In 1848 
the mine was so far opened as to be worked with profit. Since then the dividends in round 
numbers have been, in 1849,860,000; 1850,884,000; 1851, .$60,000 ; 1852, $60,000 ; 1853, 
$90,000; 1854, $108,000; 1855, $78,000 ; 18.56,8180,000; 1857, $180,000 ; and 1858, $209,000. 
Up to Jan. 1, 1859, the dividends paid stockholders, added to the cash, copper and copper 
ore on hand, amounted to over .$3,700,000. 

The cost to the stockholders of the Minesota Mine was $3 per share on 20,000 shares, and 
the total cash paid in, as above stated, $66,000. The highest selling price per share has 
been $110. In 1848, $14,000 was expended, and $1,700 worth of copper produced ; in 1849, 
expenditures, $28,000, copper produced, $14,000 ; 1850, expenditures, $58,000, copper pro- 
duced, $29,000; in 1851, expenditures, $88,000, copper produced, $90,000. In 1852, the fifth 
year from the beginning, the mine had been so far opened that ore in greater quantities 
could be taken out, and the first dividend was declared ; it was $30,000 ; in 1853, dividend, 
$60,000; 1854, $90,000; 1855, 200,000; and in 1856, $300,000; since then the dividends 
have been about $200,000 per annum. In all the stockholders have received more than a 
million of money for their original investment of $66,000, a fair reward for their five years 
waiting on a first dividend. 

These statistics, astonishing as they may seem, are equaled in mining experience in other 



296 MICHIGAN. 

The same has been experienced at the Pewa])ic Mine. That mine commenced 
operations in the year 1855, with an expenditure of $26,357, which produced 
$1,080 worth of copper; the second year it expended $40,820, and produced $31,- 
492 of copper; in 1857, $54,484 of expenses produced $44,058 worth of copper; in 



countries. That correct information should be disseminated upon this subject, is due to the 
assistance required for an early development of the immense natural mineral wealth that our 
country possesses. Hence we lengthen this note by statistics of successful British mines, as 
given by a writer familiar with the subject: 

"He has striich a mine!" is one of those sentences in every one's mouth to indicate extra- 
ordinary good fortune. Phrases lilie these, passing into popular every day use, must orig- 
inate in some great truth impressed upon the public mind. This expression is doubtless of 
foreign origin, for the Americans know so little of mining, that all enterprises of this kind 
are by them reproachfully termed speculative. Yet, when conducted on correct business 
principles, and with knowledge, few investments are more certain than those made in this 
useful branch of industry. 

" This statement can now well be believed which has lately been made by the London Min- 
ing Journal, that 'taking all the investments made in that country (England) in mining enter- 
prises (other than coal and iron) good, bad and indifferent, at home and abroad, the returns 
from the good mines have paid a larger interest upon the entire outlay than is realized in cjmj/ 
other npecies of iiivestmentn.' 

" The exact figures are, for mining, an annual interest of 13 1-2 per cent. Other invest- 
ments 4 8-10 per cent. Amount of dividends paid upon investments in mining, 111 per 
cent. 

This is doubtless owing to the fact that in England mining is treated as a regular busi- 
ness, and is never undertaken by those who are not willing to devote the same attention, 
time, and money to it, that are considered necessary to the success of any other business." 
We have before us a list of twenty three English Mining Companies, showing, first, the 
number of shares of each ; second, the cash cost per share ; third, the present selling price 
per share; and fourth, the amount paid in dividends per share. The mines worked are 
principally copper and lead. 

From this list we gather the following facts, which we express in round numbers : These 
twenty-three companies invested in their enterprises one million and forty thousand dollars. 
The present value of their property is eight millions of dollars. The shareholders have re- 
ceived in dividends fourteen millions of dollars. The average cost per share was sixty-five 
dollars. The present selling price per share is five hundred and two dollars ; and the 
amount of dividends received per share, eight hundred and seventy-three dollars. 

What other branch of industry will average such returns as these? And is it not owing 
to the ignorance of the business men of the United States as to the actual fuct:< of mining, 
when legitimately pursued, that has, in a measure, prevented our industry from being partly 
directed in that channel? 

From the list we group some of the most successful of the mines, arranging the statistics 
so that they can be seen at a glance.- They dwarf by comparison all ordinary investments 
by the immensity of their returns. 

Jamaica, Lead Mine. No. of shares 76. Amount paid per share $19. Present price per 
share, $250. Total amount paid in, $1,444. Present value, $190,000. Increase value on 
the original investment, thirteen times. 

Wheal Basset, Copper. No. of shares, 612. Amount paid per share, $25 25. Present 
price per share, $2,050. Total amount paid in, $12,800. Present value, $1,049,600. In- 
crease in value, eighty times. 

Sojtth Carndon, Copper. No. of shares, 256. Cost per share, $12 30. Present price per 
share, $1,500. Total amount paid in, $3,200. Present value, $384,000. Increase in value, 
one hundred and twenty-two times. 

Wheal BuUer, Copper. No. of shares, 256. Amount paid per share, $25. Present price 
per share, $3,095. Total cash capital, $6,500. Present cash value, $792,000. Increase value, 
one hundred and twenty-four times. 

Devon Great Consols, Copper. No. of shares, 1,024. Amount paid per share, $5. Pres- 
ent price per share, $2,050. Total cash capital, $5,120. Present cash value, $2,099,200. 
Increase value per share more than four hundred times. 

Taking the above five mines together, and the sum of the original cash capital paid in 
by the stockholders was, in round numbers, seventy-nine thousand dollars, and the present 
combined value of the investments, reckoning them at the present selling price of the shares, 
is over four and a half millions of dollars. 

Since the foregoing was written, later sta-tistics than these have come to hand from Gryll's 
Annual Mining Sheet, containing statistics of the copper mines of Cornwall, for the year 
ending June 30, 1859. 

It appears from these that during the past year the last mentioned mine — the 'Devon 
Great Consols,' turned out 23,748 gross tuns of copper. On the 1st of June last, the lucky 



MICHIGAN 



297 



1858, the amount expended was $109,152, and the receipts for copper $76,53S ; the 
total expense amouftts to $235,816, and the total receipts for copper to $153^168. 




OutJhie vieiv of the Minesola Mine. 

The view shows only a small part of tbo surface works. The aggregate extent of openings under ground 
throughout the mine, by shafts and levels, is 31,893 feet, or over six miles in extent. The deepest shaft is 
712 feet. The entire working force at the mine is 718, and the total population supported there by it 1,215. 

It is scarcely ten years that mining has been properly commenced in that re- 
mote region. At that time it was difficult, on account of the rapids of St. Marys 
River, to approach it by water with large craft. Being more than a thousand miles 
distant from the center of the Union, destitute of all the requirements for the de- 
velopment of mines, every tool, every part of machinery, every mouthful of pro- 
vision had to be hauled over the rapids, boated along the shores for hundreds of 
miles to the copper region, and there often carried on the back of man and beast 
to the place where copper was believed to exist. Every stroke of the pick cost 
tenfold more than in popuhited districts; every disaster delayed the operations for 
weeks and months. 

The opening of the Sault Canal has changed all this and added a wonderful im- 
petus to the business, the mining interests, and the development of the Lake Su- 
perior country. Nearly one hundred difl'erent vessels, steam and sail, have been 



shareholders received as their annual dividend .$220 per share. That is mine stock vforth 
having; it cost only $5 per share, fifteen years ago, when the mine was first opened. 

It is true that these are the successful mines. Mines to be placed in this class must be 
either ordinary mines managed with great skill, or exceedingly rich mines, which possess 
naturally such treasures, that they eventually yield immense return in spite of all blunders 
in management." 

To the above extract we append the remarks that the prominent difficulties in this coun- 
try, in the way of successful mining, consist in the total ignorance of those who generally 
engage in the business, most American mining companies proving but mere phantoms on 
which to build airy castles, and most American mines but ugly holes in which to bury money, 
which, like Kidd's treasure is never found again. None but those used from youth to the 
business of mining, and for the very metals mined for, are fit to conduct the business. Noth- 
ing but the mechanical education to open a mine, and the skill to work the machinery, 
united with a knowledge of geology and chemistry, and more especially that intricate and 
delicate branch, melallurgij, joined to extraordinary executive skill in the business manage- 
ment, will conduct an enterprise of the kind to any but a disastrous issue. 

Aside from this, such has been the selfishness, ignorance and neglect of those persons in 
this country who have had the control of these enterprises, that let any mine promise ever 
BO fairly, an investment in its stock is now regarded as silly as a purchase in a lottery. 
It is said that six millions of dollars were lost during " the copper fever" on Lake Su- 
perior, much of it indirectly stolen by smooth talking gentlemen, regarded as reputable 
among their neighbors. 



298 MICHIGAN. 

engaged the past season in its trade, and the number of these is destined hirgely to 
increase year by year, an indication of the growth of business and the opening up 
of the country. For the growth in the copper interest we have only to refer to the 
shipments from that region year by Year. These, in gross, are as follows: in 1853, 
2,535 tuns; 1854,3,500; 1855,4,544; 1856,5,357; 1857, 6,094; 1858, 6,025: 1859, 
6,245; and in 1860, estimated, 9,000. 

The same facts of development would hold generally true, with regard to the 
other industrial interests of that vast country. 

It remains yet almost wholly " a waste, howling wilderness." At Marquette, 
Portage Lake, Copper Harbor, Eagle River, Eagle Harbor, and Ontonagon, and 
the mines adjacent, are the only places where the primeval forests had given place 
to the enterprise of man, and these, in comparison with the whole extent of terri- 
tory embraced in this region, are but mere insignificant patches. What this coun- 
try may become years hence, it would defy all speculations now to predict, but 
there seems no reason to doubt that it will exceed the most sanguine expecta- 
tions. 

The copper region is divided into three districts, viz : the Ontonagon, the Ke- 
weenaw Point, and the Portage Lake. Plach district has some peculiarities' of 
product, the first developing more masses, while the latter are more prolific in 
vein-rock, the copper being scattered throughout the rock. 

There have been since 1845 no less than 116 copper mining companies organized 
under the general law of Michigan. The amount of capital invested and now in 
use, or which has been paid out in explorations and improvements, and lost, is es- 
timated by good judges at $6,000,000. The nominal amount of capital stock in- 
vested in all the companies which have charters would reach an indefinite number 
of millions. As an offset to this, it may be stated that the Cliff and Minnesota 
mines have returned over $2,000,000 in dividends from the beginning of their ope- 
rations, and the value of these two mines will more than cover the whole amount 
spent in mining, and for all the extravagant undertakings which have been entered 
upon and abandoned. While success has been the exception and f\iilure the rule 
in copper speculations, yet it must be admitted that these exceptions are remarka- 
bly tempting ones. Doubtless there is immense wealth still to be developed in 
these enterprises, and this element of wealth in the Lake Superior region is yet 
to assume a magnitude now unthought of 

The copper is smelted mainly in Detroit, Cleveland and Boston, the works in 
Detroit being the largest There is one establishment at Pittsburg which does 
most of the smelting for the Cliff Mine; one at Bergen, N. Y., and one at New 
Haven, Ct. There are two at Baltimore, but they are engaged on South American 
mineral. The Bruce Mines, on the Camida side of Lake Huron, have recently put 
smelting works in operation on their location. Prior to this the mineral was bar- 
reled up and shipped to London, being taken over as ballast in packet ships at low 
rates. 

The amount of copper smelted in Detroit we can only judge by the amount 
landed here, but this will afford a pretty accurate estimate. The number of tuna 
landed here, in 1859, was 3,088. The copper yield of Lake Superior will produce 
between 60 and 70 per cent, of ingot copper, which is remarkably pure. The net 
product of the mines for 1859 is worth in the markets of the world nearly or quite 
$2,000,000. This large total shows the capabilities of this region and affords us 
some basis of calculation as to the value and probable extent of its future devel- 
opments. Beside this amount, already noticed, as landed at Detroit, there were 
1,268 tuns brought there from the Bruce Mines, and sent to London. 

There are indications that Michigan is slowly but surely taking the rank to which she 
is entitled, in the manufacture as well as production ol' IroiN. The first shipment of pig 
iron of any consequence was made by the Pioneer Company in the fall of 1858. 

The Lake Superior iron has been proclaimed the best in the world, a proposition that 
none can successfully refute. Its qualities are becoming known in quarters where it would 
naturally be expected its superiority would be admitted reluctantly, if at all. It is now sent 
to New York and Ohio, and even to Pennsylvania — an agency for its sale having been 
established in Pittsburg. For gearing, shafting, cranks, flanges, and, we ought by all 
means to add, car wheels, no other should be used, provided it can be obtained. 



MICHIGAN. 299 

A large amount of capital is invested in tho iron interest in Michigan — over two millions 
of dollars. 

Marquette is the only point on Lake Superior where the iron ore deposits have been 
worked. There are deposits of iron in the mountains back o-f L'Anse, but this wonderful 
region leaves nothing more to be desired for the present. At a distance of eighteen milo3 
from the lake, are to be found iron mountains, named the Sharon, Burt, Lake Superior, 
Cleveland, Collins, and Barlow, while eight miles further back lie the Ely and St. Clair 
mountains. Three of these mountains are at present worked, tho Sharon, the Cleaveland, 
and the Lake Superior, and contain enough ore to supply the world for generations to come. 
The mountains further back embrace tracts of hundreds of acres rising to a hight of from 
four to six hundred feet, which there is every reason to believe, from the explorations made, 
are solid iron ore. The extent of the contents of these mountains is perfectly fabulous, in 
fact, so enormous as almost to bafHe computation. The ore, too, is remarkably rich, yield- 
ing about seventy per cent, of pure metal. There are now in operation at Marquette three 
iron mining companies and two blast furnaces for making charcoal pig iron, the Pioneer 
and Meigs. The Pioneer has two stacks and a capacity of twenty tuns pig iron per day; 
the Meigs one stack, capfible of turning out about eleven tuns. The Northern Iron Com- 
pany is building a large bituminous coal furnace at the mouth of the Chocolate River, three 
miles south of Marquette, which will be in operation early in the summer. 

Each of the mining companies, the Jackson, Cleveland and Lake Superior, have docks 
at the harbor for shipment, extending out into the spacious and beautiful bay which lies 
in front of Marquette, to a sufficient length to enable vessels of the largest dimensions to 
lie by their side and be loaded directly from the cars, which are run over the vessels and 
" dumped " into shutes, which are made to empty directly into the holds. The process of 
loading is therefore very expeditious and easy. 

The amount of shipments of ore for 1859, from Marquette to the ports below, reaches 
75,000 gross tuns in round numbers, and the shipments of pig iron, 6,000 gross tuns more. 
To this must be adiied the amount at Marquette when navigation closed, the amount at 
the mines ready to be brought down, and the amount used on the spot. This will give a 
total product of the iron mines of Michigan, for the past year, of between ninety avd one 
hundred thousand tuns. These mining companies simply mine and ship the ore and sell it. 
Their profit ranges between seventy-five cents and one dollar per tun. 

The quality of the iron of Lake Superior is conceded by all to be the best in the world, 
as the analysis of Prof. Johnston, which we reproduce, shows. The table shows the rela- 
tive strength per square inch in pounds: Salisbury, Ct., iron, 58,009; Swedish (best), 58,- 
184; English cable, 59,105; Centre county. Pa., 59,400; Essex county, N. Y., 59,962; 
Lancaster countv, Pa., 58,661 ; Russia (best), 76,069; Common English and American, 
30,000; Lake Superior, 89,582. 

The manufacture of pig iron at Marquette will probably be can-ied on even more exten- 
sively, as the attention of capitalists is directed to it. The business may be extended in- 
definitely, as the material is without limit, and the demand, thus far, leaving nothing on 
hand. 

These facts exhibit the untold wealth of Michigan in iron alone, and point with certain- 
ty to an extent of business that will add millions to our invested capital, dot our state with 
iron manufactories of all kinds, and furnish regular employment to tens of thousands of 
our citizens, while our raw material and our wares shall be found in all the principal mar- 
kets of the world. 

In the mining regions are the following towns, the largest of which has 
1,200 souls. Ontonagon is at the mouth of Ontonagon River, and is the 
largest mining depot. It is in the vicinity of the Minnesota Mine, and will in 
time have a railroad connection with Milwaukie and Chicago, and eventually 
with Cincinnati, heavy grants of land having been made through Michigan 
to aid in the enterprise : also with the Canadian railroads. Eagle River is in 
the vicinity of the CliflF and several other mines. Eagle Ilarhor, Copper Harbor, 
and Fort Wilkins., the latter a delightful summer resort, all are in the same 
neighborhood. Marquette is the iron city of Lake Superior: a railroad is 
constructing and partly finished, to connect it with Little Noquet Bay, 117 
miles distant, on Lake Michigan. 

We conclude this notice of this district by a description of Life at the 
Mines, as given by a visitor to the ClifiF. 

The situation of the Cliff Mine is one of great picturesquencss. The valley which is 
about five hundred feet above the level of the lake, is surrounded on three sides by a rango 



300 MICHIGAN". 

of mountains, which sweeps round in a crescent form, trending in a south-westerly direc- 
tion, and forming the west boundary of the Ragle River. Toward the valley these moun- 
tains present a front of massive grandeur, being mostly perpendicular, and having an ele- 
vation of from three to four hundred feet above the valley. 

The population of the mine location is set down at about twelve hundred persons. Each 
family has a separate cottage, and is required to take four boarders. This system of di- 
viding the population into small families has been found to work better for the mine, and 
to be more satisfactory to the miners themselves, than the congregation in large boarding 
houses. The population consists principally of Cornishmen, the miners being exclusively 
of that class. The mine " captains " are also old and experienced " captains " from the 
copper mines of Cornwall, and are a jolly, good tempered set of men. The miners tliein- 
selves appear to be good humored, sociable, and intelligent in everything relating to their 
business 

The ordinary labor " at grass" is mostly done by Dutch, Irish, and Canadian French. 
Tho breaking of the rock sent up from below is principally done by the Dutch, the Irish 
are the teamsters, and the French are employed in a variety of ways on the surface. From 
the intense national antipathy between the Cornish and the Irish, the number of the latter 
employed is very small. From the fact of the Cliff being so old and extensive a mine, 
most of the newly arrived Cornish make directly for it, thus giving the managers oppor- 
tunity to select the best. The Cornish miners at this place are therefore good specimens 
of their class. Their dialect varies greatly, according to the section of Cornwall from 
which they come, some speaking with but a slight variation from the usual manner, and 
others having a vocabulary and intonation of voice that render their conversation bewil- 
dering to the uninitiated. 

The location comprises three churches, Episcopal, Wesleyan Methodist and Catholic. 
In addition to the churches there is a well built school house, store, provision warehouse, 
and other buildings. No tavern or beer shop stands within the location, the sale of alco- 
holic or spiritous liquors being forbidden within the limits. One or two whisky and beer 
shops stand beyond the location. Drunkenness is rigidly interdicted anywhere on the 
company's property. All persons living on the location are treated as belonging to the 
general family, and are subjected to a code of rules. The miners have a monthly contri- 
bution reserved from their wages for the support of the doctor, who attends the miners and 
their families without additional charge. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, ETC. 

Puntiac, a chief of the Ottawa tribe, was one of the most remarkable and dis- 
tinguished men of his race who have figured in history. Maj. Rogers, who knew 
him and the tribes over whom he held sway, thus speaks of them in 1765 : "Tlie 
Indians on the lakes are generally at peace with each other. They are formed 
into a sort of empire, and the emperor is selected from the eldest tribe, which is 
the Ottawas, some of whom inhabit near our fort at Detroit, but are mostly 
further westward toward the Mississippi. Ponteack is their pi-esent king or em- 
peror, who certainly has the largest empire and greatest authority of any Indian 
chief that has appeared on the continent since our acquaintance with it. He puts 
on an air of majesty and princely grandeur, and is greatly honored and revered 
by his subjects." 

"About eight miles above Detroit, at the head of the Detroit River, is Pechee 
Island, a green spot, set amid the clearest waters, surrounded by dense forests, 
at all times cool from the breezes of the northern lakes, and removed from the rest 
of the world. Pontiac made this island his summer residence, and in winter lodged 
at the Ottawa village opposite, on the Canadian bank, and which has been described 
as having been situated above the town of Detroit. Poetry may imagine him here, 
musing upon the inroads of the English and the declining fortunes of his race, 
and looking upon the gorgeous domain which was spread around him, and which 
now constitutes the most beautiful part of Michigan — as a territory which wtis 
soon to pass from his hands. To this land he held a right of pre-emption, the time 
whereof the memory of man ran not to the contrary; and superadded to this, a 
patent from the Great Spirit, which established his title on solid ground." — Lan- 
man's Michigan. 

Pontiac displayed more system in his undertakings than any other of his race 
of whom we have knoAvledge. In his war of 1763, which is justly called "Pon- 



MICHIGAN". 



301 



Macs War" he appointed a commissary, issued bills of credit, all of which he 
aftervTard carefully redeemed. He made his bills or notes of bark, on which was 
a drawing or figure of what he wanted for it. The shape of an otter, the insignia 
or arms of his nation was drawn under the required article. After the conquest 
of Canada by the English, Pontiac sued for peace, which was granted. When the 
American Revolution commenced, the Americans sent messages to him to meet 
them in council. He was inclined to do so, but was prevented, from time to time, 
by Gov. Hamilton, of Detroit. He now appeared to have become the friend of the 
English, and to reward his attachment, the British government granted him a lib- 
eral pension. It is related that his fidelity being suspected, a spy was sent to ob- 
serve his conduct. As he was acting professedly as a British agent among the 
Indiana in Illinois, the spy discovered that Pontiac, in his speech, was betraying 
the British interests, and thereupon plunged a knife into his heart. 

James Marquette^ the celebrated explorer of the Mississippi, and one of the most 
zealous of that extraordinary class of men, the Jesuit missionaries, was born in 
1637, of a most ancient and honorable family of the city of Laon, France, and en- 
tered, at the early age of 17, the Society of Jesus; after studying and teaching for 
many years, he was invested with the priesthood, upon which he at once sought a 
mission in some land that knew not God, that he might labor there to his latest breath, 
and die unaided and alone. His desire was gratified. He founded the missions of 
St. Marys, St. Ignace and Mackinaw. For nine years he labored among the In- 
dians, and was enabled to preacli to them in ten different languages. " In his va- 
rious excursions," says Bancroft, "he was exposed to the inclemencies of nature 
and the savage. He took his life in his hands, and bade them defiance ; waded 
through water and through snows, without the comfort of a fire ; subsisted on 
pounded maize ; was freqently without any other food than the unwholesome moss 
gathered from the rocks; traveled far and wide, but never without peril. Still, 
said he, life in the wilderness Iiad its charms — his heart swelled with rapture, as he 
moved over the waters, transparent as the most limpid fountain." 

In May, 1685, as he was returning up Lake Michigan to his little flock at Point 
Ignace, from one of his missions of love to the Indians of the Illinois, he felt that 
his final hour was approaching. Leaving his men with the canoe, he landed at the 
mouth of a stream running from the peninsula, and went a little apart to pray. 
As much time passed and he did not return, they called to mind that he said some- 
thing of his death being at hand, and on anxiously going to seek him found him 
dead whepe he had been praying. They dug a grave, and there buried the holy 
man in the sand. 

" The Indians of Mackinaw and vicinity, and also those of Kaskaskia, were in 
great sorrow when the tidings of Marquette's death reached them. Not long after 
this melancholy event, a large company of Ojibwas, Ottawas, and Hurons, who had 
been out on a hunting expedition, landed their canoes at the mouth of Marquette 
River, with the intention of removing his remains to Mackinaw. They had heard 
of his desire to have his body interred in the consecrated ground of St. Ignatius, 
and they had resolved that the dying wish of the missionary should be fulfilled. 
As they stood around in silence and gazed upon the cross that marked the place 
of his burial, the hearts of the stern warriors were moved. The bones of the mis- 
sionary were dug up and placed in a neat box of bark made for the occasion, and 
the numerous canoes which formed a large fleet started from the mouth of the 
river, with nothing but the sighs of the Indians and the dip of the paddles to break 
the silence of the scene. As they advanced toward Mackinaw, the funeral cortege 
was met by a large number of canoes bearing Ottawas, Hurons, and Iroquois, and 
still others shot out ever and anon to join the fleet. 

When they arrived in sight of the Point, and beheld the cross of St. Ignatius as 
if painted against the northern sky, the missionaries in charge came out to the 
beach clad in vestments adapted to the occasion. How was the scene hightened 
when the priests commenced, as the canoe bearing the remains of Marquette neared 
the shore, to chant the requiem for the dead. Ihe whole population was out, en- 
tirely covering the beach, and as the procession marched up to the chapel, with 
cross and prayer, and tapers burning, and laid the bark box beneath a pall made 
in the form of a coflSn, the sons and daughters of the forest wept. After the fun(> 



802 MICHIGAN. 

ral service was ended, the coffin was placed in a vault in the middle of the church, 
where, the Catholic historian says, ' Marquette reposes as the guardian angel of 
the Ottawa missions.' 

' He was the first and last white man who ever had such an assembly of the wild 
sons of the forest to attend him to his grave. 

' So many stirring events succeeded each other after this period — first, the war 
between the English Cohmists and the French; then the Colonists with the Indi- 
ans, the Revolutionary war, the Indian wars, and finally the war of 1812, with the 
death of all those Avho witnessed his burial, including the Fathers who officiated 
at the time, whose papers were lost, together with the total destruction and evacu- 
ation of this mission station for many years, naturally obliterated all recollections 
of the transaction, which accounts for the total ignorance of the present inhabit- 
ants of Point St. Ignatius respecting it. The locality of his grave is lost, but only 
until the archangel's trump, at the last, shall summon him from his narrow grave, 
with those plumed and painted warriors who now lie around him.' " 

Gen. Wm. Hull wa-n born in Derby, Conn., in 175.3, and was educated at Yale 
College. Entering the army of the Revolution, he performed most valuable ser- 
vices and behaved bravely on many a battle field. Washington regarded him as 
one of his most useful officers. In 1805, when Michigan was erected into a terri- 
tory, he was appointed by congress its governor. On the outbreak of the war, he 
was commissioned brigadier general. " In the comparatively weak fort at Detroit," 
savs Lossing, "he was invested by a strong force of British and Indians; and, to 
save his command from almost certain destruction, he surrendered the fort, hia 
army of two thousand men, and the territory, to the enemy. For this he was tried 
for treason and cowardice, and being unable to produce certain official testimony 
which subsequently vindicated his character, he was found guilty t)f the latter, and 
sentenced to be shot. The president of the United States, ' in consideration of his 
age and revolutionary services,' pardoned him, but a cloud was upon his fome and 
honor. He published a vindicatory memoir, in 1S24, which changed public opin- 
ion in his favor. Yet he did not live long to enjoy the efl'ects of that change. He 
died at Newton, on the 29th of November, 1825, at the age of seventy-two year;?. 
A Memoir of General Hull, by his daughter and grandson, was published in 1848. 
It fulhj vindicates the character of the injured patriot, by documentary evi- 
dence." 

Stevens Thompson Mason, the first governor of the state of ^lichigan, was the 
only son of Gen. John Mason, of Kentucky, but was born in Virginia in -1812. At 
the early age of 19, he was appointed secretary of the territory of Michigan, and 
at the age of 22 was acting governor. In 1836, at 24 years of age, he was chosen 
governor of the new state. He was again elected in 1838, and died in 1843, when 
only 31 years of age. 

Geji. Alexander Macomb, was the son of an English gentleman, born in the 
British garrison at Detroit, on the 3d of April, 1782, just at the close of the Revo- 
lution. His father subsequently settled at New York. He entered the army at* 
a cornet at an early age, and continued in the service until his death, at W'ashing 
ton in 1841, being at the time general in-chief He was succeeded by Winfield 
Scott. He was an excellent officer, and for his services at the battle of Plattsburg, 
congress presented him with a vote of thanks and a gold medal. 

Dr. Douglas Houghton was born in Troy, in 1809, and educated for the medical 
profession. In 1831, he was appointed surgeon and botanist to the expedition sent 
out by government to explore the sources of the Mississippi, and made an able re- 
port upon the botany of the region through which he passed. Settling in Detroit, 
to practice medicine, he was appointed, in 1837, state geologist. In 1842, he was 
elected mayor of the city of Detroit, and from its foundation was professor in thq 
State University. His life was one of incessant labor, and he accomplished more 
than any man living in developing the resources of Michigan, especially its min- 
eral wealth. His reports upon the mineral region of Lake Superior, first aroused 
the minds of this generation to the vast riches that lie buried beneath its soil. He 
was drowned in October, 1845, on Lake Superior. While coming down from a 
portage to Copper Harbor, with his four Indian voyageurs, the boat was swamped 



MICHIGAN. 303 

in a storm, near the mouth of Eagle River. Two of the men were saved by being 
thrown by the waves upon the rocks ten feet above the usual level of the waters. 
He perished, and so greatly was his loss felt to be a public calamity, that he is often 
alluded to as "the lamented Hovghion," even to this day. 

Gov. Lewis Cass was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Oct. 9, 1782. " Having re- 
ceived a limited education at his native place, at the early age of seventeen, he 
crossed the Alleghany Mountains on foot, to seek a home in the "great west," then 
an ahnost unexplored wilderness. Settled at Marietta, Ohio, he studied law, and 
was successful. Elected at twenty-five to the legislature of Ohio, he originated the 
bill which arrested the proceedings of Aaron Burr, and, as stated by Mr. Jefferson, 
was the first blow given to what is known as Burr's conspiracy. In 1807, he was 
appointed, by Mr. Jefferson, marshal of the state, and held the ofiice till the latter 
part of 1811, when he volunteered to repel Indian aggressions on the frontier. He 
was elected colonel of the 3d regiment of Ohio volunteers, and entered the military 
service of the United States, at the commencement of the war of 1812. Having 
by a difficult march reached Detroit, he urged the immediate invasion of Canada, 
and was the author of the proclamation of that event. He was the first to land in 
arms on the enemy's shore, and, with a small detachment of troops, fought and 
won the first battle, that of the Tarontoe. At the subsequent capitulation of De- 
troit, he was absent, on important service, and regretted that his command and 
himself had been included in that capitulation. Liberated on parol, he repaired 
to the seat of government to report the causes of the disaster, and the failure of 
the campaign. He was immediately appointed a colonel in the regular army, and, 
soon after, promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, having, in the mean time, 
been elected major-general of the Ohio volunteers. On being exchanged and re- 
leased from parol, he again repaired to the frontier, and joined the army for the 
recovery of Michigan. Being at that time without a command, he served and dis- 
tinguished himself, as a volunteer aid-de-camp to Gen. Harrison, at the battle of the 
Thames. He was appointed by President Madison, in October, 1813, governor of 
Michigan. His position combined, with the ordinary duties of chief magistrate 
of a civilized community, the immediate management and control, as superintend- 
ent, of the relations with the numerous and powerful Indian tribes in that region 
of country. He conducted with success the affairs of the territory under embar- 
rassing circumstances. Under his sway peace was preserved between the whites 
and the treacherous and disaffected Indians, law and order established, and the 
territory rapidly advanced in population, resources, and prosperity. He held this 
position till July, 1831, when he was, by President Jackson, made secretary of 
war. In the latter part of 1836, President Jackson appointed him minister to 
France, where he remained until 1842, when he requested his recall, and returned 
to this country. In January, 1845, he was elected, by the legislature of Michigan, 
to the senate of the United States; which place he resigned on his nomination, in 
May, 1S48, as a candidate for the presidency, by the political party to which he 
belongs. After the election of his opponent (General Taylor) to that ofiice, the 
legislature of his state, in 1849, re-elected him to the senate for the unexpired poi*- 
tion of his original term of six years. When Mr. Buchanan became president, he 
invited Gen. Cass to the head of the department of state, in which position he has 
acquitted himself with characteristic ability. He has devoted some attention to 
literary pursuits, and his writings, speeches, and state papers would make several 
volumes." — Lanman's Dictionary of U. S. Congress. 



W ISC NSIN. 




"Wisconsin derives its name from its principal river, wliich the Chippewas, 
tIio resided on its head-waters, called the Wees-kon-san, which signifies 

"gathering of the waters." The 
French voyageurs called it Ouiscojisin, 
the first syllable of which is nearer 
the Indian sound than Wis. The 
first white men on the soil of Wis- 
consin were two French fur traders, 
who passed the winter of 1659 among 
the Indians of Lake Superior. Ar- 
riving at Quebec the next summer, 
with sixty canoes, loaded with furs, 
and manned with 300 Algonquins, 
they aroused a spirit of religious 
zeal among the Jesuits to bear the 
cross in the cabins of those distant 
tribes. In 1661, Father Mesnard 
went on a mission to the south side 
of Lake Superior, where he resided 
more than eight months, surrounded 
by savages and a few French voy- 
ageurs: he finally perished, in some 
unknown way, in the rocky pine clad wilderness. Undismayed by his sad 
fate a successor was appointed, Father Claude Allouez, who arrived at the 
Sault Ste. Marie on the 1st of September, 1668. "He employed the whole 
month of September in coasting the southern portion of Lake Superior, 
where he met many Christians baptized by Father Mesnard. ' I had the 
pleasure,' says this venerable man, 'of assuring, by baptism, the eternal sal- 
vation of many a dying infant.' His success with the adults seems to have 
been less. At Chagouamigon, or St. Michael, on the south-western side of 
Lake Superior, there were gathered eight hundred warriors of different 
nations; a chapel was built; among them were several tribes who under- 
stood the Algonquin language. So fine an occasion for exercising his 
zeal could not be overlooked. 'I spoke in the Algonquin language,' sayahe, 
'for a long time, on the subject of the Christian religion, in an earnest ami 
powerful manner, but in language suited to the capacity of my audience. I 

20 305 



Asms op Wisconsin. 
Motto — Forward. 



306 WISCONSIN. 

was greatly applauded, but this was the only fruit of my labors.' Among the 
number assembled, were three hundred ]^)ttawatonlies, two hundred Sauks, 
eighty Illinoians. In the year 16G8, peace having been established between 
the French and the Six Nations, many discoveries were made, and many new 
missions established. In this year Fathers Dablon and Marquette went to 
the mission of Sault Ste. Marie. In the same year, Father Nicholas, who was 
on the mission with Allouez, conducted a deputation of 'Nez Perces,' an Al- 
gonquin tribe, to Quebec, and Father Allouez went to the mission at Green 
Bay. Sault Ste. Marie was made the center of their missionary labors among 
the Algonquin tribes." 

Father Marquette had been residing at the Straits of Mackinaw and the 
Sault Ste. Marie about five years, when, accompanied by M. Joliet, a French 
gentleman of Quebec, and five French voyageurs and two Indian guides, he 
started from the straits on an exploring expedition. He "had heard of the 
great river of the west, and flincied that upon its fertile banks — not mighty 
cities, mines of gold, or fountains of youth, but whole tribes of God's chil- 
dren, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come. Filled with the 
wish to go and preach to them, he obeyed with joy the orders of Talon, the 
wise intendent of Canada, to lead a party into the unknown distance." 

Marquette passed down Green Bay to Fox River, which they entered, and 
dragged their canoes through its strong rapids to a village of Indians where 
Father Allouez had visited, and where " they found a cross, on which hung 
skins and belts, bows and arrows, which they had offered to the great Mani- 
tou (God), to thank him because he had taken pity on them during the win- 
ter, and had given them abundant chase." Beyond this point no Frenchman 
had gone, and here was the bound of discovery. 

" Being guided by the friendly Indians, Marquette and his companions came 
to the Wisconsin Biver, about three leagues distant, whose waters flowed 
westward. They floated down the river till the 17th of June, 1673, when 
they reached the Mississippi, the great ^Father of Wafers,' which they en- 
tered with 'a joy that could not be expressed,' and raising their sails to new 
skies, and to unknown breezes, floated down this mighty river, between broad 
plains, garlanded with majestic forests and chequered with illimitable prairies 
and island groves. They descended about one hundred and eighty miles, 
when Marquette and Joliet landed, and followed an Indian trail about six 
miles, to a village. They were met by four old men, bearing the pipe of 
peace and 'brilliant with many colored plumes.' An aged chief received 
them at his cabin, and, with uplifted hands, exclaimed: ^Hoio hcantlful is the 
sun, FrencJimcn, ivhen thou comest to visit us! — our ichoh village awaits tJiee — 
in ])eace thou shalt enter all our dwellings.' Previous to their departure, an 
Indian chief selected a peace pipe from among his warriors, embellished with 
gorgeous plumage, which^he hung around the neck of Marquette, 'the mys- 
terious arbiter of peace and war — the sacred calumet — the white man's pro- 
tection among savages.' On reaching their boats, the little group proceeded 
onward. 'I did not,' says Marquette, 'fear death; I should have esteemed 
it the greatest happiness to have died for the glory of God.' They passed 
the mouth of the Missouri, and the humble missionary resolved in his mind, 
one day, to ascend its mighty current, and ascertain its source; and descend- 
ing from thence toward the west, publish the gospel to a people of whom he 
bad never heard. Passing onward, they floated by the Ohio, then, and for 
a brief time after, called the Wabash, and continued their explorations as 
far south as the mouth of the Arkansas, where they were escorted to the 



WISCONSIN. 



307 



Indian village of Arkansea. Being now satisfied that the Mississippi en- 
tered the Gulf of Mexico, west of Florida, and east of California; and hav- 
ing spoken to the Indians of God and the mysteries of the Catholic faith, 
Marquette and Joliet prepared to ascend the stream. They returned by the 
/oute of the Illinois liiver to Green Bay, where they arrived in August. 
Marquette remained to preach the gospel to the Miamis, near Chicao-o. 
Joliet, in person, conveyed the glad tidings of their discoveries to Quebec. 
They were received with enthusiastic delight. The bells were run"' durin^ 
the whole day, and all the clergy and dignitaries of the place went, in pro- 
cession, to the cathedral, where Te Deum was sung and high mass cele- 
brated." 

Wisconsin was next visited by La Salle and Father Hennepin, a Fancis- 
ean friar, a man of ambition and energy. These adventurers having passed 
down the Illinois, Hennepin paddled up the Mississippi as far as the Wiscon- 
sin, where he was taken prisoner by the Indians, who treated him and his 
companions kindly. They then took them up to the Falls, which Hennepin 
named St. Anthony, in honor of his patron saint. From this point he re- 
turned to Canada, by way of Lake Superior, and thence to France. The 
first permanent settlement by the whites in Wisconsin, appears to have been 
made at Green Bay, about the year 1745, by Augustin De Langlade, a na- 
tive of France, of noble ftiraily, who emigrated to Canada at an early age. 

The territory remained under the government of France till 1763, when, 
at the treaty of Paris, it was ceded to Great Britain, who "retained it until 
the independence of the United States was acknowledged by that countrv, in 
1783, when it was claimed by Virginia as part of the Illinois country, "con- 
quered by Col. George Rodgers Clark. It remained, however, in the posses- 
sion of Great Britain till 1796, when it was surrendered in accordance with 
Jays treaty, ratified the previous year. In 1784, it was ceded by Virginia 
to the United States. In 1787, a government was provided for the territory 
north-west of the Ohio. In 1800, it was divided into two separate govern- 
ments, the western being called Indiana. In 1809, Indiana was divided and 
Illinois organized. When Illinois was formed into a state, in 1818, the ter- 
ritory north of the parallel of Lat. 42° 30', west of the middle of Lake 
Michigan, was attached to the territory of Michigan, which had been set off 
from Indiana in 1805. 

In 1832, commenced the ^'^ Black Haivk TFar," the most important actions 
of which took place within the '■ Huron District " of Michigan, as Wiscon- 
sin was then called: they will be found detailed on page 1106 of this work. 
When Michigan was formed into a state, in 1836, Wisconsin was erected into 
a separate territorial government. Wisconsin Territory comprised within its 
limits and jurisdiction the whole region from Lake Michigan to Lake Supe- 
rior, extending westward to the Missouri River, including all the sources of 
the Upper Mississippi. Its southern limits were the northern boundaries of 
the states of Illinois and Missouri, and its extent from north to south was 
580 miles, and from east to west 650 miles. The first " governor and super- 
intendent of Indian affaii^s " was Henry Dodge, and John S. Horner was 
territorial secretary. Gov. Dodge convened the first territorial legislature at 
Belmont, now in Lafayette county. The second session was convened in 
Burlington, now in Iowa, and the next, in 1838, in Madison, the present 
capital. 

" The settled portions of the territory were chiefly near the western phore 
cf Lake Michigan, and the organized counties extended westward and south- 



308 WISCONSIN. 

westwardly to the banks of the Fox River of Green Bay, as far as Fort 
Winnebago, and thence down the Wisconsin River, on the south-eastern side^ 
for thirty miles below the "portage." At the same time, immigrants, by way 
of Milwaukie and Racine, were advancing upon the upper tributaries of Rock 
River, as far west as the "Four Lakes" and Fort Madison. A few settle- 
ments had extended, likewise, westward to the banks of the Mississippi, north 
of Galena and the Illinois state line. Others had been slowly, for more than 
three years, extending west of the Mississippi, upon the waters of the Des 
Moines, Skunk River, Lower Iowa, and Waubesapinacon, as well as upon 
the immediate banks of the Mississippi itself. These settlements, for tem- 
porary government, were annexed to the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Ter- 
ritory as the " District of Iowa." 

The remainder of the Territory of Wisconsin, north and west of the Wis- 
consin River and of Fox River, as well as the northern and western portions 
of the present state of Iowa, was a savage waste, still in the partial occu- 
pancy of the remaining tribes of Indians, and in a great degree unknown to 
civilization. Such were the extent and population of the Wisconsin Terri- 
tory upon its first independent organization. 

During the years 1841, 1842, and 184.3, emigration from the north-eastern 
states began to send its floods into the Wisconsin Territory, both by way of 
the lakes and by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, to the banks of the 
Wisconsin River. Thousands, especially in the latter years, crowded into 
the beautifully undulating lands along the western shore of Lake Michigan, 
south of Green Bay, to the Illinois line; and population extended rapidly 
from the lake shore westward to the banks of Fox River, and along the re- 
gion south of the Wisconsin River as far as the banks of the Mississippi. 
Settlements soon spread over this delightful country, diversified by lakes and 
prairies, in which all the crystal tributaries of Rock River take their rise. 

A few years before, this had been called the "Far West," beyond the ad- 
vance of white settlements and civilized life, in the sole occupancy of the 
most degraded and improvident of the savages, the Winnebagoes, Sauks, and 
Foxes. Now towns and commerce occupy the seats and haunts of the de- 
graded Indian, upon which the rays of civilization had never beamed. A 
large mercantile town, with an active and enterprising community, had sprung 
up at Milwaukie Bay; a town which, three years afterward, in 1845, became 
an incorporated city, with extensive powers and privileges, designed to render 
It the commercial emporium of the future state of Wisconsin. Other trad- 
ing towns lined the beautiful shore of the lake for many miles north and 
south of this central depot. 

During the year 1843, the aggregate number of persons who arrived in 
the Wisconsin Territory has been estimated at more than sixty thousand, 
embracing all ages and sexes. Of these, about fifty thousand arrived by way 
of the lake route. The remainder advanced by way of the Mississippi and 
Wisconsin Rivers, and comprised a great proportion of foreign emigrants 
from the German states. These emigrants spread over the country south and 
east of the Wisconsin River, and opened new settlements upon its northern 
and western tributaries. In 1845, Wisconsin Territory contained more in- 
habitants than any other new state possessed upon her admission into the 
Union; yet the people, satisfied with the territorial form of gover^iment, de- 
sired not, in the recent state of the principal settlements, to incur the addi- 
tional expense of an independent state government. Hence, with a popula- 
tion of more than one hundred and forty thousand souls, the WisconsLn Ter- 



WISCONSIN. 3Qg 

ritory had not, in 1845, made application to congress for authority to estab- 
lish a state government. In May, 1848, however, Wisconsin was admitted 
into the Union." 

Wisconsin is bounded N. by Lake Superior, the upper peninsula of Mich- 
igan, and Minnesota, W. by Minnesota and Iowa, E. by Lake Michigan, and 
S. by Illinois. It lies between 42° 30' and 46° 55' N. Lat., and between 87° 
aad 92° 50' W. Long. Its greatest extent north and south is 285 miles, and 
255 east and west, having a land area of 53,924 square miles, or 34,511,360 
acres, of which 1,045,499 only were improved in 1850. 

AVisconsin is one of the healthiest of countries, with a dry, transparent, 
and bracing atmosphere, and remarkably free from fevers and ague. Writers 
familiar with it, say: 

"It is, indeed, delightful in speculation to talk of constant spring, of perpetual 
verdure, of flowers in bloom at all seasons, of purling brooks never obstructed by 
ice, of a mild climate, where Jack Frost never spreads his white drapery over the 
surface of the earth; but it is a problem, not yet fully solved, whether a tropical 
climate contributes more to oue's happiness than the vai-ying seasons of a north- 
ern clime. Nay, whatever doubt there is on the subject predominates in favor of 
a northern latitude. Industry, intelligence, morality, and virtue, are exhibited 
more generally among the inhabitants of northern latitudes than those of southern. 
If one's physical enjoyment is equally promoted by the bracing air of a cold cli- 
mate, then, indeed, the argument is in favor of the latter, for vigor of body and 
purity of mind are the most essential ingredients in the cup of happiness. The 
air of our winters is dry and bracing. When snow falls it usually remains on the 
ground several months, forming an excellent road either for traveling, business, or 
pleasure. The rivers are securely wedged with ice, rendering many portions of the 
country more accessible at that season than at any other. An excellent opportu- 
nity is afforded to the younger portion of the community for innocent amusements 
- — sleighing, sliding downhill, and skating — amusements highly exhilarating, and 
promotive alike of health and happiness. These observations have been made be- 
cause a greater value is often set on a mild southern climate, in reference to its 
capacity in affording the means of happiness or of health, than it really possesses." 

"We have always made it a point to inquire of new settlers in Wisconsin how 
they liked the climate, and the answer invariably was, that it was far superior to 
that of the states they had left — whether Eastern, Middle or Southern, One emi- 
grant says: 'As the result of my ol)servations, I would state briefly — and in this 
T do but repeat a common sentiment — that I would much rather spend a winter in 
Wisconsin than in New York or Pennsylvania. True, the weather is cold ; but it 
is of that settled, steady, clear character, which we here call 'bracing weather.' 
No damp winds, no sloppy thaw, no uncomfortable rains, but day after day the 
same unbroken field of snow, the same clear, bright sunshine, the same untroubled 
air. Winter here holds undisputed sway; it is not a muddled mixture of all sea- 
sons, in which the breezy spring, the clear autumn, the sunny summer and the 
rigorous winter mingle and mix, and come and go together. You will understand 
the force of this distinction when I tell you that the first fall of snow in Wiscon- 
sin remains on the ground during the whole winter without a crust; so free is the 
air from that dampness, which, in other countries produce it. Who among 3'ou 
has not noticed the penetrating character of dampness in cold — its chilling, search- 
ing qualities ; or who, on the other hand, has not gone abroad on days of intense 
coldness, but when the air was dry and pure, and felt elastic, buoyant, and com- 
fortable. Such is a Wisconsin winter. I suffered less from the cold while hei*e, 
than I have many times in Pennsylvania when the thermometer stood much 
higher." 

Wisconsin may be described generally as an elevated rolling prairie, the 
highest portion being on the north, and forms the dividing ridge between the 
waters flowing S.W. into the Mississippi, and those flowing northward and 
eastward into the lakes. Limestone underlies most of the southern part of 



310 WISCONSIN. 

the state; the northern part is composed of primitive rocks, mostly granite, 
slate and sand stone. The country south of the middle is a fine agricultural 
region, producing from 30 to 50 bushels of wheat to the acre. The prairies 
of Wisconsin are generally small, and being skirted and belted with timber, 
are adapted to immediate and profitable occupation, the soil being a dark, 
rich vegetable mold. One peculiarity in southern Wisconsin strikes the 
traveler — the high degree of culture, thrift, and cleanliness of the farms, 
which is attributed principally to the fact, that almost every quarter section, 
in its natural state, is ready for plowing and fencing, and also to the charac- 
ter of the settlers, offshoots from the hardy and industrious people of the 
Eastern states and northern Ohio. A large number of Norwegians and other 
emigrants from northern Europe, have emigrated to this young and thriving 
State. 

Vast quantities of pine lumber are obtained from the northern sections of 
the state, ranging from five to eight millions annually in value, though the 
business is in its infancy. The agricultural staples are wheat, Indian corn, 
oats, potatoes, butter, live stock, etc. The wheat crop of 1860 was about 26 
millions of bushels. Beside the great lakes, Superior and Michigan, on its 
northern and eastern shores, Wisconsin has vast numbers of small lakes 
within its borders, generally characterized by clear water, bold, picturesque 
shores, with excellent, fish. 

The mineral resources of Wisconsin are important, but as yet imperfectly 
known. The great lead region, mostly in the south-western part of the 
state, contain mines supposed to be inexhaustible, and decidedly the richest 
in the known world. Valuable copper and zinc ores are found at Mineral 
Point and in its vicinity, also iron ore in various places. The bulk of the 
population of the state is in its southern part, most of the country in the 
north being an unexplored wilderness. If as densely settled as Massachu- 
setts, Wisconsin would contain more than seven millions of inhabitants. 
Population in 1820, 1,444; in 1830, 3,245; in 1840, 30,945; in 1850, 305,- 
5t;0; in 1855, 552,109; and in 18G0, 7G8,585.* 

"••■■Ritchie, in his work on Wisconsin, says : "The number of inhabitants in Wisconsin 
does not exhibit their relative strength and power. Our population are nearly all in the 
prime of life. You rarely meet a woman past fifty years of age; still more rarely as old a 
man ; and large numbers are too j-oung to have had many children. The Milwaukie Amer- 
ican says: ' It is a fact, noticed and remarked by nearly every eastern visitor to the "west, 
that no small amount of the business of the west and north-west is conducted hy yomig men. 
Go where you will, in every city, town and village, you will find more youthful countenances 
elongated with the cares and anxieties of business pursuits, than those unacquainted with 
the peculiar circumstances attaching to western life and enterprise could be made to believe. 
Youth and energy are found conducting and managing our railroads and our banking in- 
stitutions. Beardless youngsters are seen behind the desks — their desks — of our counting 
houses, and in our manufactories, mi.xed up with our commerce, and, in short, taking active 
parts in every field of business enterprise. A year's experience as a clerk, or an agent for 
others, gives him an insight into the modiiK operandi of ' making money,' and his wits are 
get in motion, and his industrious ingenuity brought to bear in his own behalf, and he de- 
sires to 'go into business for himself.' Frequently with a small capital, oftener with none, 
he engages in some branch of trafiic, and in a few years is * well to do in the world.' Such 
is the history of many of the young merchants and business men in our state, and we do 
not believe that a more enterprising, intelligent, and thorough-going business community 
can be found than that of Wisconsin. Youth, energy, and a laudable ambition to rise in 
the world, are characteristic elements of the west: they have made her what she now is, 
and give glorious promise of her future.' 

In one of our village or town hotels, crowded with moneyed boarders — the merchants, 
bankers, and chief mechanics of the place — two thirds of them will be found to be between 
twenty-five and thirty years of age ; their wives, of course, still younger. Our population 
of 1,000,000 are equal in industrial capacity to at least twice that number either in Europe 
or in the Atlantic states." 



WISCONSIN. 



311 



MiLWAUKiE, a port of entry, and the largest city in Wisconsin, is built 
on the west side of Lake Michigan, 75 miles east of Madison, and 85 north 
of Chicago. Lat. 43° 04', Long. 87° 57'. The city is built on the flats of 
the Milwaukie River, and on the bluffs near the lake. The largest lake boats 
ascend the river two miles. The shore on Lake Michigan consists of a bank 




South-eastern ricer view in Mihvaukie. 

Tlie eiigr,avin<; shows a river or harbor view in Milwaukie, as seen from near the point of the entrance 
of Menominee River. The swing bridges across the river appear in the central part. The terminus of 
the Slilwaukie and Mississippi ItaiUoad is near tlie building on the exlrenie left. 

of clay from 20 to 100 feet hitrh, and as nearly perpendicular as the nature 
of the material will admit. The city contains about 20 founderies and ma- 
chine shops, employing about 1,000 men, and 26 breweries, employing about 
500 men. Ship building is extensively carried on; great qiiatitities of lum- 
ber are exported; and it has a large commerce on the lakes, and does an ex- 
tensive business with the interior by its railroads, one of which crosses the 
state to the Mississippi. It is noted for its splendid blocks of buildings, and 
for its superior brick, which have become a valuable article of export, being 
used even as far east as New York city. They are hard, smooth, and of a 
beautiful straw color. It has also in its vicinity quarries of a beautiful light 
colored stone. Population, in 1840, 1,751; in 1850, 20,035; and in 1860, 
45,254. 

A foreign traveler describes Milwaukie as one of the most picturesquely 
situated towns he had seen in the west. Says he: "It is placed on both 
siies of a river which falls into a fine bay of Lake Michigan, the town rising 
from the valley of the river on either side to high bluiFs facing the lake. 
The river is navigable from the lake, and vessels discharge and land their 
cargoes direct into, and from, the granaries and warehouses which line its 
banks. Tramways from the various lines of railroad run along the other 
sides of these warehouses, so that the greatest facilities are aflTorded for the 



312 WISCONSIN. 

transport and handling of produce and merchandise. The extent to which 
labor is economized in this way both here and at Chicago is really wonderful. 
By the aid of steam power half a million bushels of grain can be daily re- 
ceived and shipped through the granaries of Chicago, the whole of it being 
weighed in draughts of 400 bushels at a time, as it passes from the railroad 
to the vessel. This can be done at a cost of a ftirthing a bushel, and so quiet 
is the whole process that there is little external evidence of much business 
going on. The finest church in Milwaukie is the Roman Catholic Cathedral, 
with the palace of the bishop on one side of it, and an orphan asylum on 
the other. There are many handsome private residences, some built of white 
marble, and the principal hotel of the city, the Newhall House, is very little 
inferior either in size, architecture, or interior fittings and arrangements, to 
the Hotel de Louvre in Paris. This city, which only twenty-three years ago 
was the site of a single log cabin, now, in the one month of October, ships 
a million bushels of wheat! From the bluffs the lake looks exactly like the 
sea, as no opposite shore can be seen, and the white-crested waves come roll- 
ing into the harbor just as they do on the Atlantic. There are numerous 
schools in the city, free to all, and well endowed by the state." 

Milwaukie derives its name from Me-ne-aw-kce, an Indian word, said to 
signify rich or beautiful land. The first white person who located at Mil- 
waukie appears to have been Alexander Laframhoise, from Mackinaw, who 
established a trading house here about the year 1785. He soon returned to 
Mackinaw, and gave his business to his brother to manage for him: the latter 
remained here for several years, and raised a fjimily. Laframboise failing 
in business, his trading house was closed about the year 1800. At this period 
another trader established himself here, employing as clerk S. Chappue, who 
had previously been with Laframboise. J. B. Beaubi«n established a trading 
post in Milwaukie at this time. Some four or five years later Laurent Fity 
was sent with a supply of goods, by Jacob Franks, of Green Bay, to carry 
on a summer trade at Milwaukie, buying deer skins in the red. Previous to 
this JacquesVieau, of Green Bay, commenced trading here, and continued it 
regularly every winter, excepting that of 1811-12, until 1818, when his son- 
in-law, Solomon Juneau emigrated here from Canada, first as his clerk, and 
then on his own account, and he may be considered as the first regular set- 
tler and founder of Milwaukie. 

In the publications of the State Historical Society, Mr. Alex. F. Pratt 
gives this sketch of Mr. Juneau, and of the early history of the place : 

"Solomon Juneau emigrated to Milwaukie in the fall of 1818, and built 
him a log cabin among the natives. At that time his ftimily consisted of a 
wife and one child. His nearest white neighbors were at Chicago, Green 
Bay and Prairie du Chien. He kept a few goods suitable for the Indian 
trade, and for the first seventeen years he was not only the only merchant in 
the place, but the only white man. During that period, a few Indian traders 
were occasionally there, but not permanently located. In the spring of 1835, 
a land oSice having been previously established at Green Bay, this land was 
brought into market, and Mr. Juneau purchased a small tract, consisting of 
about 130 acres, lying on the east side of the river, directly north of Wis- 
consin-street. Previous to this time, Geo. H. Walker, Esq., had come and 
made a claim on what is now called "Walker's Point," which he subsequently 
obtained a title to. Byron Kilbourn, Esq., about that time purchased a tract 
on the west side of the river, which has from that time been known by the 
name of 'Kilbourn Town.' Daniel Wells, Jr., W. W. Gilman, George D. 



WISCONSIN. 313 

Dousman, E. W. Edgerton, T. C. Dousman, Geo. 0. Tiffany, D. H. EicLards, 
William Brown, Jr., Milo Jones, Enoch Darling, and others, immigrated 
about the same time, and made large purchases of lands. In the course of 
the summer of 1835, a number of good buildings were erected, and a great 
many eastern speculators came and bought lands at high prices. Mr. Juneau, 
about this time, sold an undivided interest in his lands to Morgan L. Martin, 
lie built a fine dwelling house on the lot where Mitchell's banking house now 
stands; also a large store and warehouse on what is now known as 'Luding- 
ton's corner.' In 1836, when we came, he was doing a large business both 
in selling goods and lots. During that season, some two or three hundred 
thousand dollars' worth of goods had been brought there to sell. Ground 
rent was nearly as high as it is now. A merchant with a stock of goods 
would arrive one day, and b}' the next day noon he would have a store com- 
pleted to open in. Things were done on the California principle. They 
were usually built of rough boards with a 'grass floor,' and in several in- 
stances a blanket was hung up for a partition, and one half of the tenement 
rented to another for a dollar a day. The town was flooded with speculators, 
and all made money until the non-residents left and navigation closed, when 
a sudden change 'came o'er the spirit of their dreams.' 

The town was left with a large stock of goods, and but few inhabitants. 
Merchants and other business men enjoyed the winter in the best possible 
manner. During the fall quite a large number of^actual settlers had arrived, 
of the risht stamp, among whom were H. N. Wells, J. E. Arnold, Henry 
Williams,' Hans Crocker, J. 11. Tweedy, L. Blossom, J. W. Pixley, S. H. 
Martin, Geo. P. Delaplaine, Geo. Reed, Cyrus Hawley, Fred. Wardner, A. 0. 
T. Breed, Eliphalet Cramer, Rufus Parks, Curtis Reed, Orson Reed, Wm. 
M. Dennis, Truman L. Smith, Edmond D. Clinton, A. A. Bird, and many 
others, whom time will not allow -us to mention. All had been doing a 'land 
oflSce business,' and had plenty of money left to winter on. At this time our 
old friend Juneau was supposed to be worth at least $100,000, with a fair 
prospect of its being doubled by the rise of land in the spring. We have 
often "seen him in those days go into his store, after business hours were over, 
and take from the drawers the money that his clerks had received during the 
day for goods and lots, amounting often to 8 or 10,000 dollars, and put it 
loose in his hat; and upon one occasion we recollect of his hat being knocked 
off in a playful crowd, when some S10,000 flew in various directions. In 
short, money seemed to be of no earthly use to him. If a man called upon him 
to subscribe for either a public improvement or a charitable object, whatever 
was required he subscribed, without asking why or wherefore. In the mean 
time he had looked on and seen others get rich on the rise of property that 
he had sold, and he commenced buying back lots and paying thousands for 
those he had previously sold for hundreds. We recollect very well one cir- 
cumstance: his re-purchasing the corner lot, near Youngs' Hall, for $3,700, 
which he had sold the year previous for §475. He was truly, in the lan- 
guage of the poet, ' The noblest work of God, an honest man.' He had 
implicit confidence in every body. 

The spring of 1837 disappointed all our anticipations. A general stagna- 
tion in business prevailed in all directions. Immigration had almost entirely 
fallen off. Our currency, which was mostly of the Michigan 'Wild Cat' 
stamp, was no longer a legal tender. There was no sale for real estate. The 
second payments were becoming due on purchases of real estate, and all who 
supposed themselves rich in lands, were not only destitute of money, but the 



814 



WISCONSIN. 



means to raise it. Some who were able to hold on, kept their property until 
tbsy could get a handsome advance; while the majority were compelled to 
sell for what they could get, and bankruptcy was the inevitable result. 

At this time, there were but few settlements in the interior; but the hard 
times which continued through the years 1837 and 1838, induced many to 
leave Milwaukie and locate a 'claim.' The lands between Milwaukie and 
Rock River were then surveyed, but were not brought into market until the 
fall of 1839. During this time they had become thickly settled, and many 
of them quite valuable. The hard times at the east had led many to seek 
a home in the west; and in the fall of 1839, when these lands came into 
market, many of them had been so improved that they were worth from $10 
to $100 an acre, while the occupants had not the first 'red cent' to buy them 
with. Consequently, a large proportion of the settlers were compelled to 
either sell their improvements for what they could get, or pay from 25 to 50 
per cent, for money to enter their lands with. 

About this time. Ales. Mitchell, Harvey Birchard, the Messrs. Luding- 
tons, E. Eldred, and other capitalists, came to Milwaukie, and purchased lots 
at $100 each, that had previously been sold from $1,000 to $1,500, and are 
now selling from $5,000 to $15,000 each. From that day to this, ' the rise 
and progress' of Milwaukie has been steady and onward. The price of land 
has continued to advance with the increase of business, and nearly all who 
commenced in business there at that time, and continued to the present, have 
become wealthy and independent. In 1846, the legislature passed an act 
to divide Milwaukie county, and establish the county of Waukesha; also 
another to incorporate the city of Milwaukie. At the first charter election 
in the new city, Solomon Juneau was elected mayor, which was a well mer- 
ited compliment to the ' old pioneer.' ". 

Mr. Juneau subsequently removed to Do'dge county, where by hard labor 
he earned a comfortable living, until a few years since, when he was "gath- 
ered to bis fathers." 

Mr. Pratt also gives these amusing reminiscences of the judiciary of the 
Territory of Wisconsin : 

''The Territory of Wisconsin was organized in July, 1836. It was divided 
into three judicial districts. Judge Dunn was appointed for the western 
district. Judge Irwin for the middle, and Judge Frazier, of Pennsylvania, 
for the eastern. Judge Frazier arrived in Milwaukie on a Sunday evening, 
in June, 1837. He put up at the small hotel which stood where ' Dicker- 
man's Block ' now stands, which was called the * ''- * * * * * Tavern, kept 
by Mr. Vail. On his arrival, he fell in with some old Kentucky friends, who 
invited him to a private room, for the purpose of participating in an inno- 
cent game of 'po/cer.' The party consisted of the judge. Col. Morton, regis- 
ter of the land office, and two or three others — friends of the judge. They 
commenced playing for small sums at first, but increased them as the hours 
pasfeed, until the dawn of day, the next morning — when small sums seemed 
beneath their notice. The first approach of day was heralded to them by 
the ringing of the bell for breakfast. The judge made a great many apolo- 
gies, saying, among other things, that as that was his first appearance in the 
territory, and as his court opened at 10 o'clock that morning, he must have 
a little time to prepare a charge to the grand jury. He therefore hoped that 
they would excuse him, which they accordingly did, and he withdrew from 
the party. The court met at the appointed hour — Owen Aldrich acting as 
sheriff, and Cyrus Hawley as clerk. The grand jury was called and sworn. 



WISCONSIN-. 315 

The judge, with much dignity, commenced his charge ; and never before did 
we hear such a charge poured forth from the bench ! After charging them 
upon the laws generally, he alluded to the statute against gambling. The 
English language is too barren to describe his abhorrence of that crime. 
Among other extravagances, he said, that 'a gambler was unfit for earth, 
heaven, or hell,' and that 'God Almighty would even shudder at the sight 
of one.' 

At that time, we had but one session of the legislature, which had adopted 
mostly the statutes of Michigan, which allowed the court to exercise its dis- 
cretion in granting stays of executions, etc. A suit came up against a man 
in the second ward, who had no counsel. The judge ordered the crier to call 
the defendant. He did so, and the defendant appeared. The judge asked 
him if he had anything to say against judgment being rendered against him. 
He replied, that he did not know that he had, as it was an honest debt, but 
that he was unable to pay it. The judge inquired what his occupation was. 
He replied that he was a fisherman. Says the judge, '■ Can yoii pay in JishT 
The defendant answered, that 'he did not know but he could, if he had time 
to catch them.' The judge turned to the clerk, and ordered him to 'enter up 
a judgment, payable in fish, and grant a stay of execution for twelve 
months;' at the same time remarking to the defendant, that he must surely 
pay it at the time, and in qood fish ; for he would not be willing to wait so 
long for 'stinking fish.' The next suit worthy of note, was against "Wm. M. 
Dennis, our present bank comptroller. He, like his predecessor, had no 
counsel. His name was called, and he soon made his appearance. He en- 
tered the court-room, wearing his usual smile, whittling, with his knife in 
the left hand. The court addressed him in a loud voice, 'What are you 
grinning about, Mr. Dennis?' Mr. D. replied, that he was not aware that he 
was laughing. The court inquired if he proposed to oifer any defense? He 
replied, that he did, but was not ready for trial. 'No matter,' said the judge, 
'there's enough that are ready; the clerk will enter it 'continued.' ' The 
next case, about which we recollect, was the trial of two Indians, who were 
indicted for murdering a man on Rock River. They were also indicted for 
an assault, with intent to kill, upon another man, at the same time. The 
trial for murder came off first. They were found guilty, and sentenced to 
be hanged. On the day following, they were tried for the assault, etc., found 
guilty, and sentenced to five years' imprisonment, and to pay a fine of five 
hundred dollars each. Governor Dodge, however, deeming it too severe to 
fine and imprison a man after he was hanged, commuted it to imprisonment 
for life. The Indians were confined in jail a year or two, but were finally 
pardoned by the governor. 

Judge Frazier soon afterward went to Green Bay, and held a court, from 
whence, for want of a jail in which to confine prisoners, he sentenced a man, 
for some trifling offense, 'to be banished to Turkey River.' After the court 
adjourned, he returned to Milwaukie on the steamboat Pennsylvania. She 
anchored in the bay, and the judge, who was dead drunk at the time, was 
lowered by means of a tackle into a boat, and rowed to the landing at 
"Walker's Point. From the effect of this bacchanalian revel he never recov- 
ered. His friend. Col. Morton, took him to his own house, called to his aid 
our best physicians, and all was done that human skill could devise, for the 
restoration of his health; but it was too late; the seeds of death had been 
sown; he lingered in great distress for four or five days, and breathed 
his last. The members of the bar, generally, neglected to attend the 



316 WISCONSIN. 

funeral ; and having no relatives in the state, he hardly received a decent 
burial." 



Green Bay, the county seat of Brown county, is situated at the mouth of 
Fox River, at the head of Green Baj'^,* 120 miles N.E. from Madison, and 
114 N. of Milwaukie. It is the oldest town in Wisconsin, and occupies an 
important location. It has a good harbor, and is an important place of de- 
posit and transit for the imports and exports of northern Wisconsin. It is a 
great lumber mart, immense quantities being annually exported. The town 
has a beautiful situation, and contains several spacious warehouses, fine 
churches, and elegant residences. By the canal between Fox and Wisconsin 
Hi vers, there is steam navigation between Green Bay and the Mississippi 
River. Fort Howard, named from Gov. Benj. Howard, of Missouri, is on 
!•'.' west side of Fox River, on a commanding eminence. Population about 
-i. • JO. 

About 1745, the Sieur Augustin De Langlade, his son Charles, and 
probably some others, left Mackinaw and migrated to Green Bay, where they 
became the principal proprietors of the soil. They settled on the east side 
of Fox River, near its mouth, somewhat above and opposite the old French 
post, and on or near the site of the residence of Judge Arndt, at the upper 
end of Green Bay. At this time there appears to have been a small French 
garrison here, of whom Capt. De Velie was commander. Such was the in- 
fluence of Charles De Langlade, that he was appointed, by Vaudreuil, the 
governor of Canada, to command the border forces of the French and In- 
dians in the north-west, and it was by his management that the British were 
defeated and Gen. Braddock slain at Du Quesne, or Pittsburg, in 1755. 
Langlade was also at the capture of Fort William Henry, and also at the 
battle of Quebec, where Montcalm was killed. He received a pension from 
the British government, for his services in the American Revolution. He 
died at Green Bay, in Jan., 1800, at the age of 75, and was buried by the 
side of his father, in the cemetery at this place. 

The Green Bay settlement, from its inception in 1745 to 1785, a period of 
forty years, made but little progress. Mr. Grignon, in his "Recollections," 
published by the State Historical Society, says, "in 1785, there were but 
seven families, who, with their engages and others, did not exceed fifty-six 
souls." In 1792, Charles Reaume arrived and took up his residence at the 
Bay. About this period others began to arrive, almost invariably from Can- 
ada. About the year 1812, the population amounted to nearly 250 persons. 
Previous to the advent of the Americans, in 1816, there were no schools. 
The earliest mill erected in the country was by Jacob Franks, about the year 
1809. He first built a saw mill, then a grist mill, on Devil River, three 
miles east of Depere. Previous to this, grinding was done by hand mills. 
In the summer of 1816, a body of American troops were sent to Green Bay, 
in three schooners, where they arrived about the 16th of July. Grignon, in 
his Recollections, says: 

" Col. ^liller, the commander, the very day of his arrival, accompanied by f'oL 

* Green Bay, %vhieh gives name to the town, is an arm of Lake Michigan, of about 100 
milos in length, and from 10 to 15 in breadth. The name, Green, was given by the early 
e.xijlorers, and it is supposed, from this fact, that they must have visited it in the spring, 
and have found the vegetation of the shores of the bay f:ir in advance of other parts of the 
country, as is now sometimes the case, the trees being clothed with young leaves, rich in 
the velvet green of spring, while far to the south, even as low as the latitude of the south 
end of Lake Huron, all nature is in the cold sombre hues of winter. 



WISCONSIN. 317 

Chambers, Maj. Gratiot, Capt. Ben. O'Fallon, and other officers, visited Tomali at 
his villafje, less than half a mile distant. Col. Miller asked the consent of the 
IMenomonees for the erection of a fort. Tomah said: 

'My Brother! How can we oppose your locating a council fire among us? You are 
too strong for us. Even if we wanted to oppose yOu, we have scarcely got powder and 
sliot to make the attempt. One favor we ask is, that our French brothers shall not be dis- 
turbed or in any way molested. You can choose any place you please for your fort, and 
we shall not object.' 

Col. Miller thanked him and his people for their friendly consent to his request, 
and added that he had some spare provisions, and supposed a little pork and flour 
would not hurt him, as they seemed to be scarce articles vrith the Indians, and in- 
vited him to call and get a supply. Some of the Indians prompted Tomah to ask 
their now father for a little hrotji also. Tomah expressed his thanks for Col. Mil- 
ler's kind offens, and added that he and his people would be very glad to have, if 
possible, a little hroth to use with the pork and flour. Col. Miller said, that although 
it was contrary to orders, he would take it upon himself to give them a little — 
enough for a dram apiece, and hoped they would be moderate in its use. 

Tlie people of Green Bay were generally Avell pleased with the advent of the 
Americans, a home market was furnished for their surplus provisions, and a new 
impetus was given to the settlement. Vessels now began to arrive with supplies 
for the garrison, and we began to experience the benefits and convenience of lake 
commerce and navig.ation." 

We continue the history of Green Bay from the Recollections of Hon. 
Henry S. B-aird. The article is valuable as a vivid description of the man- 
ners and customs of these early French settlers of AViseonsin : 

In the month of July, 1824, 1 first landed upon the shores of the Fox Biver. In 
September following, I came with my wife from Mackinaw, having resided at the 
latter place for two years previously. My knowledge of the early history of the 
state commenced at that period, and has continued uninterrupted until the present 
time. 

In 1824, Green Bay, as well as the entire country, presented a far different view 
from its present appearance. Old Fort Howard then occupied its present site. 
The grounds around it were used mostly for fields of grain and gardens. A portion 
of the present town of Fort Howard was used by the troops as a parade and drill 
ground. The garrison consisted of four companies of the third regiment of United 
States Infantry, and commanded by the late Gen. John McNiel, the brother-in-law 
of ex-President Pierce. The ''settlement," so-ealled, extended from P^ort Howard 
on the east, and from the premises now occupied by our venerable fellow-citizen, 
Judge Arndt, on the east side of Fox River, to the present village of Depere, then 
known as Rapide des Peres. The lands on either side of the river were divided 
into small farms, or more particularly known to the old settlers as " claims." 
These claims are limited in width, generally from two to seven arpents, or French 
acres, but what they lacked in width they made up in depth, being on the average 
eighty arpents, or about two and three quarter miles long, and contained from one 
hundred to six hundred and forty .acres each. Like those at St. Louis, Kaskaskia, 
Detroit, Prairie du Chien and other early settlements, these claims were generally 
"squatted " upon by traders and early pioneers, but were subsequently, by a seriea 
of acts of congress, "confirmed" and granted to the occupants on certain condi- 
tions. Their peculiar shape of " all long and no wide," has often been a matter of 
wonder to the shrewd Yankees, who love to have their f;irms in a square form, and 
take it all in at one view. Many laugh at what they deem the folly and short- 
sightedness of the old settlers in thus limiting their locations. But when apprised 
of the reasons which induced this manner of location, they may cease to marvel. 
In my opinion, the reasons were two-fold : first, security against the hostile attacks 
to be apprehended from the native Indians, who were the sole occupants and pro- 
prietors of the country in the early years of its settlement by the traders, and 
whose passions were often inflamed by jealousy and hatred of the whites in their 
encroachments upon the soil and freedom of the original owners. It is evident 
that it would be much easier to repel attack by a speedy union of the whites thus 



31g WISCONSIN. 

livlni^ in close proximity to each other, and concentrating their whole force and 
means of defense, at some elifjible point of security, than it would have been if 
living in spots remote and scattered over a large extent of country. Another rea- 
son was, that in those days the traders or whites who settled in the country Avere 
not influenced by the same motive of cupidity that governs the "squatters" or 
" claimants " of the present day, in the desire to acquire large landed possessions, 
But few of those who came into the country at that early period, say alioiit one 
hundred, years ago, designed to make it their permanent abode. Their principal 
object was to traffic with the Indians, and to obtain the rich furs and peltries, with 
which this whole region then abounded. Agriculture and the cultivation of the 
soil were, with them, secondary considerations. But very small portions of the 
small tracts of land thus occupied by the adventurers were cultivated by them. 
Small patches of Indian corn, a few acres of potatoes or other vegetables, scattered 
here and there through the settlement, comprised the farmiiuj interest of the coun- 
try; and it was not until the arrival of more enterprising and grasping settlers, the 
keen and speculating Americans (a class feared and hated by the foimier class), 
that these claims were considered of any value, or worth the trouble and expense 
of obtaining titles to them. 

As before stated, the ''settlement" at this place extended on both sides of the 
river from Fort Howard to Depere, a distance of about six miles, here and there 
interspersed with patches of timber, the cultivated land extending back from the 
river but a few acres. Bej'pnd Depere, south or west, tliere was no white settle- 
ments for many years, except two or three families at the Grand Kaukauna, until 
we reached Prairie du Chien, on the Mississippi River, and distant about 25IJ miles ; 
where was a garrison of United States troops, and a few hundred inhabitants. All 
north, east or west of (ireen Bay Avas a dense forest, an unbroken wilderness, peo- 
pled only by the red man, and roamed by wild beast,s. Depere, or rather " Kapide 
des Peres,"' is supposed to be the spot first located by the Jesuits or early mission- 
aries, in or about the year 1671.* An old building, formerly occupied by these 
Reverend Fathers, was situated very near the spot on which now stands the new 
grist mill of Messrs. Wilcox & Wager. 1 frequently visited the spot, and the old 
foundation of the venerable edifice was visible for some time after I came here, 
and until, in cultivating the ground, the stones were removed or covered over. 
The trade and business of the settlement was principally carried on at what was 
then called by the unpretending and not very pleasing name of " Shanty 'J'own." 
Three or four stores were located at this point, and together with the sutler store 
at Fort Howard, and two or three at other phices in the settlement, supplied the wants 
of the community. In addition to the "regular merchants" were several fur 
traders, who carried on a regular traffic with the Indians ; but these had no per. 
manent places of trade here. In the autumn of each year, they received, either 
from Mackinaw (then the great depot and head-quarters of the American Fur Com.- 
pany), or from Canada, their "outfit" of goods and merchandise, consisting of ar- 
ticles adapted to the wants of the natives, and departed for their distant " winter- 
ing grounds," situated in the wilderness. The j^rincipal trading posts, at that 
period, in northern Wisconsin, were the following: Milwaukie, Sheboygan, and 
Manitowoc, on Lake Michigan; Menomonee River, Peshtigo and Oconto, on Green 
Bay ; Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Oshkosh, on Winnebago Lake ; Wolf River, Lake 
Shawano, and the Portage of the Fox and Wisconsin. At all of these points In- 
dian villages were located, and it is a remarkable feature in the settlement of Wis- 
consin, that all or nearly all of the principal cities, towns and villages which now 
in all directions meet our view, were originally sites of Indian villages; showing that 
to the sagacity and foresight of the aborigines, rather than to the judgment and dis- 
criminaticm of the whites, are we indebted for the beautiful and eligible locations 
of the towns throughout the state. 

These traders conveyed the goods, which, however, were not all dry goods, in 
boats called batieaux, being of light draught of water, and constructed so as to 
meet with the least opposition from the current in rapids or swift streams, or in 

*The Mission of St. Francis Xavier, at DePere, was established in 1669: See Jesuit He- 
lalionn, 1069-70; Shea's Hiet. Catholic Missiona ; Smith't Hist. Wisconsin. 



WISCONSIN". 319 

birch bark canoes, which latter were constructed by the Indians. The boat or 
canoG was manned, according to size and capacity, by a crew consisting: of Irom 
four to ten Canadian voyageiirs, or by half-bloods, their descendants. This class, 
which once occupied so prominent a position in the early recollections of the 
times, but which has now nearly disappeared from the country they were the first 
to visit, deserves a pas.sing notice. The Canadian voyagenrs, as the name indicates, 
came originally from Canada, principally from Quebec and Montreal. Tlu-y were 
employed by the principal traders, under written contracts, executed in Cannda, 
for a term of from three to five years — their wages from two hundred and fifty 
livres (fifty dollars) to seven hundred and fifty livres (one hundred and fifty dol- 
lars) per year, to which was added what was termed an "outfit," consisting of a 
Mackinaw blanket, two cotton shirts, a capote or loose sack coat, two pairs of coar.<=e 
pants, shoes and socks, and some other small articles, including soap. I'heir food, 
when in the "wintering ground," consisted, for the greater portion of the time, of 
corn and tallow, occasionally enriched by a piece of fat pork — or venison and bear 
meat, when they happened to be plenty ; yet with this spare and simple diet, they 
were healthy and always cheerful and happy. Their powers of endurance were 
astonishing. They would row or paddle all day, and when necessary would carry 
on their hacks, suspended by a strap or band crossing their breast or forehead, 
large packs of furs or merchandise, weighing from one hundred to one hundred 
and thirty pounds, for whole days, and when night came, enjoyed their frugal meal 
and joined in merry jokes, Recounted stories of their many hair-breadth escapes 
by "flood and forest," or perhaps joined in the dance to the music of the violin, 
if among their companions any were capable of "sawing sweet sounds." In the 
spring of the year, they returned to the settlements or principal trading posts, to 
spend the summer months in comparative ease, and in the enjoyment of the pas- 
times and frolics they so highly prized. Always improvident, open-hearted and 
convivial, they saved nothing, nor thought of the wants of the future, but spent 
freely the whole of their hard-earned and scanty wages in a few weeks of their 
stay among their friends, and again returned in the fall to pass through the same 
routine of toil, hardship, and privation. Intermarriages frequently took place be- 
tween them and the native women. These marriages were encouraged by the 
traders, as it not only increased the influence of the traders and their evgnr/ees over 
the Indians, but was the means of securing their trade, bound the men more closely 
to the country, and insured their continuance in the fur trade, with which they 
had then become familiar. The halfbloods were the descendants of the early 
vcyagerirs, and in character and manners closely resembled their sires. 

The commerce of the country was carried on through the medium of a few sail 
vessels plying between this place and the ports on Lake Erie. These vessels Avere 
generally of from twenty-five to seventy tuns burden. Occasionally, perhaps unce 
or twice in the season of navigation, a steamer from Buffalo would look in upon 
us; but these were far different in structure and capacity from the splendid "float- 
ing palaces" which have visited our waters in later years. All kinds of provisions 
and supplies were brought here from Ohio and Michigan, and the inhabitants were 
solely dependent upon those states for everything like provisions, except a limited 
quantity of grain and veget.ables raised by the miserable farmers of the country. 

The buildings and improvements in the country were then few, and circumscribed 
within a narrow compass, and in a great degree partook of the unpretending and 
simple character of their occupants. Some constructed of rough or unhewn logs, 
covered with cedar bark, here and there a sprinkling of lodges or wigwams, formed 
by long poles stuck in the ground in a circular form, and brought together and 
united at the top by a cord, thus forming an inclosure perhaps twelve or fifteen 
feet in diameter at the base, and covered with large mats composed of a kind of 
reed or grass, called by the Indians "Puckaway." The mode of in2;ress and esress 
was by raising a smaller mat, covering an aperture left in the side for that purpose. 
Light was admitted from the top of the structure, through an opening which sei-ved 
as well to emit the smoke from the fire, which was made directly in the center of 
the hahitation. These wigwams were sometimes occupied by famili-es of the half- 
blood Canadians and Indians, sometimes by the natives. 

The inhabitants of the settlement, exclusive of the native Indians, were mostly 



320 ' "WISCONSIN. 

Canadian French, and those of mixed blood. There were, In 1824, at Green Bay, 
but six or ei^ht resident American families, and the families of the officers sta- 
tioned at Fort Howard, in number about the same. The character of the people 
was a compound of civilization and primitive simplicity — exhibiting the polite and 
lively characteristics of the French and the thoughtlessness and improvidence of 
the aborigines. Possessing the virtues of hospitality and the warmth of heart 
unknown to residents of cities, untrammeled by the etiquette and conventional 
rules of modern "high life," they Avere CTcr ready to receive and entertain their 
friends, and more intent upon the enjoyment of the present than to lay up store 
or make provision for the future. Wikh few wants, and contented and happy hearts, 
they found enjoyment in the merry dance, the sleigh-ride, and the exciting horse 
race, and doubtless experienced more true happiness and contentment than the 
plodding, calculating and money-seeking people of the present day. 'I'his was the 
character of the settlers who occupied this country before the arrival of the Yan- 
kees — a class now entirely extinct or lost sight of by the present population ; but 
it is one which unites the present with the past, and for whom the "old settlers" 
entertain feelings of veneration and respect. They deserve to be remembered and 
placed on the pages of history as the first real piojieers of Wisconsin, Several of 
these persons have left descendants who still survive them; and the names of Lawe, 
Grignon, Juneau, Porlier, and others of that class, will survive and serve as me- 
morials of the old race of settlers, long after the last of the present generation shall 
have been "gathered to their fathers." 

During the early years of my residence here, the social circle^ althougK limited, 
was by no means insignificant. It was composed of the families of the garrison 
and the Americans, and several of the "old settlers." If it was small, it Avas also 
united by the ties of friendship and good feeling. Free from the formalities and 
customs which are observed by the ton of the present day, we met to enjoy our- 
selves, more like members of one family than as strangers. The young people of that 
period (and all felt young then) would assemble on a few hours' notice at the house 
of a neighbor, without form or ceremony. Young ladies were then expected to 
appear at an early hour in the evening, and not at the usual hour of retiring to 
rest, nor were they required to appear in either court ov fancy dresses. The merry 
dance succeeded, and all enjoyed themselves until an early hour in the morning. 
One custom prevailed universally, among all classes, even extending to the Indians : 
that of devoting the holidays to festivity and amusement, but especially that of 
"calling" on New Year's day. This custom was confined to no class in particu- 
lar; all observed it; and many met on New Year who perhaps did not again meet 
till the next. All then shook hands and exchanged mutual good wishes — all old 
animosities were forgotten — all differences settled, and universal peace estaldished. 
May this good old custom be long observed, and handed down to future genera- 
tions as a memento of the good olden time. During the winter season. Green Bay 
tvas entirely insulated. Cut oflF from communication with all other parts of the 
civilized world, her inhabitants were left to their own resources for nearly half the 
year. Our mails were " few and f\xr between," sometimes but once a month — never 
more than twice, did we receive them, so that the iiews when received here was no 
longer new. The mails were carried on a man's shoulders from Chicago to Green 
Bay, through the wilderness, a distance of about two hundred and fifty miles, and 
could not contain a very great quantity of interesting reading matter. Under such 
circumstances it became necessary that we should devise some means t-o enliven 
our time, and we did so accordingly; and I look back upon those years as among 
the most agreeable in my life. 

Tlu! country, at that early day, was destitute of roads or places of public enter- 
tainment — nothing but the path, or "Indian trail," traversed the wide expanse of 
forest and prairie from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, and the travel by land 
was performed on foot or horseback; but there was then another mode of locomo- 
tion, very generally adopted by those who took long journeys — now become obso- 
lete, and which would doubtless be laughed at by the present " fast going" genera- 
tion — that of the Indian orl)ark canoe. I will not take time to describe the vessel, 
as most of you have doubtless seen such, and perhaps many, now present, have 
taken vovages in these frail barks. The canoe was used in all cases where com- 



WISCONSIN. 



321 




fort and expedition -were desired. You may smile at the use of the terms "com- 
fort and expedition," Avhere the traveler sat cooped up all day in a space about four 
feet square, and at night encamped on the bank of the stream, cooked his own 
Bupper, and slept on the ground, with no covering but a tent and blanket, or, often 
times, nothing but the wide canopy of heaven — ^liaving, after a day of toil and la- 
bor by his crew, accomplished a journey of thirty to forty miles I But these jour- 
neys were not destitute of interest. The voyageur was enlivened by the merry 
song of his light-hearted and ever happy Canadian crew — his eye delighted by the 
constant 'varying scenery of the country through which he passed — at liberty to 
select a spot for his encampment, and to stop when fatigued with the day's travel 
— and, above all, free from care and from the fearful apprehensions of all modern 
travelers on railroads and steamboats, that of being blown up, burned, or drowned. 
J can better illustrate this early mode of travel, by giving an account of a " party 

of pleasure," undertaken and 
accomplished by myself In 
May, 1830, being obliged to 
go on the annual circuit to 
Prairie du Chien, to attend 
court, I concluded to make it 
a matter of pleasure as well 
as business. 1 accordingly 
obtained a good sized and sub- 
stantial north-west bark canoe 
— about five fathoms, or thirty 
feet, in length, ancj five feet 
wide in the center — a good 
tent, or " markee," together 
with mattresses, blankets, 
bedding, mess basket, and all 
other things required as an 
"outfit" on such expeditions. 
The party consisted of my 
wife, self, two small children, 
two young ladies as compan- 
ions, and a servant girl; my crew, of four Canadians — experienced men and good 
singers — and two Menomonee Indians, as bow and steersmen. The canoe was 
propelled both by oars and paddles. 

We ascended the Fox River to Fort Winnebago, and descended the Wisconsin to 
the Mississippi, and thence up the latter four miles to Prairie du Chien. The voyage 
occupied eight or nine days in going, and about the same length of time in return- 
ing — daring which the ladies "camped ojit" every night save two. They did all 
the cooking and household work; the former was no small item — for, with appetites 
sharpened by pure air and exercise, and with abundance of fresh venison, with 
fowl and fish, to satisfy them, the quantity of viands consumed by the party would: 
have astonished modern epicures, and perhaps shock the delicate taste-s' of cLty 
belles. We frequently encamped early in the afternoon — at some spot which at- 
tracted our attention from its natural beauty, or romantic appearance — and strolled* 
along the bank of the stream, plucking beautiful wild flovvers, which abounded, or 
clambering up some high bluff or commanding headland, obtained a view of the 
surrounding country, and traced the meandering stream through its high banks, 
far in the distance. It was in the merry month of May, when the forest was 
clothed in its deepest verdure — the hills and prairies redolent with flowers, and 
the woods tenanted by melodious songsters. It was truly a " trip of pleasure " and 
enjoyment.^ ]\hiny trips for pleasure have been undertaken, where the parties may 
have experienced the refinements and accommodations, and enjoyed the luxuries 
to be found, in the present day, in old and long settled countries — but I believe 
fyw, if any, realized more true delight and satisfaction, than did this "Party of 
J Measure in a Bark Canoe." 

The present "t?tate of Wisconsin," although formerly a part of the Territory of 
Michigan, was for many years rather an appendage than a component part of that 

21 



The Pobt.\ge. 

The engraving represents a party of voyageurs carrying their 
bark canoe and packing their " plunder " over a portage. The 
term "portage" is applied to those points where the canoes 
are carried by land around rapids or other obstructions in a 
river, cir from the head-vaters of one stream to those of another, 
as between those of the Fo.x and Wisconsin Rivers. 



322 



WISCONSIN. 



territory. In 1824, things had assumed a more orderly and regular character ; jus- 
tice was administered according to the established rules and practice of other 
states, and of the common law. But in the subordinate, or justices' courts, many 
singular incidents transpired. 

Ihappened to be present at a trial which took place in a justice's court in Iowa 
county. The court was held in a small log school-house. The suit was brought 
to recover the amount of a note of hand. The defendant plead either payment or 
want of consideration — each party had employed counsel, and a jury of six were 
impanneled to try the issue. A witness was called and sworn. In the course of the 
examination, one of the counsel objected to some leading question put by the opposite 
side, or to some part of the witness' answer as improper testimony. The justice 
overruled the objection, and the witness proceeded; but ere long another objection 
similar to the first was made from the same side. On this second objection being 
made, the foreman of the jury, a large and portly individual, who bore the title of 
colonel, and, probably owing to his exalted military rank, was permitted to wear 
his hat during the trial, manifested a good deal of impatience, shown by fidgeting 
in his seat and whispering to his fellow jurors; but the justice again overruled the 
objection and told the witness to proeeed. This he did for a short time, when he 
made a statement which was clearly irrelevant and contrary to every rule of evi- 
dence and common sense. The attorney who had so often and so unsuccessfully 
attempted to exclude this sort of evidence, could no longer silently submit — he 
ao'ain rose from his seat and most respectfully appealed to the court, protesting 
against such statements going to the jury as testimony. Thereupon the worthy 
foreman rose from his seat, and swore he would no longer sit there to hear the ob- 
jections of that fellow. That he had taken an oath as a juror, to decide the case 




Voyageurs Camp. 

The day's toil ended, they rest from labor. 

according to the evidence, and if he could not hear the whole story from the wit 
ness, he should leave. Accordingly he made several strides toward the door, when 
the justice rose from the bench, and approaching the juror, placed his hand upon 
the colonel's shoulder, and begged that he should return to his seat, promising that 
the troublesome attorney should not again interfere. After some persuasion, ho 
consented to do so — at the same time, while pressing his hat more firmly upon his 



WISCONSIN. 



323 



head, he exclaimed, "Well, I'll try it once more, but if I will stand any men 

of that felloics nonsense." The attorney gave up in despair, and the opposite 
n»onsel had it all his own way. 




Sovth-western view of Madison. 

Shows the aiipearance of the city, as seen from W'asliinccton-avenup, near the railroafl station ; the City 
Hall appears on the left ; the Court House on the right ; tiie Eiiisco'ial Church, State Capitol, the Baptist 
and Catholic Churches in the, central part. 

Madison, the county seat of Dane county, and capital of Wisconsin, is 80 
miles W. of Milwaukie, about 100 E. frotn' Prairie du Chien, and 15-1 N.W. 
of Chicago. It is generally pronounced to possess the finest natural site of 
any inland town in the Union. It is situated on rising ground, an isthmus 
between Third and Fourth Lakes of the chain called Four Lakes. ''On the 
northwest is Lake Mendotn, nine miles long and six wide; on the east Lnke 
Monona, five miles long and three wide. The city is celebrated for the beauty, 
health and pleasantness of its location; commanding, as it does, a view of 
nearly every characteristic of country peculiar to the west — the prairie, oak 
opening, mound, lake, and woodland. The surface of the ground is some- 
what uneven, but in no place too abrupt for building purposes. The space 
between these lakes is a mile in width, rising gently as it leaves their banLs 
to an altitude of about seventy feet, and is then alternately depressed and 
elevated, making the site of the city a series of gently undulating swells. 
On the most elevated ground is the st.-ite house, a fine structure of limestone, 
in the center of one of Nature's Parks of fifteen acres, overlooking the 
"Four Lakes" and the surrounding city. From this the streets diverge in 
every direction, with a gradual descent on all sides. To the west, about a 
mile distant, is the State University, in the midst of a park of 40 acres, 
crowning a beautiful eminence, 125 feet above the lake. This institution was 
founded in 1848, and has an annual income of $30,000. On the south side 
of Lake Monona is a spacious Water-Cure establishment, surrounded by an 
extensive grove, and presenting a very striking appearance on approaching 



324 WISCONSIN. 

the city. Around Madison, in every direction, is a well-cultivated, and beau- 
tiful undulating country, which is fast being occupied by pleasant homes." 

Madison possesses many handsome buildings and several churches of a 
superior order. Beside the State University, it has other literary institutions, 
male and female, of the first order, about 20,000 volumes in its public libra- 
ries, and is generally regarded as the literary emporium of the state, being 
the point for the assemblage of conventions of all kinds, and a favorite re- 
sort for the literary and scientific men of Wisconsin. The town is a thriv- 
ing business place, and has ample railroad connections with all parts of the 
country. Population, in 1860, 6,800. 

The "State Historical Society of Wisconsin," organized in Madi- 
son in 1840, is the most valuable and flourishing institution of the kind west 
of the Alleghanies. By an act, most honorable to this growing state, the 
sum of one thousand dollars annually has been granted to promote its ob- 
jects. This society, although in its infancy, has already secured a most val- 
uable collection of books and papers ; also an interesting collection of orig- 
inal paintings of distinguished men, ancient relics, etc. The following article 
upon the history of Madison, is from the pen of Lyman C. Draper, Esq., 
Cor. Sec. Wisconsin Historical Society, a gentleman who has probably col- 
lected more original unpublished materials for western history, than any per- 
son living in this state or in any other: 

"The site of Madison attracted the attention of Hon. James D. Doty, as 
early as 1832. In the spring of 1836, in company with Hon. S. T. Mason, 
of Detroit, he purchased the tract of land occupied by the present city. The 
first cost of this tract was about $1,500. The territorial legislature which 
met at Belmont, Lafayette county, the next winter, passed an act locating the 
capital here, and John Catlin and Moses M. Strong staked out the center of 
the village in February of the same winter. In the mean time commission- 
ers were appointed by the general government, to construct the capitol edi- 
fice: Messrs. James D. Doty, A. A. Bird, and John F. O'Neil, were the com- 
missioners. Eben Peck was sent on with his family to erect a house, where 
the men employed in building the capitol might board and lodge, and was 
the first settler at Madison. He arrived on the 14th of April, in 1837, and 
put up a log house, which remains standing to this day, upon its original 
site, on block 107, Butler-street. This was, for about a year, the only public 
house in Madison. 

On the 10th of June succeeding, A. A. Bird, the acting commissioner for 
constructing the capitol, accompanied by a party of thirty-six workmen, ar- 
rived. There was no road, at that time, from Milwaukie to the capital, and 
the party were compelled to make one for their teams and wagons as they 
came along. They left Milwaukie on the 1st of June, with four teams. It 
rained incessantly, the ground, drenched with water, was so soft that even 
with an ordinary road, their progress would have been slow, but when to this 
are added the obstructions of fallen trees, unbridged streams, hills whose 
steepness labor had not yet mitigated, and the devious course which they ne- 
cessarily pursued, it is not surprising that ten days were spent in accomplish- 
ing a journey, which, since the advent of the iron horse into the Four Lake 
country, we are able to perform in a little more than three hours. They 
forded Rock River near the site of the present city of Watertown, and the 
Crawfish at Milford. The first glimpse they had of the sun during their 
journey was on the prairie, in this county, now known as the Sun Prairie — 
a name given it at the time, as a compliment to the luminary which beamed 



WISCONSIN. 325 

forth so auspiciously and cheerfully ou that occasion, and possibly to encour- 
age Old Sol to persevere in well doing. 

Among the party that came with Bird was Darwin Clark, Charles Bird, 
David Hyer, and John Pierce ; the latter accompanied by his family, being 
the second settler with a family. On the same day that this party reached 
here, Simeon Mills, now a resident of Madison, and well known through the 
county, arrived from Chicago. John Catlin had been appointed postmaster, 
but was not here, and Mr. M. acted as his deputy. He erected a block build- 
ing, fifteen feet square, and in this opened the postofiice and the first store 
in Madison. The building is yet extant, and at present stands in the rear 
of a blacksmith shop, and is used as a coal house. During the following 
month John Catlin arrived, and was the first member of the legal profession 
that settled in Madison. William N. Seymour, another old settler and well 
known citizen, came here the same season, and was the second lawyer in the 
place. The workmen upon the capitol proceeded at once to getting out stone 
and timber for that edifice, and, on the Fourth of July, the corner stone was 
laid, with due ceremony. Speeches were made on the occasion and toasts 
drunk, whether in cold water, or some stronger beverage, tradition does not 
mention. 

The first framed building erected was a small office for the acting commis- 
sioner; the first framed dwelling was built by A. A. Bird. This still stands 
upon its original site, on the bank of Lake Monona, back of the Capital 
House. The boards used in these buildings were sawed by hand. A steam 
saw mill, to saw lumber for the capitol, was built during the latter part of the 
same season, on the shore of Lake JMendota, just below the termination of 
Pinkney-street. In the month of September, of the same year, John Stoner 
arrived, being the third settler with a fiimily. A Methodist clergyman, the 
Rev. Mr. Stebbins, the presiding elder of the territory, preached the first ser- 
mon delivered in Madison, during the same month. Four families, with 
their inmates and guests, constituted the entii-e population of Madison, and 
with two or three families at Blue Mounds, the whole population of Dane 
county during the winter of 1837—8. In the spring of 1838, Messrs. A. A, 
Bird, Simeon Mills, William A. Wheeler, and others, who spent the winter 
here, brought on their families and became permanent residents. During the 
summer the Madison Hotel was built, and the first session of the supreme 
court of the territory was held in July, in' the sitting room. Judge Dunn, 
of Lafayette county, was then chief justice, with Judges Frazier and Irwin 
as associates. The work on the capitol went on somewhat slowly. Ou the 
8th of November, the Wisconsin Enquirer, by J. A. Noonan, made its appear- 
ance, being the pioneer paper at the capital. 

The resident population of Madison, the second winter, was about one 
hundred souls. The first female child born in Madison was Wisconsinia 
Peck, born in the fall of 1837; the first male child was Madison Stoner, 
born in 1838. Dr. Almon Lull, the first physician, settled here during the 
same year. 

The Wisconsin Enquirer of May 25, 1839, contains an article respecting 
Dane county, in which the population of the county is estimated at over 
three hundred, more than half of whom resided in Madison. This was, 
doubtless, too high an estimate, as the population by the census of 1840 was 
but 314:. The village then contained two stores, three public houses, three 
groceries, and one steam mill — in all, thirty-five buildings. The same article 
states that prices had ranged during the year then past as follows: corn, §1 25 



326 "WISCONSIN. 

per bushel; oats, 75 cents; potatoes, §1 00; butter, 37^^ to 62^^ cents; eg^s, 
S7^ to 75 cents per dozen; pork and beef, from 7 to 12 cents per pound. The 
anniversary of our national independence was celebrated in due style, for the 
first time in Madison, this season. John Catlin, P]sq., was president of the 
day; A. A. Bird and Simeon Mills, vice presidents. The Declaration was 
read by Geo. P. Delaplaine, and the oration pronounced by William T. Ster- 
ling. Hon. E. Brigham acted as marshal. 

For a number of years the growth of the village was slow. Immediately 
after the location of the capital, all the lands in the vicinity were entered 
by speculators, and lots and land were held at a prospective value. .The lo- 
cation being at a central point between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan, 
the advancing army of immigrants, on either hand, found a wide, fertile and 
beautiful extent of country, at that time nearer market, and therefore holding 
out superior attractions to the agriculturist. They did not consequently care 
to indulge the speculator's appetite for flincy prices. This condition of aflairs 
continued until 1848. In the meantime the fertile valley of Bock Biver had 
been filled with settlers, and immigration began to turn into Dane county, 
which possesses a soil as bountiful and a surface of country as attractive as 
any county in the state, but which, before it was tapped by railroads, was too 
far from market to render agriculture remunerative. 

The beginning of the real prosperity and growth of Madison commenced 
with the admission of the state into the Union, in 1848. The constitutional 
convention then permanently located the capital here; until that time there 
had been fears of its removal, and capitalists had hesitated to invest their 
money in the vicinity. Since that period its progress in wealth and popula- 
tion has been rapid and constant. 

In 1847, L. J. Farwell, of Milwaukie, attracted by the beauty of the lo- 
cation, and foreseeing its advantages as the natural business center of the in- 
terior, the point of convergence of the principal lines of travel, and the cap- 
ital of the state, made an extensive purchase of real estate, comprising a 
portion of the village plat and of lands lying adjacent, which included the 
unimproved water power between Lakes Monona and Mendota. To the 
active enterprise, the liberal policy, and the public spirit of this gentle- 
man, Madison is largely indebted for her present prosperity and growing 
greatness." 

We conclude this sketch of Madison with Child's account of the first ses- 
sion of the territorial legislature in the place, which met Nov. 26, 1838: 

The new capitol edifice wag not yet in a suitable condition to receive the legis- 
lature ; so we had to assemble in the basement of the old American House, where 
Gov. Dodge delivered his first message at the new seat of government. We ad- 
journed from day to day, until we could get into the new capitol building. At 
length we took possession of the new Assembly Hall. The floors were laid with 
green oak ])oai-ds, full of ice ; the walls of the room were iced over; green oak 
seats, and desks made of rough ))oards; one fire-place and one small stove. In a 
few days the flooring near the stove and fire-place so shrunk on account of the 
heat, that a person could run his hands between the boards. The basement story 
was all open, and James Morrison's large drove of hogs had taken possession; they 
Avere avvlully poor, and it would have taken two of them, standing side by side, to 
have made a decent shadow on a bright day. We had a great many smart mem- 
bers ill the hou.se, and sometimes they spoke for Buncombe. When members of 
tills ilk would become too tedious, I would tiike a long pole, go at the hogs, and stir 
them up; when they would raise a young pandemonium for noise and confusion. 
The speaker's voice would become completely drowned, and he would be compelled 
to stop, not, however, without giving his squealing disturbers a sample of his swear- 
ing ability. 



WISCONSIN. 



327 



The weather was cold; the halls were cold, our ink would freeze, everything 
froze — so when we could stand it no lonjrer, we passed a joint resolution to adjourn 
for twenty days. I was appointed by the two houses to procure carpeting for both 
halls during the recess; I bought all I could find in the territory, and brought it to 
Madison, and put it down after covering the floor with a thick coating of hay. 
After this, we were more comfortable. The American Hotel was the only public 
house in Madison, except that Mr. Peck kept a few boarders in his old log house, 
which was still standing not long since. We used to have tall times in those 
days — times long to be remembered. The Forty Thieves were then in their in- 
fancy; stealing was carried on in a small way. Occasionally a bill would be fairly 
stolen through the legislature; and the territory would get gouged a little now and 
then. 




The Four Lakes. 

The " Four Lakes," in the midst of which Madison is so beautifully 
placed, is a striking feature of the country, which is called the "garden spot" 
of Wisconsin. The land around them is undulating, and consists mostly of 
prairies and "oak openings," bearing in some respects a resemblance to En- 
glish park scenery. Fourth Lake, or Lake Mendota, is the largest of the 
chain, and from 50 to 70 feet deep. It is navigable for small steamers. 
"The land around this lake rises gradually from its margin, and forms, in the 
distance, the most beautiful elevations, the slopes of which are studded with 
clumps of woods, and groves of trees, forming the most charming natural 
scenery. The water of all these lakes, coming from springs, is cold and clear 
to a remarkable degree. For the most part, their shores are made of a fine 
gravel shingle; and their bottoms, which are visible at a great depth, are 
composed of white sand, interspersed with granite bowlders. Their banks, 
with few exceptions, are bold. A jaunt around them aflFords almost every 
variety of scenery — bold escarpments and overhanging bluflfs, elevated peaks, 
and gently sloping shores, with graceful swells or intervals, affording mag- 
nificent views of the distant prairies and openings; they abound in fish of a 
great variety, and innumerable water-fowl sport upon the surface. Persons 
desiring to settle in pleasant locations, with magnificent water views and wood- 



328 WISCONSIN, 

f 

land scenery, may find hundreds of unoccupied places of unsurpassed beauty 
upon and near their margins." 

The term " Four Lake Country," is applied to Dane county, in which these 
lakes are situated. This county contains about 1,250 square miles, nearly 
equal to the entire state of Rhode Island, which has 1,300 square miles. 
Only one sixth of the land is yet settled, and all is susceptible of culture. 
''Were Dane county as thickly settled as the French departments of Hhone, 
Nord, and Lower lihine, it would sustain a population of 700,000 souls." 

The first permanent American settler, within the limits of Dane county, was 
Ebenezer Brij:;ham, of Blue Mounds. " He journeyed from Massachusetts to St. 
Louis in 1818; thence, in the spring of 1828, he removed to Blue Mounds, the 
most advanced outpost in the mines, and has resided there ever since, being, by 
four years at least, the oldest white settler in the county. The isolated position he 
thus settled upon will be apparent from the statement of a few facts. The nearest 
settler was at what is now Dodgeville, about twenty miles distant. IMineral Point, 
and most of the other diggings, where villages have since grown up, had not then 
been discovered. On the south-east, the nearest house was on the O'Plaine River, 
twelve miles west of Chicago. On the east, Solomon Juneau was his nearest neighbor, 
at the month of the Milwaukie River; and on the north-east, Green Bay was the 
nearest settlement — Fort Winnebago not then being projected. The country at 
this time was part of Michigan Territory. 

For several years after his coming the savages were sole lords of the soil. A 
lartre Indian village stood near the mouth of Token creek; another stood on the 
rid^e between theSecond and Third Lakes, in plain view of Madison; and their 
wio-wums were scattered all along the streams, the remnants of their gardens, etc., 
being still visible. Then there was not a civilized village in the state of any con- 
siderable size. When the capital was located, he was the nearest settler to it — 
twenty-four miles distant! He stood on the ground before its selection as the seat 
of government was thought of, and from the enchanting beauty of the spot, pre- 
dicted that a village would be built there." 



Watertoion, Jefferson county, is finely situated on both sides of Rock River, 
on the Fond du Lac and Rock River Railroad, 40 miles easterly from Madi- 
son, at the great bend of the river, at the foot of Johnson's Rapids, where a 
dam across the river creates a great water power, which is extensively used 
for manufacturing purposes. It was settled in 1836, and has had a rapid 
growth. Population, in 1860, 5,800. 

Prairie du Chien, the county seat of Crawford county, stands upon 
the left bank of the Mississippi, at the terminus of the Milwaukie and Mis- 
sissippi Railroad, about three miles above the mouth of AVisconsin River. 96 
miles W. of Madison, 192 from Milwaukie, 529 above St. Louis, and 296 
below the Falls of St. Anthony. " It is beautifully situated on a dry allu- 
vial prairie, about six miles in length along the river, by two miles wide. 
The southern and widest portion of the prairie is gently undulating, and so 
high above the river as never to be subject to inundatiou, and it is one of the 
be^t sites for a town on the river. The water is deep, affording natural and 
spacious harbors. On the opposite side of the river the bluffs rise directly 
from the water, are covered with a thick growth of forest trees, and are only 
broken by ravines, which afford roadways into the country west from the 
river. There is no room for any considerable town to be built on the river 
elsewhere, nearer than Dubuque, seventy miles south of this place, and for 
a distance of nearly one hundred miles north, on account of the high bluffa 
which rise, like the highlands of the Hudson, from the water's edge. Prairie 



WISCONSIN". 329 

An Chiea can never have a competitor for tlie western trade between those 
limits." 

There are two landings here, one at the terminus of the Milwaukie and 
Mississippi Raih-oad, on the slough around the eastern side of an island in 
the Mississippi, the other, McGregor's landing, about IJ miles northward of 



Sonthioestern view of Fort Crawford, at Prairie du Chien. 

The Hospital is situated on tlie right. The high grounds seen back from the fort, with the horizontal 
ranges of stone cropping out from the surface, is characteristic of the appearance of the bluffs on this 
Bide of the Jlississipjji. ^ 

the railroad depot. Fort CranforJ, now occupied by several laborers and 
their families, is delightfully situated on a gentle elevation of the prairie, 
about half a mile from the shore. Water is obtained within the walls of the 
fort from a well 65 feet deep. Population is about 5,000. 

According to tradition, Prairie du Chien was named from an Indian chief 
by the name of Chien, or Dog, who had a village on the prairie, near where 
Fort Crawford now stands — Chifn. or Dog, is a ftivorite name among the In- 
dians of the north-west. About the year 1737, the French established a 
trading post at this place, and built a stockade around their dwellin"-s to 
protect them from the Indians, and from that day to modern times it con- 
tinued to be a trading and military post, though occasionally a worn out vot/- 
ageur got married and settled down upon the spot. The land at this point 
was not purchased from the Indians, and none surveyed except the private 
claims on the prairie, for many years after the government took possession 
of it as a military post. There were not, until 1835, any Americans that 
emigrated to the prairie for settlement. 

In 1819, Lewis Cass, the governor of Michigan Territor}^, sent blank com- 
missions for the different officers of the counties, to be filled up by the in- 
habitants. These were taken by Lieut. Col. Leavenworth, then on his way, 
with the fifth regiment, to occupy Forts Crawford and Armstrong, and to 
build a fort at the mouth of St. Peters. Two companies of this regiment, 
under Maj. Muhlenberg, were detached to Prairie du Chien. Soon after re- 
ceiving the blank commissions, the principal inhabitants assembled at the 
house of Nicholas Boilvin, and appointed John W. Johnson, U. S. fitctor, as 
chief justice of the county court; Wilfred Owens, judge of probate; N. 
Boilvin, J. W. Johnson, and James H. Lockwood, justices of the peace; J, 
S. Findley, clerk; J. P. Gates, register; and Thomas McNair, sheriff. 



330 WISCONSIN. 

The followiiii; extracts are copied from vol. 2 of the "Collections of the 
State Historical Society of Wisconsin," from an article entitled '■'■EarJy Times 
and Events in Wiscousin" by Hon. James H. Lockwood: 

"In the year 1820-21, the county authorities of Crawford erected a jail 
in the old village of Prairie du Chien, in tlie rear of village lot No. 17 of 
that village, made of hewn oak logs of about one foot square; the house 
was 25 by 16 feet, and divided by the same kind of logs into a debtors' and 
criminals' apartments. 

There is a tract of land nearly opposite the old village of Prairie du Chien 
in Iowa, which was granted by the Spanish lieut. governor of Louisiana to 
one Bazil Girard, and running through it was a small stream or brook, usually 
called Girard's creek; but, in 1823, the commandant of Fort Crawford had 
a body of men detailed to cultivate a public garden on the old farm of Gi- 
rard, on said creek, and Martin Scott, then a lieutenant of the fifth infantry, 
and stationed at Fort Crawford, was directed to superintend the party. Fond 
of shootiilg, and a great shot generally, he took his dogs and gun every 
morning, got into his little hunting canoe, and spent the day in shooting 
woodcocks which were plenty in the marshes about there, and returning in 
the evening would boast of the number that bad bled that day. After a 
while he gave the creek the name of Bhjody Run, which name it still bears. 
The name generally suggests to strangers the idea of some bloody battle 
having been fought there, and I have been frequently questioned as to the 
tradition relative to it. and a few years since the editor of our village paper 
had somewhere picked up the same romantic idea, and published a long tra- 
ditionary account of a bloody battle pretended to have been fought there 
years ago. But the creek is indebted for its name to the hunting exploits of 
Major Martin Scott, when a lieutenant, and stationed at Fort Crawford. 

On the IGth of September, 1816, I arrived at Prairie du Chien. a traders' 
village of between twenty-five and thirty houses, situated on the banks of 
the Mississippi, on what, in high water, is an island. The houses were built 
by planting posts upright in the ground with grooves in them, so that the 
sides could be filled in with split timber or round poles, and then plastered 
over with clay, and white-washed with a white earth found in the vicinity, 
and then covered with bark, or clapboards riven from oak. 

The village, now called the old village of Prairie du Chien, was designated 
by Lyons as the main village, as it was so at the time he surveyed the private 
land claims of Prairie du Chien. 

There were on the prairie about forty farms cultivated along under the 
bluffs, where the soil was first rate, and inclosed in one common field, and 
the boundaries generally between them marked by a road that afforded them 
ingress and egress to their fields; the plantations running from the bluffs to 
the Mississippi, or to the slough of St. Freole, and from three to five arpents 
wide. The owners did not generally live immediately on their farms, but 
clustered together in little villages near their front, and were much the same 
description of inhabitants as those of Green Bay, except that there were a 
number of families of French extraction, entirely unmixed with the natives, 
who came from the French villages of Illinois. The fiirmers' wives instead 
of being of the Indian tribes about, were generally of the mixed blood. 
They were living in Arcadian simplicity, spending a great part of their time 
in fishing, hunting, horse racing or trotting, or in dancing and drinking. 
They had little or no ambition for progress and improvement, or in any way 
bettering their condition, provided their necessities were supplied, and they 



WISCONSIN. 331 

could often collect together and dance and frolic. "With these wants grati- 
fied, they were perfectly satisfied to continue he same routine and habits of 
their forefathers before them. They had no aristocracy among them except 
the traders, who were regarded as a privileged class. • 

It was said, that about 1809 or 1810, a trader, an Irishman by birth, of 
the name of Campbell, was appointed by the U. S. government sub-Indian 
agent at Prairie du Chien, and by the governor of the Territory of Illinois 
a justice of the peace. The currency of Prairie du Chien was at that time 
flour, and Campbell charged for celebrating the rites of matrimony 100 
pounds of flour, and for dissolving it 200 pounds, alleging that when people 
wanted to get unmarried, they would willingly give double what they would 
originally to form the matrimonial connection. 

In speaking of the courts of justice of the country, and of their county 
seats, Mr. Brisbois related to me, that sometime previous to the war of 1812, 
he and Mr. Campbell had a dispute about a heifer that was worth at the 
time perhaps eight dollars ; and as each believed it to be his property, they 
applied to the lawyer at Cahokia to assist them in finding out who was the 
real owner. The mode of traveling in those days was in a canoe, manned 
with sis or eight men to paddle, and taking with them some flour, tea, and 
sugar for the Burgeois ; and some hulled corn and deer tallow, enc^ugh to 
season the soup, for the men, depending upon shooting game ]f^ the way, or 
buying wild fowl or venison from the Indians. The parties litigant were 
obliged to take their witnesses with them, paying them for their time and ex- 
penses, from their departure until their return home. The parties were also 
obliged to take a bundle of beaver skins, and dispose of them at St. Louis to 
pay the expenses of lawyers, etc.; and the lawyers, as usual, were disposed 
to oblige the parties by putting over the case from time to time, and the 
parties continued the suit in this manner until it had cost them about fifteen 
hundred dollars each, when they took it out of court and settled it. But 
which retained the heifer, if I ever heard, I do not now recollect. 

The coutume de Paris so far prevailed in this country generally, that a part 
of the ceremony of marriage was the entering into a contract in writing, gen- 
ei'ally giving, if no issue, the property to the survivor; and if they desired 
to be divorced, they went together before the magistrate, and made known 
their wishes, and he, in their presence, tore up the marriage contract, and 
according to the custom of the country, they were then divorced. I was 
once present at Judge Abbott's at Mackinaw, when a couple presented them- 
selves before him, and were divorced in this manner. When the laws of 
Michigan were first introduced at Prairie du Chien, it was with difficulty that 
the justice of the peace could persuade them that a written contract was not 
necessary, and some of them believed that because the contract of marriage 
gave the property to the survivor, that they were not obliged to pay the debts 
which the deceased owed at the time of his death. 

There was an instance of this at Prairie du Chien. A man by the name 
of Jean Marie Quen (de Lamouche), who had been married by contract, died 
without issue, leaving a widow, some personal property, and a good farm, but 
was indebted to Joseph Rolette about $300, which his widow refused to pay, 
alleging that the contract of marriage gave her all the property; nor could 
she be convinced to the contrary, until I had brought a suit against her and 
obtained a judgment." 

"In speaking of the early settlers, and their marriage connectiong, 1 should per- 
haps explain a little. In the absence of religious instructions, and it becoming so 



332 - WISCONSIN 

common to see the Indians use so little ceremony about mairiage, the idea of a 
verbal matrimonial contract became familiar to the early Fi'en.ih settlers, and they 
generally believed that such a contract was valid without any other ceremony. 
Many of the women, married in this way, believed, in their simplicity and igno- 
rance, that they were as lawfully the wives of the men they lived with, as though 
they had been married with all the ceremony and solemnity possible. A woman 
of Prairie dii Chien, respectable in her class, told me that she was attending a ball 
in the place, and that a trader, who resided on the Lower Mississippi, had his 
canoe loaded to leave as soon as the ball was over, proposed to marry her; and as 
he was a trader and ranked above her, she was pleased with the offer, and as his 
janoe was waiting, he would not delay for further ceremony. Siie stepped from 
the ball-room on board his canoe, and went with him down the Mississippi, and 
they lived together three or four years, and she had two children by him. She 
assured me that she then believed herself as much the wife of this man as if she 
had been married with all the ceremony of the most civilized communities, and 
was not convinced to the contrary, until he unfeelingly abandoned her and married 
another; and from her manner of relating it, I believed her sincere." 

The traders in the British interest, in the war of 1812, resorted to Mack- 
inaw as their head-quarters. In order to obtain the whole control of the 
Indian trade, they fitted out an expedition under Col. McKay, consisting of 
three or four companies of Canadians, commanded by traders and officered 
by then- clerks, all in red coats, with a body of Indians. Having made a 
secret march,* they arrived on the prairie without being expected. Making 
a formidable show, and the Americans being out of ammunition and provis- 
ions, they surrendered, and the British kept possession during the war. 

"In the spring of 1817, a Roman Catholic priest from St. Louis, called Pero 
Priere, visited Prairie du Chien. lie was the first that had been there for many 
years, and perhaps since the settlement, and organized a Roman Catholic Church, 
and disturbed some of the domestic arrangements of the inhabitants. He found 
several women who had left their husbands and were living with other men; these 
he made by the terror of his church to return and ask pai-don of their husbands, 
aod to be taken back by them, which they of course could not refuse. 

l>revct General Smyth, the colonel of the rifle regiment, who came to Prairie du 
Chien to erect Fort Crawford, in 1816, had arrived in June, and selected the mound 
whore the stockade had been built, and the ground in front, to include the most 
thickly inhabited part of the village. The ground thus selected encroached uj)on 
the ancient burying ground of the prairie, so that the inhabitants were obliged to 
remove their dead to another place. 

During the winter of 1816, or early in the spring of 1817, Lieut. Col. Talbofc 
Chambers arrived at Fort Crawford, and assumed the command, and the houses in 
the village being an obstruction to the garrison, in the spring of 1817, he ordered 
those houses in front and about the fort to be taken down by their owners, and re- 
moved to the lower end of the village, where he pretended to give them lots." 

'"When I first came to the country, it was the practice of the old traders and 
interpreters to call any inferior article of goods American, and to speak to the In- 
dians in a contemptuous manner of the Americans and their goods, and the goods 
which they brought into the country but too generally warranted this reproach. 
Hut after Mr. Astor had purchased out the South-west Company and established 
the American Fur Company, he succeeded in getting suitable kinds of goods for 
the Indians, except at first the North-west Indian gun. He attempted to introduce 
an imitation of them, manufactured in Holland, but it did not succeed, as the In- 
dians soon detected the difl'erence. 

At that time there were generally collected at Prairie du Chien, by the traders 
and U. S. factors, about three hundred packs of one hundred pounds each of furs 
and peltries, mostly fine furs. Of the different Indian tribes that visited and traded 
more or less at Prairie du Chien, there were the Menomonees, from Green Bay, 
who frequently wintered on the Mississippi; the Chippewa's, who resided on the 
head waters of the Chippewa and Black Rivers; the Foxes, who had a large village 



WISCONSIN. ^ 333 

where Cassville now stands, called Penah, i. e. Turkey; the Sauks, who resided 
about Galena and Dubuque; the Winnebagoes, who resided on the Wisconsin 
River; the lowas, who then had a village on the Upper Iowa River; Wa1)ashaw'3 
band of Sioux, who resided on a beautiful prairie on the Iowa side of the Missis- 
sippi, about one hundred and twenty miles above Prairie du Chien, with occasion- 
ally a Kickapoo and Pottawatomie. 

The Sauks and Foxes brought from Galena a considerable quantity of lead, 
molded in the earth, in bars about two feet long, and from six to eight inches wide, 
and from two to four inches thick, being something of an oval form, and thickest 
in the middle, and generally thinning to the edge, and weighing from thirty to forty 
pounds. It was not an uncommon thing to see a Fox Indian arrive at Prairie du 
Chien, with a hand sled, loaded with twenty or thirty wild turkies for sale, as they 
were very plenty about Cassville, and occasionally there were some killed opposite 
Prairie du Chien." 

"In the year 1828, Gen. Joseph M. Street was appointed Indian agent at Prairie 
du Chien, and arrived alone in the fall of that year to assume the duties of his 
oiSce; and, in the winter, returned to Illinois, and brought his family to Prairie 
du Chien in the sjjring of the following year, being the first family who settled in 
Prairie du Chien that made a j^rofession of the Protestant faith of any of the dif- 
ferent sects." 

"In 1830, the present Fort Crawford was commenced, and in 1831, it was occu- 
pied with a part of the troops, leaving the sick in the old hospital, and the surgeon 
in the old fort. The fort,. I think, was finished in 1832. In 1833, the authorities 
of Crawford county concluded to build a court house and jail, and commenced* 
raising funds by increasing the taxes; and, in 1836, constructed a stone building 
of sufficient size to have on the ground floor a room each for criminals and debtors, 
and two rooras for the jailer, Avith a court room and two jury rooms on the second 
floor. The taxable inhal>itants then in the county were confined to the prairie. 
We were then attached to Michigan Territory, and so well were our county affairs 
managed, that the taxes were not raised more than five mills on a dollar to pay for 
thja improvement; and this was the first court house erected in Wisconsin." 



The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in a small grave- 
yard, in a grove of locust trees, a short distance north of Fort Crawford : 

Sacred to the memory of Capt. Edgar M. Lacy, 5th Reg. U. S. Inft., \yho died at Fort 
Crawford, April 2, 1839, aged 33 years. He awaits the last Review. Erected by the 6th 
Infantry. 



Sacred to the memory of WiLLOUGnBT Morgan, Col. 1st Infy, U. S. Army, who died at 
Fort Crawford, April 4, 1832. Erected by the 5th Infantry. 



Racine is on the W. shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of Root River, 
73 miles E.S.E. from Madison, 23 S.E.from Milwaukie, and 62 N. from Chi- 
cago. The Chicago and Milwaukie Railroad, connecting with the Racine and 
Mississippi Railroad, here opens a vast extent of prairie country to its trade. 
The outlet of Root River at this place gives it great commercial advantages ; 
the average width in the city being 230 feet, and for more than half a mile 
it is 12 feet deep. Lake Michigan is 70 miles wide opposite Racine; the 
harbor is one of the most commodious on the entire chain of lakes. The 
city is finely located upon the high banks of the lake and river. Its broad, 
straight, and beautifully shaded avenues extend along the lake for miles. It 
contains several splendid buildings, 18 churches, among which are 4 German, 
3 Welsh, and 1 Scandinavian; 4 newspapers are published here. Population, 
in 1840, 300; in 18.50, 5,111; in 1860, 7,600. 

The Racine College buildings are located in a delightful grove, overlook- 
ing a lake front of uncommon beauty. The college was founded by the citi 



334 



WISCONSIN. 



zens of Racine, under the patronage of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of 
Wisconsin, at the instance of the Kt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, I).D. The site 
on which the college stands, comprising ten acres of valuable land, was given 
by Charles S. and Truman G. Wright. The college was incorporated in 1S52. 
The fir.*t Episcopal clergyman who preached in Racine was Rev. Lemuel R. 
Hull, of Milwaukie, in the spring of 1840. 




Northern view of Racine. 

The above shows the appearance of the central part of Racine, as entered from the west. Tlie swing 
bridge over Root River is in tlie central part. The eastern terminus of the Racine and Mississippi Kail- 
road appears on the left. The lake is .a few rods beyond the buildings in the distance. 

In 1334, Antoine Ouilmette came, with his Indian family, from Grosse 
Point, and located himself one mile from Racine. In November, of the same 
year, the east fractional half of section 9, was claimed -by Capt. Knapp, of 
Racine. G. S. Hubbard, of Chicago, and J. A. Barker, of Buffalo, surveyed 
and laid out lots in 183G. The Root River postoffice was established in the 
F.ame year, but discontinued in May, and the Racine postoffice established, 
Dr. B. B. Carey postmaster. The first regular inhabitants located themselves 
near the mouth of the river. The first house of worship was erected by the 
Presbyterians, on Wisconsin-street, and in a building lately used as a school 
house. The Rev. Mr. Foot was the first minister. The first school is be- 
lieved to have been at the foot of Main-street, near the river. 

Kenosha.^ the county seat of Kenosha, the most southern lake port of 
Wisconsin, is on the W. shore of Lake Michigan, 10 miles S. of Racine. 
It has a good harbor and piers. It commands the trade of one of the finest 
farming districts of the west. Two small creeks empty into the lake, one 
above, the other below the port. Population is about 4,000. 

Kenosha was known at first by the name of Pike River. In 1841, it was 
incorporated a village by the name of Southport; when incorporated a city, 
in 1850, it received the name of Kinanha, the Indian word i'ov Pike. In Feb., 
1835, a company was organized in Hannibal, Oswego county, N. Y"., under the 
name of the "Western Emigration Society," for the purpose of procuring a 
town site and effecting a settlement on the new lands of the west. An ex- 



WISCONSIN. 335 

ploring committee being appointed, they proceeded to the west, and on the 
6th of June arrived at Pike Creek, where they selected a site for settlement. 
As soon as the news of the selection reached Oswego county, about fifteen 
families, mostly from the town of Hannibal, came on during the summer and 
fall of 1835. "Eight families, members of the company, settled at Pike 
Creek, viz: David Doolittle, Waters Towslee, I. G. Wilson, Hudson Bacon, 
David Crossit, Amos Grattan, Samuel Kesique, and Michael Van De Bogart. 
These, with the members of their households, thirty-two persons in all, com- 
prised the population of Pike Creek during the first winter of its settlement. 
Their habitations were rude shanties, built of logs and covered with bark. 
N. R. Allen and John Bullen erected a frame building in the fall of 1835, 
being the first frame building in the place ; this building, however, was not 
completed until the following year; it was located on the lake shore, near 
the south pier of the harbor." 

JanesviUe^ capital of Rock county, is on both sides of Rock River, 45 
miles S.E. of Madison, at the intersection of the Milwaukie and Mississippi 
with the Fond du Lac and Rock River Railroad. It is one of the most im- 
portant cities in the state, and is built principally on a level plain between 
the river and the bluffs, which are about 100 feet high. It has several large 
mills, for which the falls of the river at this point afford excellent sites. It 
is the center of an active and increasing trade. It was settled about the year 
1836, and incorporated a city in 1853. It has 8 churches, the State Institu- 
tion for the Blind, aad, in 1860, 7,500 inhabitants. 

Beloit, a few miles below Janesville, in Rock county, on the railroad from 
Chicago to Madison, near the Illinois state line, is also on Rock River, which 
affords power for manufactories and mills of every description. The town 
was incorporated in 1845, and is adorned with fine churches and dwellings, 
spacious streets, and is the seat of that well known and popular institution, 
Beloit College. Population about 5,000. 

Mineral Pu'uit. the capital of Iowa county, is 47 miles W. S.W. of Madi- 
son, and 40 from Galena, Illinois. It stands on a point of land between two 
small streams, and is in the heart of the rich lead region. Immense quan- 
tities of lead are exported from this place, which is a point of active busi- 
ness, and has about 3,000 inhabitants. The following places in this section, 
are also connected with mining operations : Dodgeville, Platteville, Hazel 
Green, Lancaster, Highland, Mifflin and Potosi. The last named, Potosi, is 
on Grant River, near its mouth, 15 miles above Dubuque, and is the piinci- 
pal mineral depot of Wisconsin, large quantities of lead being shipped from 
here in steamboats. Cassville, 28 miles above Dubuque, on the Mississippi, 
Is another important shipping point for lead. 

This whole region is rich in lead, and numerous smelting furnaces are in 
operation. Many lodes of mineral have been worked that have produced 
6100,000 clear of all expenses. The price of mineral in 1838 averaged 
about S30 per 1,000 lbs. It has been sold as high as $40, and as low as $6. 
These fluctuations are not frequent, and a fair estimate may be made that 
mineral will not, for any length of time, be less than $25. 

The great lead region of the north-west lies principally in this state, in- 
cluding, in Wisconsin, 62 townships of its south-western corner, about 10 in 
the north-western corner of Illinois, and about 8 in Iowa. Dr. Owen, in 
his Report of the Geology of Wisconsin, says : 

" This lead region is, in general, well watered ; namely, by the Pekatonica, Apple, 
Fever, Platte and Grand Rivers, the headwaters of the Blue River and S7.5ar 



336 WISCONSIN. 

Creek: all these streams being tributaries of the ^lississippi. The northern boun- 
dary (if the Wisconsin lead roi^ion is nearly coincident with tlie southern boundary 
line of the blue limestone, where it fairly emerges to the surface. No discoveries 
of any importance have been made after reaching that formation; and when a 
mine is sunk through the cliff limestone to the blue limestone beneath, the lodes 
of lead shrink into insignificance, and no longer return to the miner a profitable 
reward for his labor. 

All the valuable deposits of lead ore, which have as yet been discovered, occur 
either in fissures or rents in the cliff rock, or else are found imbedded in the recent 
deposits which overlie these rocks. These fissures vary in thickness from a wafer 
to even fifty feet; and many of them extend to a very great, and at present un- 
known depth. Upon the whole, a review of the resources and capabilities of this 
lead region, taken in connection with its statistics (in so far as it was possible 
to collect these), induces me to say, with confidence, that ten thousand miners 
could find profitable employment within its confines. If we suppose each of these 
to raise daily one hundred and fifty pounds- of ore, during six months of each year 
only, they would produce annually upward of one hundred and fifty millions 
pounds of lead — more than is now furnished by the entire mines of Europe, those 
of (ircat Britain included. This estimate, founded upon reasonable data, presents 
in a striking point of view, the intrinsic value and commercial importance of the 
country upon which I am reporting — emphatically the lead region of northern 
America. It is, so far as my reading or experience extends, decidedly the richest 
in the knoAvn world." 

In the Reports of the State Historical Society, Mr. Stephen Taylor lias 
given some interesting items upon the origin of lead mining by the first set- 
tlers of the country, with a sketch of the state of society among the early 
miners. Says he : 

"For some time prior to the settlement of the lead mines, the miners, under the 
regulations of the war department, were licensed to ex])lore and occupy the min- 
eral lands in that region, though in consequence of the hostility of the Indians to 
the explorations and encroachments of the whites, they seldom ventured far be- 
yond that protection which numerical strength and the defensive organizations 
near Galena secured. 

It was in the autumn of 1827, upon the cessation of the Winnebago disturbances, 
that the more daring and enterprising, prompted by the hope of discovering vast 
mineral treasures, the existence of which over a wide extent of territory, the many 
flattering accounts had so truthfully pictured, banded together in well armed 
squads, overrun the country prospecting in all directions. They were usually, in 
those times, governed by certain surface indications, the most infallible of which 
were the old Indian diggings, which were found in almost every direction, and 
their locations were marked by the many small aspen groves or patches indigenous 
to the upturned clay of the prairies in the lead region. By the rude and super- 
ficial mode of excavation by the red men, much mineral remained in the diggings, 
as well as among the rubbish; mining in these old burrows, therefore, not only at 
once justified the labor, but frequently led to the discovery of productive mines. 
'Gravel mineral,' carbonized so as to be scarcely distinguished from water-worn 
pebbles, and occasionally lumps weighing several pounds, were exciting evidences 
of the existence of larger bodies upon the highlands in the vicinity. The amorpha 
cancscens, or 'masonic weed,' peculiar to the whole country, wlien found in a clus- 
ter of rank growth, also attracted the attention of the Indian as well as the more 
experienced miner, as it was supposed to indicate great depth of clay or the exist- 
ence of crevices in the rock beneath. By such means were the mineral resources 
of Wisconsin explored and developed, and thus was the manner of the discovery 
of the productive mines at Mineral Point — a piece of land elevated about two 
hundred feet, narrowing and descending to a point, situated in the midst of a val- 
lev, as it were — a ravine botinding the same both eastward and westward, through 
which tributaries of the Pekatonica Kiver flow, uniting in a wider valley to the 
southward. It was upon tliis point that the 'leads were struck,' the fame of which 
spread, and so quickly became the center of attraction, the miners flocking to them 



■WISCONSIN. 337 

fi'om every quarter. Tt was customary, upon the discovery of new diggintjs, to dis- 
tinguish them by some appellation, so this locality, on account of its peculiar posi- 
tion and shape, was fm-merly called 'Mineral Point,' and hence the name of the 
present village, the nucleus of which was formed by the erection of a few log 
cabins, and huts built with square cut sods, covered in with poles, prairie grass 
and earth. Those very comfortable though temporary shelters were located in the 
vicinity of the intersection of what are now called Commerce and High-streets, at 
the margin of the westerly ravine, and in view from the diggings on the^^om^. 

Females, in consequence of the dangers and privations of those pi-imitive times, 
were as rare in the diggings as snakes upon the Emerald Isle, consequently the 
bachelor miner, from necessity performed the domestic duties of cook and Avasher- 
man, and the preparation of meals was indicated by appending a rag to an upright 
pole, which, fluttering in the breeze, telegraphically conveyed the glad tidings to 
his hungered brethren upon the hill. Hence, this circumstance, at a very early 
date, gave the provincial sobriquet of 'Shake Hag,' or 'Shake Bag under the Hill,' 
which that part of the now flourishing village of Mineral Point, lying under the 
hill, has acquired, and Avhich in all probability it will ever retain. So much for 
the origin of Mineral Point. I will now venture a few remarks regarding the 
manners and customs of its inhabitants in days of yore. 

The continued prosperity of the mines, in a comparatively brief period, increased 
the population of the village to several hundred, comprised, as is usual in mineral 
regions, of representatives from every clime and country, and in such conglomera- 
tion, it is fair to presume, of every stripe of character. This increase of popula- 
tion, including many of those expert in the 'profession,' warranted the establish- 
ment of numerous gaml)ling saloons, groceries — a refined name for groggeries — 
ami other like places of dissipation and amusement, where the unwary, and those 
flushed with success in digijing, could be 'taken in and done for,' or avail them- 
selves of opportunities voluntarily to dispose of their accumulated means, either 
in drowning their sorroAvs in the bowl, or 'fighting the tiger' in his den. 

Xotwithstandina; such Avere the practices almost universally, more or less, in- 
dulged in by the denizens, yet the protracted winters in this then secluded, uncul- 
tiA'ated and sparsely populated country, and, for that reason, the absence of those 
more reputable enjoyments which mellow and refine sociality in other regions, in 
a measure justified a moderate participation in this mode of driving d^iil cares 
away. These congenial customs, peculiarly western, were as firmly based as the 
laws which sroverned the i\Iedes and Persians, and wo to those, from lands of 
steadier habits, Avho would endeavor to introduce innovations adverse to the estab- 
lished policy of those days ! Hence the propriety and necessity of harmonizing 
with, and following in the trail of the popular will. But such, I am happy in the 
conviction, is not 71010 the case — virtue, in the progress of events, has naturally 
succeeded profliaacy, and ^lineral Poiot, freed from contamination, stands re- 
deemed of her former errors."* 

Ln Crosse, the capital of La Crosse county, i.s beautifully situated on the 
Mississippi, at the mouth of La Crosse River, 200 miles N.W. of Milwaukie 
by railroad, and 303 miles below St. Paul, by the river. It contains a large 



* "Among the most distinf^uished of the earliest pioneers of Mineral Point, are Col. Robt. 
C. Hoard, Col. Robert S. Black (now of Dodgeville). Col. Henry M. Billings, Col. Daniel 
M. Pnrkison, Col. Abner Nichols, Francis Vivian, Parley Eaton, Levi Sterling, Edward 
Beouch.nrd, Josiah Tyack, James James, Samuel Thomas, Mrs. Hood, Amzi W. Comfort, 
0. P. Ayilliams (now of Portage City), M. V. B. Burris, Milton Bevans, Peter Hartman, 
John F. O'Neill, AVilliam Sublett, John Phillips, John Milton, George Cubbage, James 
Hitching, John Caserly, Edward Coode, and William Tregay. And the following, who 
have since paid the debt of nature, viz: Col. John D. Ansley, Col. John McNair, Robert 
Dougherty, Capt. William Henry, Stephen Terrill, Mark Tcrri'll, Dr. Edward McSherry, Dr. 
Richard G. Ridgley, Nicholas Uren, Richard Martin, James S. Bowden, John Hood, Lord 
Blaney, Joseph Sylvester, Matthew G. Fitch, Thomas McKnight, Stephen B. Thrasher, 
Robert W. Gray, Joseph Morrison, James Hugo, Hugh R. Hunter, Edward Jaoies (late U. 
S. Marshal), William Prideaux, Joseph James, Benjamin Salter, and " Cud'Aallader, the 
keg-maker." 

9? 




338 "WISCONSIN. 

number .of saw mills, and considerable quantities of pine lumber arc manu 
facturcd. It is a place of rapid increase and prosperity, and its merchants 
transact a heavy business with the adjacent country, which is rapidly filling 
up. Population, in 1853, 300; and in 1860, about 4,000. 

The place possesses peculiar advantages from being the terminus of the 
Mihvaukie and La Crosse Kailroad. "It is probably the most northerly east 
and west road that will be built in the state for many years, and has, conse- 
quently, as tributaries, all northern Wisconsin, west of Lake Winnebago, 
with the exception of a narrow strip on the borders of Lake Superior, and 
the greater portion of Minnesota, extending far away to the Red River of 
the North, the Sascatchawine, and, ultimately, the North Pacific Railroad." 

About 60 miles above La Crosse is that beautiftd expansion of the Mississippi, 
known to all travelers as Lake Pepin. For about 25 mile.s the river is expanded 

to a width of from two to three 
miles, with majestic bliifis of lime- 
stone on each shore. On the Wis- 
consin shore, rising about two hun- 
dred feet above the water, is the 
noted Maiden's Rock, the scene 
of the Indian legend of Winona, 
the daughter of an Indian chief 
She was betrothed by her father 
to a favorite warrior; but her af- 
fections were fixed on one younger 
though not less brave. On the 
day appointed for her wedding, she 
wandered from the ga}^ assemblage 
under pretense of searching for 

On Lake Pepiu, an expansion of the Mississippi. SOme berries that grew in profu- 

sion on this blufi', when her com- 
panions, to thpir surprise, hoard from her lips a low, plaintive sound : it was the 
death song, and in a moment more, ere they could interfere, she cast herself head- 
long from the rock, and was buried in the deep, cold waters below. 

Prescott and Hudson are two flourishing towns in this part of the state. 
The first is at the junction of the St. Croix River, with the Mississippi— the 
last on that expansion of the St. Croix, called Lake St. Croix. 

The St. Croix Ptiver which separates Wisconsin from Minnesota, is cele- 
brated for its pineries, the value of its trade in lumber exceeding three mil- 
lions of dollars per annum. 

"The lumbermen of the SL Croix, during the sessions of the Wisconsin and 
Minnesota legislatures of 1850-1, procured the incorporation of the 'St. Croix 
Boom Company,' with a capital of $10,000. This work was considered absolutely 
necessary, to facilitate the business of driving;, assorting, and rafting loijs. The 
stock was speedily taken; and ))\ the following season the boom was built and 
ready for service. The work is substantial and permanent. Piers of immense 
size are sunk at proper distances, from the ]\Iinnesota shore to the foot of a large 
island near the center of the stream, and again from the head of the island to the 
Wisconsin shore. The boom timbers are hung from pier to pier, and the whole 
river is entirely commanded, with no possibility of scarcely a single log escaping. 
The charter of the company compels them, however, to give free passage to all 
boats, rafts, etc., ascending or descending the river. This duty is rather difficult 
to perform at certain times, particularly when the logs are running into the boom 
briskly, and hands are not to be had to raft and run them out: sometimes a barrier 
of three or four miles intervene, and thus temporarily closes navigation. With a 
full complement of men the boom can always be kept clear at the point where it 
crosses the main channel of the river. The importance of the lumber business of 
the St. Croix River would hardly be estimated by a stranger. Large quantities are 



The Maiden's Rock, 



WISCONSIN. 339 

floated down the Mississippi to St. Louis. The business of getting out the timber 
is carried on in the winter, and affords employment to large numbers of young 
men. 

Fond du Lac, the capital of Fond du Lac county, is 72 miles N.N.W. of 
Milwaukie, with which it has railroad connections. It stands at the southern 
extremity of Lake Winnebago, the largest of the inland lakes of the state, 
being about 30 miles long and 10 broad, forming a link in the chain of nav- 
igable waters which connect the Great Lakes with the Mississippi. The 
Portage Canal, on this water way, between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, was 
opened in 1856, and steamers pass from the lake to the Wisconsin River. 
Anciently it was a French trading post, established here for the purpose of 
traffic with the Winnebagoes, who had a village where Taychudah now is, 
three miles east of the site of the place. The town has grown up within a 
very few years. Population 1860, 5,450. 

A traveler here in the fall of 1859, discourses thus agreeably upon the 
town and country: 

"I like the west, and especially Wisconsin. The country has captivated me — 
T^he prairies, the pure air, clear sky, fine farms, the perfectly rural air of the whole 
and the hospitality of the people. What splendid farming land around Fond du 
Lac — how easy to till to a New England farmer; smooth fields without a rock, 
scarce a stone, that when first cultivated yield 40 bushels of wheat to the acre, and 
afterward 18 or 20; garden ground unequaled for vegetables, and a good market in 
the city for all that is for sale. Corn planted in June ripens before the last of 
August. Apples, pears, grapes and plums thrive well, and all the small fruits yield 
abundantly. Here is a wild plum of fine flavor, and much used to make a sauce 
for meat, with spices added. All the fruit trees 1 saw looked healthy and vigorous, 
and free from the ravages of insects. 

The winters are longer than ours, and the thermometer indicates greater cold, 
but residents say the cold is not so severe as at the east, from the absence of wind. 
Long storms are very uncommon, and a clear air and briglit sun belong to their 
winter, and the dry, pure atmosphere render this climate advantageous to those 
afflicted with pulmonary complaints. It seemed to me especially good for nervous 
people and those troubled with neuralgic pains. Fever and ague are not known 
here; accounts of its good effects in consumptive cases are authenticated. 

Fond du Lac, the city of fountains^ named from the Artesian wells which supply 
it with water, bears the promise of a great city. The site is part prairie and part 
woodland, a river dividing it. Twelve years ago it had but one chimney, and the 
pockets of most of its early settlers, were as deficient in means as the houses of 
this most necessary appurtenance; now it has a population of thousands, churches 
of various kinds, some fine stores, and one especially fine block, containing a hall 
which is said to be the handsomest in the west, and capable of accommodaring 
three thousand people. The hall has a center dome of stained glass, and the efi'ect 
is very pleasing. From the top of the building an incomparable view is to be had 
of the city, lake, prairie, river and woods. The foreign element here is German, 
and an intelligent class of people, obedient to law, and comprehending the oppor- 
tunities a free country ofiers to them and their children. The people look hialthy 
and happy, and there is an appearance of comfort and thrift about them and tlieir 
dwellings. There are no showy houses, but neat, well-arranged buildings, with 
yards, in which stand the forest trees found there, and enlivened by flowers jmd 
shrubs. The settlers have shown a taste and respect for the forest trees lenving 
them unmolested, and clumps of oaks and hickories in tiie cultivated fiel(l> ; re 
pleasant to look upon, and their shade must delight the cattle in summer, 'i'he 
beauty of this country is indescribable, the whole having the appearance of a w ell 
cared for park. 

A ridge of limestone runs from Green Bay to the end of Lake Michigan, numer- 
ous streams run from this, and vast quantities of limestune slabs r:ady for nse r.an 
be taken from the quarries and furnished to the city at two cent.s a .*qiuu-e .'uot 



340 WISCONSIN. 

Gravel is abundant and accessible, and the city is removing the planks from the 
road, laying on gravel, and will in time have fine sidewalks and good roads. On 
this ridge are some fine farms, and the aspect of the country reminds me of 
Dutchess county, New York. From the high peaks, views of the city, prairie and 
lake are to be had, and in the clear air everything is so distinct that the eye seeks 
in vain for the horizon." 

Oshkosh, is named from an Indian chief of the Menomonee tribe, the word 
signifying "brave." It is a thriving city, with great facilities for trade, 
where but a few years since all was a dense wilderness. It stands on the 
western bank of Lake Winnebago, at the mouth of the Fox River, and 
has railroad connections with the east, west and south. The city con- 
tains 6 churches, 4 newspapers, a large number of grist and other mills, 
manufactures annually about 30 millions of feet of lumber, and has about 
6,000 inhabitants. 

When the Fox River Improvement is completed, this city will be on the 
direct line of steamboat navigation between Lake Michigan and the Missis- 
sippi. This enterprise is described as follows in Ritchie's work on the state: 

" The Fox River, or, as it is called by the Indians, Neenah, is one of the most 
important rivers in the state. It rises in Marquette county, and flows nearly south- 
west, toward the Wisconsin; when within one and a half miles of that river, it 
changes its direction to the north; after flowing a few miles, it passes through Lake 
Winnebago, and falls into Green Bay. Its whole length is estimated at two hun- 
dred miles. 

The whole length of canal necessary to secure a steamboat communication from 
Green Bay to Lake Winnebago, is about five miles. It is 100 feet wide on the bot- 
tom, and 120 at the top (two feet wider than the famous Welland Canal). The 
locks are 40 feet wide, by 160 long, and built in the most permanent manner, of 
solid stone masonry, and in a style that will not sufi'er in comparison with any 
similar work in the eastern states. It is calculated that with the improved manner of 
working these locks, a steamer can pass each in the short space of three minutes. 
This will afibrd a rapid transit for the vast amount of freight that must and will 
seek an outlet through this thoroughfare to an eastern market. The capacity of 
the river for all purposes of navigation is undoubted; at no season of the year can 
there be any failure of water. 

Twelve miles above Oshkosh, westward, is the mouth of the Wolf River, a trib- 
utary of the Fox, and navigable for steamers for one hundred and fifty miles. 
Forty miles above the mouth of Wolf River is the town of Berlin; sixty miles 
further is Portage City and the town of Fort Winnebago; above which places, for 
sixty miles, and below for one hundred and thirty-five miles, the Wisconsin is now 
navigable for steamers. 

Through these, a ready communication will be secured with the Mississippi and 
its tributaries; and it is confidently calculated that, at no distant day, steam tugs, 
with between 200 and 500 tuns burden in tow, each, from St. Peter's River, from 
St. Paul, and other places in that direction, will land their cargoes at Green Bay, 
to be shipped to an eastern market. The objection to be urged to this route, from 
80 remote a locality, is, that it will take too long to make the transit. To this we 
have to reply, that it is estimated by those who know better than we, that this 
great distance can and will be overcome by just these kinds of crafts in from four 
to six days, and by passenger boats in much less time. This improvement will 
open about 1,000 miles to steam navigation, between Lake Michigan and the Mis 
.Bissippi River, including the navigable streams in the interior of northern Wiscoij 
sin, Iowa and Minnesota. This stupendous work, when completed, will do far 
more for the prosperity and advancement of the vast regions, opened to the ad- 
vantages of connection with the Atlantic market, than any other improvement con- 
templated." 

Portage City is at the head of navigation on the Wisconsin River, about 
200 miles from its mouth, and on the ship canal one and a half miles long, 



WISCONSIN. 



341 



connecting it with tte Fox or Neenah River. It is a flourishing town, and 
is a o-reatdepot for pine lumber. By means of the Wisconsin and Missis- 
sippi Rivers, there is now uninterrupted steamboat navigation between this 
place and New Orleans. The Wisconsin is the largest river that intersects 

the state. Its whole length is 
estimated at 600 miles, and in 
its upper portion it is bordered 
by immense forests of pine. 
Fort Winnebago, which stood 
on or near the site of Portage 
City, was commenced in 1828. 
under the superintendence of 
Major Twiggs and Captain Har- 
ney. This Twiggs was the 
Gen. David Twiggs who reaped 
eternal infamy by his base sur- 
render of the American army, 
in Texas, at the bei:inning of the Reljellion. It was an important post at an 
early day, affording protection to emigrants. Another officer, here at that 
period, was a young lieutenant, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, who after- 
ward became the president of the so-called Confederate States of America. 




FiiKT Wixnkhago in ISol. 



Mrs. John H. Kinzie, in " Waii-hiin, the 'Early Day' in the North-west," 
gives a graphic narrative of her experiences at Fort Winnebago, where she 
passed the winter of 1830-31, the first months of her wedded life. This 
winter was one of unusual severity, and in some parts of the country, par- 
ticularly the lead mining district, the snow was of an unheard of depth — 
five or six feet upon a level. Toward the beginning of March the weather 
moderated, and Mrs. Kinzie prepared to make a journey on horseback to 
Chicago with her husband. This was then through a wilderness country, and 
the undertaking so perilous that the commandant. Major Twiggs, endeavored 
to dissuade them from it : but the brave-hearted, high spirited young 
woman remained resolute. The story of their experience by the way, we 
abridge from Mrs. Kinzie's narrative. The route selected was south by 
Dixon's, then called Ogie's Ferry, where was to be found the only means of 
cro.ssing the broad and rapid stream of Rock River; and it was calculated 
that the entire distance would be traveled over in six days : 

The raorning of the 8th of March, having taken a tender leave of their friends, 
they mounted and were ready for the journey. The party consisted of Mr. and 
Mrs. Kinzie and two French Canadians, Pierre Roy and Plante, the latter to act 
as a guide, on the assurance that he " knew every mile of the way, from the Portage 
to Ogie's Ferry, and from Ogie's Ferry to Chicago. 

Some of the young officers escorted them as far as Duck Creek, four miles dis- 
tant. In attempting to cross this stream in a canoe, a couple of favorite grey- 
hounds sprang in upon Mrs. Kinzie, and the canoe balanced a moment — then 
yielded — and quick as thought, dogs and lady were in deepest of water. That even- 
ing the party camped out on the edge of the timber, under the shelter of a tent; 
but so intense was the cold that, although Mrs. Kinzie's riding habit was placed to 
dry over against the log on which their tire was made, it was in a few minutes 
frozen so stiff as to stand upright, giving " the appearance of a dress out of which 
a lady had vanished in some unaccountable manner." Says Mrs. Kinzie: 

"At break of day we are aroused by the shout of ' the bourgeois/ 

'How! how! howl' 



342 WISCONSIN: 

All start from their slumbers. The fire which has been occasionally replenished 
through the night, is soon kindled into a flame. The horses are caught and saddled 
■while a breakfast is preparing — the tent is struck — the pack-horse loaded — ' tout 
demanche,' as the Canadian says. 

Our journey this day led us past the first of the Four Lakes. Scattered along 
its ])anks was an encampment of Winnebagoes. How beautiful the encampment 
looked in the morning sun! The matted lodges, with the blue smoke curling from 
their tops — the trees and bushes powdered with a light snow which had fallen 
through the night — the lake, shining and sparkling, almost at our feet — even the 
Indians, in their peculiar costume, adding to the picturesque ! 

Our road, after leaving the lake, lay over a ' rolling prairie,' now bare and deso- 
late enough. The hollows were filled with snow, which, being partly thawed, fur- 
nished an uncertain footing for the horses, and I could not but join in the ringing 
laughter of our Frenchmen, as occasionally Brunet and 8ouris, the two ponies, 
would flounder, almost imbeilded, through the yielding mass. It was about the 
middle of the afternoon when we reached the 'Blue Mound.' I rejoiced much to 
have got so far, for 1 was sadly fatigued, and every mile now seemed two to me. 
It was my first journey on horseback, and I had not yet become inured to the ex- 
ercise. When we reached Morrison's 1 was so much exhausted that, as my hus- 
band attempted to lift me from the saddle, I fell into his arms. ' This will never 
do.' said he. 'To-morrow we must turn our faces toward Foi't Winnebago again.' 

The door opened hospitably to receive us. We were welcomed by a lady with 
a most sweet, benignant countenance, and by her companion, some years younger. 
The first was Mrs. JSIorrison — the other. Miss Elizabeth Dodge, daughter of Gen. 
Dodge. 

My husband laid me upon a small bed, in the room where the ladies had been 
sitting at work. They took oS! my bonnet and riding-dress, chafed my hands, and 
prepared me some warm wine and water, by which 1 was soon revived. A half 
hour's repose so refreshed me that I was able to converse with the ladies, and to 
relieve my husband's mind of all anxiety on my account. TeaAvas announced soon 
after, and we repaired to an adjoining building, for Morrison's, like tlie establish- 
ment of all settlers of tliat period, consisted of a gi-oup of detached log-houses or 
cabins, each containing one or at most two apartments. 

The table groaned with good cheer, and brought to mind some that I had seen 
among the old-fashioned Dutch residents on the banks of the Hudson. 

I had recovered my spirits, and we were quite a cheerful party. Mrs. Morrison 
told us that during the first eighteen months she passed in this country, she did 
not speak with a white woman, the only society she had being that of her husband 
and two l)lack servant women. 

Tho next morning, after a cheerful breakfast, at which we were joined by the 
Rev. Mr. Kent, of Galena, we prcp.ared for our journey. I had reconciled my hus- 
band to continuing our route toward Chicago, by assuring him that I felt as fresh 
and bright as when I first set out from home. 

We had not proceeded many miles on our journey, however, before we discovered 
that Monsieur Plante was profoundly ignorant of the country, so that Mr. Kinzie 
was obliged to take the lead himself, and make his way as he was best able, accord- 
ing to the directions he had received. We traveled the live-long day, barely making 
a iialt at noon to bait our horses, and refresh ourselves with a luncheon. The ride 
was as gloomy and desolate as could well bo imagined. A rolling prairie, unvaried 
by forest or stream — hillock rising after hillock, at every ascent of which we vainly 
hoped to see a distant fringe of ' timber.' But the same cheerless, unbounded pros- 
pect everywhere met the eye, diversified only here and there by the oblong open- 
ings, like gigantic graves, which marked an unsuccessful .search for indications of 
a lead mine. 

Just before sunset we crossed, with considerable difficulty, a muddy stream, 
which was bordered by a scanty belt of trees, making a tolerable encamping-ground ; 
and of this we gladly availed ourselves, although we knew not whether it was near 
or remote from the place we were in search of 

We had ridden at least fifty miles since leaving 'Morrison's,' yet I was sensible 
of very little fatigue; but there was a vague feeling of discomfort at tho idea of 



WISCONSIN. 343 

being lost in this wild, cold region, altogether different from anything I had ever 
before experienced. 

The exertions of the men soon made our 'camp' comfortable, notwithstanding 
the difBculty of driving the tent-pins into tlie frozen ground, and tlie want of trees 
sufficiently large to make a rousing fire. The wind, which at bed time was suf- 
ficiently high to 1)6 uncomfortable, increased during the night. It snowed heavily 
and we were every moment in dread that the tent would be carried away; but the 
matter was settled in the midst by the snapping of the poles, and the falling of the 
whole, with its superincumbent weight of snow, in a mass upon us. 

The next morning the horses were once more saddled for our journey. The 
prospect was not an encouraging one. Around us was an unbroken sheet of snow. 
We had no compass, and the air was so obscured by the driving sleet, that it was 
often impossible to tell in what direction the sun was. 1 tied my husband's silk 
pocket handkerchief over my veil, to protect my face from the Avind and icy pai'ti- 
cles with which the air was filled, and which cut like a razor: but although shielded 
in every way that circumstances rendered possible, I sufl'ered intensely from the 
cold. We pursued our way, mile after mile, entering every point of woods, in 
hopes of meeting with, at least, some Indian wigwam, at which we could gain in- 
telligence. Every spot was solitary and deserted, not even the trace of a recent 
fire, to cheer us with the hope of human beings within miles of us. Suddenly, a 
shout from the foremost of the party made each heart bound with joy. 

^ Une cloture! inie cloture !' — (a fence, a fence.) 

It was almost like life to the dead. We spurred on, and indeed perceived a few 
straggling rails crowning a rising ground at no great distance. !N ever did music 
sound so sweet as the crowing of a cock which at this moment saluted our ears. 
Following the course of the inclosure down the opposite slope, we came upon a 
group of log-cabins, low, shal)by, and unpromising in their appearance, but a most 
welcome shelter from the pelting storm. 'Whose cabins are these?' asked Mr. 
Kinzie of a man who was cutting wood at the door of one. 'Hamilton's,' was the 
reply; and he stci)pe(l forward at once to assist us to alight, hospitality being a 
matter of course in these wild regions. 

We were shown into the most comfortable looking of the buildings. A large 
fire was burning in the clay chimney, and the room was of a genial warmth, not- 
withstanding the apertures, many inches in width, beside the doors and windows. 
A woman in a tidy calico dress, and shabby black silk cnp, trimmed M^th still 
shabbier lace, rose from her seat beside a sort of bread-troitffh, which fulfilled the 
office of cradle to a fine, fat baby. 

Before dinner Mi*. Hamilton came in and was introduced to me, and was as 
agreeable and polite as the son of Alexander Hamilton would naturally be. The 
housekeeper, who was the wife of one of the miners, prepared us a plain comfort 
able dinner. The blowing of a horn was the signal for the entrance of ten or 
twelve miners, who took their places below us at the table. They were the rough- 
est looking set of men I ever beheld, and their language was as uncouth as their 
persons. They wore hunting shirts, trowsers, and moccasins of deerskin, the for- 
mer being ornamented at the seams with a fringe of the same, while a colored belt 
around the waist, in which was stuck a large hunting-knife, gave each the appear- 
ance of a brigand. 

Mr. Hamilton passed most of the afternoon with us, for the storm raged so with- 
out that to proceed on our journey was out of the question. He gave us many 
pleasant anecdotes and reminiscences of his early life in New York, and of his ad- 
ventures since he had come to the western wilderness. When obliged to leave us 
for a while, he furnished us with some books to entertain us, the most interesting 
of which was the biography of his father. 

The next day's sun rose clear and bright. Refreshed and invigorated, we looked 
forward with pleasure to a recommencement of our journey, confident of meeting 
no more mishaps by the way. Mr. Hamilton kindly offered to accompany us to 
his next neighbor's, the trifling distance of twenty-five miles. The miner who OAvned 
the wife and baby, and who, consequently, was somewhat more humanized than 
his comrades, in taking leave of us 'wished us well out of the country, and that 
we might never have occasion to return to it! I pity a body,' said he, 'when I 



344 WISCONSIN. 

Bee them making; such an awful mistake as to come out this wny, for comfort nei'er 
touched this wostorn country.' 

There was no halting upon the route, and as we kept the same pace until three 
o'clock in the afternoon, it was beyond a question that when we reached ' Kcllogg's,' 
we had traveled at least thirty miles. 'Kellogg's ' was a comfortahle mansion, just 
within the verge of a pleasant 'grove of timber,' as a small forest is called by west- 
ern travelers. We found Mrs. Kellogg a very respectable looking matron, who soon 
informed us she was from the city of New York. She appeared proud and de- 
liglitctl to entertain Mr. Hamilton, for whose family, she took occasion to tell us, 
she had, in former days, been in the habit of doing needle-work. We had intended 
to 20 to Dixon's the same afternoon, but the snow beginning again to fall, obliged 
us to content ourselves where we were. In the meantime, finding we were jour- 
neying to Chicago, ;Mr. Kellogg came to the determination to accompany us, hav- 
ing, as he said some business to accomplish at that place. 

No great time was required for Mr. Kellogg's preparations. He would take, he 
said, only two days' provisions, for at his brother-in-law Dixon's we should get our 
supper and breakfast, and the route from there to Chicago could, he well knew, be 
accomplished in a day and a half Although, accoi'ding to this calculation, we had 
sufficient remaining of our stores to carry us to the end of our journey, yet ^Ir. 
Kinzie took the precaution of begging Mrs. Kellogg to bake us another bag of bis- 
cuits, in case of accidents, and he likewise suggested to Mr. K. the prudence of 
furni.shing himself with something more than his limited allowance; but the good 
man objected that he was unwilling to burden his horse more than was absolutely 
necessary. It will be seen that we had reason to rejoice in our own foresight. 

It was" late on the following day, when we took leave of our kind hostess. W^e 
journeyed pleasantly along through a country, beautiful in spite of its wintry ap- 
pearance. Just at sunset, we reached the dark, rapid waters of the Kock Kiver. 
All being safely got across, a short walk brought us to the house of Mr. Dixon. 
We were ushered into Mrs. Dixon's sitting-room; and seated by a glowing Sre, 
while Mrs. Dixon busied herself in preparing us a nice supper, I felt that the com- 
fort overbalanced the inconvenience of such a journey. 

A most savory supper of ducks and venison, with their accompaniments, soon 
smoked upon the board, and we did ample justice to it. Traveling is a great sharp- 
ener of the appetite, and so is cheerfulness, and the latter was increased by the 
encouraging account Mr. Dixon gave us of the remainder of the route yet before 
us. 'There is no diCBculty,' said he, 'if you keep a little to the north, and strike 
the great Savk trail. If you ii;et too far to the south, you will come upon the Win- 
ne))ago Swamp, and once in that, there is no telling when you will ever get out 
asrain. As for the distance, it is nothing at all to speak of 

The following morning, which was a bright and lovely one for that season of tha 
year, we took leave of Mr. and Mrs. Dixon, in high spirits. We traveled for the 
first few miles along the beautiful, undulating banks of Rock Kiver, always in an 
easterly direction, keeping the beaten path, or rather road, v,diich led to Fort Clark 
or Peoria. The Sauk trail, we had been told, would cross this road, at the distance 
of about six miles. After having traveled, as wo judged, fully that distance, we 
came upon a trail, bearing north-east, which we followed till it brought us to the 
trreat bend of the river with its bold rocky bluffs, when, convinced of our mistake, 
wo struck off from the trail, in a direction as nearly east as possible. The weather 
liad changed and become intensely cold, and we felt that the detention we had met 
with, even should we now be in the right road, was no trifling matter. But we 
were buoyed up by the hope that we were in the riglit path at last, and wo jour- 
neyed on until night, when we reached a comfortable 'encampment,' in the edge 
of a grove near a small stream. 

We were roused at peep of day to make preparations for starting. We must 
find the Sauk trail this day at all hazards. What would become of us should we 
fail to do so ? It was a question no one liked to ask, and certainly one that none 
could have answered. On leaving our encampment, we found ourselves entering 
a marshy tract of country. Myriads of wild geese, brant, and ducks rose up 
screaming at our approach. The more distant lakes and ponds were black with 
them, but the shallow water through which we attempted to make our way was 



WISCONSIN. 345 

frozen by the severity of the night, to a thickness not sufficient to bear the horses, 
but just such as to cut their feet and ankles at every step as they broke throu^^h it. 
Sometimes the difficulty of going forward was so great that we were obliged to re- 
trace our steps and make our way round the head of the marsh. 

This swampy region at length passed, we came upon more solid ground, chiefly 
the open prairie. But now a new trouble assailed us. The weather had moderated, 
and a blinding snow storm came on. Without a trail that we could rely upon, and 
destitute of a compass, our only dependence had been the sun to point out our di- 
rection; but the atmosphere was now so obscure that it was impossible to tell in 
what quarter of the heavens he was. We pursued our way, however, and a devious 
one it must have been. After traveling in this way many miles, we came upon an 
Indian trajl, deeply indented, running at right angles with the course we were 
pursuing. The snow had ceased, and the clouds becoming thinner, we were able 
to observe the direction of the sun, and to perceive that the trail ran north and 
south. What should we do ? Was it safest to pursue our easterly course, or was 
it probable that by following this new path we should fall into the direct one we 
had been so long seeking? If we decided to take the trail, should we go north or 
south? ^Ir. Kinzie was for the latter. He was of opinion that Ave were still too 
far north. Finding himself in the minority, my husband yielded, and we turned 
our horses' heads north, much against his Avill. After proceeding a few miles, 
however, he took a sudden determination. 'You may go north, if you please,' said 
he, ' but I am convinced that the other course is right, and 1 shall face about — fol- 
low who will.' So we wheeled round and rode south again, and many a long and 
weary mile did we travel. The road, which had continued many miles" through the 
prairie, at length, in winding round a point of woods, brought us suddenly upon 
an Indian village. A shout of joy broke from the whole party, but no answering' 
shout was returned — not even a bark of friendly welcome — as we galloped up to 
the wigwams. All was silent as the grave. We rode round and round, then dis- 
mounted and looked into several of the spacious huts. They had evidently been 
long deserted. 

Our disappointment may be better imagined than described. With heavy hearts 
we mounted and once more pursued our way, the snow again falling and adding to 
the discomforts of our position. At length we halted for the night. We had Ion"- 
been aware that our stock of provisions was insufficient for another dav, and here 
we were— nobody knew where — in the midst of woods and prairies — certainly far 
from any human habitation, with barely enough food for a slender evenin<;'s meal. 

The poor dogs came whining around us to beg their usual portion, but they were 
obliged to content themselves with a bare bone, and we retired to rest with the 
feeling that if not actually hungry then, we should certainly be so to-morrow. 

The morrow came. Plante and Koy had a bright fire and a nice pot of coffee 
for us. It was our only breakfast, for on shaking the bag and turning it inside out. 
we could make no more of our stock of bread than three crackers, which the rest 
of the party insisted 1 should put in my pocket for my dinner. We still had the 
trail to guide us, and we continued to follow it until about nine o'clock, when, in 
emerging from a wood, we came upon a broad and rapid river. A collection of 
Indian wigwams stood upon the opposite bank, and as the trail led directly to the 
water, it was fair to infer that^ the stream was fordable. W^e had no opportunity 
of testing it, however, for the banks were so lined with ice, which was piled up 
tier upon tier by the breakino;-up of the previous week, that we tried in vain to 
find a path by which we coula descend the bank to the water. The men shouted 
again and again in hopes some straggling inhabitant of the village might be at 
hand with his canoe. No answer was returned save by the echoes. What was to 
be done ? I looked at my husband and saw that care was on his brow, although 
he still continued to speak cheerfully. 'We will follow this cross-trail down the 
bank of the river,' said he. ' There must be Indians wintering near in some of 
these points of wood.' I must confess that I felt somewhat dismayed at our pros- 
pects, but I kept up a show of courage, and did not allow my despondency to be 
Been. All the party were dull and gloomy enough. 

We kept along the bank, which was considerably elevated above the water, and 
bordered at a little distance with a thick wood. All at once my horse, who was mor« 



346 WISCONSIN. 

tally afraid of Indians, began to jump and prance, snorting and pricking up his 
ears as if an enemy were at hand. 1 screamed with delight to my husband, who 
was at the head of the file, 'Oh .Tohn ! John! there are Indians near — look at 
Jerry!' At this instant a little Indian dog ran out from under the bushes by the 
roadside, and began barking at us. Never were sounds more welcome. We rode 
directly into the thicket, and descending into a little hollow, found two squaws 
crouching behind the bushes, trying to conceal themselves from our sight. 

They appeared greatly relieved when Mr. Kinzie addressed them in the Potto- 
watomie language. 

The squaw, in answer to Mr. K.'s inquiries, assured him that Chicago was ' close 

' That means, said he, ' that it is not so far off as Canada. We must not be too 
sanguine.' 

The men sat about unpacking the horses, and I in the meantime was paddled 
across the river. The old woman immediately returned, leaving the younger one 
with me for company. 1 seated myself on the fallen trunk of a tree, in the midst 
of tlie snow, and looked across the dark waters. I am not ashamed to confess my 
weakness — for the first time on my journey I shed tears. The poor little squaw 
looked into my face with a wondering and sympathizing expression. 

'What would my friends at the east think,' said I to myself, 'if they could see 
me now? What would poor old Mrs. Welsh say? She who warned me that if I 
came away so far to the icest, I should break my hearf^ Would she not rejoice to 
find how likely her prediction was to be fulfilled ? ' 

These thoughts roused me. I dried up my tears, and by the time my husband 
with his party, and all his horses and luggage, were across, I had recovered my 
cheerfulness, and was ready for fresh adventures. 

We follov.'ed the old squaw to her lodge, which was at no great distance in the 
woods. The master of the lodge, Avho had gone out to shoot ducks, soon returned. 
He was a tall, finely formed man, with a cheerful, open countenance, and he lis- 
tened to what his wife in a quiet tone related to him, Avhile he divested himself of 
his accoutrements in the most unembarrassed, well-bred manner imaginable. Soon 
my husband joined us. He had been engaged in attending to the comfort of his 
horses, and assisting his men in making their fire, and pitching their tent, which 
the rising storm made a matter of some difficulty. From the Indian he learned 
that Ave were in what was called 'the Big Woods,' or ' Piche's Grove,'* from a 
Frenchman of that name living not far from the spot — that the river we had crossed 
was the Fox River — that he could guide us to Piche's, from which the road was 
perfectly plain, or even into Chicago if we preferred — but that Ave had better re- 
main encamped for that day, as there Avas a storm coming on, and in the mean 
time he Avould go and shoot some ducks for our dinner and supper. He Avas ac- 
cordingly furnished with powder and shot, and set off" again for game without de 
lay. 

The tent being all in order, my husband came for me, and Ave took leave of our 
friends in the wigwam with grateful hearts. The storm A\'as raging without. The 
trees Avere bending and cracking ai'ound us, and the air was completely filled with 
the Avild-foAvl screaming and quacking as they made their way soutlnvard before 
the blast. Our tent was among the trees not far from the river. ]\ly husband took 
me to the bank to look for a moment at what we had escaped. The wind Avas 
sweeping doAvn from the north in a perfect hurricane. The Avater Avas filled with 
masses of snow and ice, dancing along upon the torrent, over which Avere hurry 
ing thousands of wild-fowl, making the Avoods resound to their deafening clamor. 
Had Ave been one hour later, Ave could not possibly haA-e crossed the stream, and 
there seems to have been nothing for us but to have remained and starved in the 
Avilderness. Could we be sufficiently grateful to that kind Providence that had 
brought us safely through such dangers ? 

The storm raged with tenfold violence during the night. We were continually 

* Probably at what is now Oswego. The name of a portion of the wood is since corrupted 
into Sjyccie's Grove. 



WISCONSIN. 347 

etartled by the crasliing of the falling trees around us, and who could tell but that 
the next vvould be upon us ? Spite of our fatigue, we passed an almost sleepless 
night. When we arose in the morning, we were made fully alive to the perils by 
which we had been surrounded. At least fifty trees, the giants of the forest, lay 
prostrate within vicAV of the tent. W^hen we had taken our scanty breakfast, and 
were mounted and ready for departure, it was with difiiculty we could thread our 
way, so completely was it obstructed by the fallen trunks. 

Our Indian guide had joined us at an early hour, and after conducting us care- 
fully out of the wood, about nine o'clock brought us to Piche's, a log-cabin on a 
rising ground, looking ofiP over the broad prairie to the east. We had hoped to 
get some refreshment here, Piche being an old acquaintance of some of the party; 
but alas ! the master was from home. We found his cabin occupied by Indians 
and travelers — the latter few, the former numerous. 

There was no temptation to a halt, except that of warming ourselves at a bright 
fire that was burning in the clay chimney. A man in Quaker costume stepped for- 
ward to answer our inquiries, and offered to become our escort to Chicago, to which 
place he was bound — so Ave dismissed our Indian friend, with a satisfactory remu- 
neration for all the trouble he had so kindly taken for us. 

The weather was intensely cold. The wind, sweeping over the wide prairie, with 
nothing to break its force, chilled our very hearts. I beat my feet against the sad- 
dle to restore the circulation, when they became benumbed with cold, until they 
became so bruised I could beat them no longer. Not a house or wigwam, not even 
a clump of trees as a shelter, offered itself for many a weary mile. At length we 
reached the west fork of the D\i Page. It was frozen, but not sufficiently so to 
bear the horses. Our only resource was to cut a way for them through the ice. 
It was a work of time, for the ice had frozen to several inches in thickness, during 
the last bitter night. Plante went first with an axe, and cut as far as he could 
reach, then mounted one of the hardy little ponies, and with some difficulty broke 
the ice before him, until he had opened a passage to the opposite shore. 

How the poor animals shivered as they were reined in among the floating ice ! 
And we, who sat waiting in the piercing wind, were not much better. We were 
all across at last, and spurred on our horses, until we reached Hawley's* — a large, 
commodious dwelling, near the east fork of the river. 

The good woman welcomed us kindly, and soon made us warm and comfortable. 
We felt as if we were in a civilized land once more. We found, upon inquiry, 
that we could, by pushing on, reach Lawton's, on the Aux Plaines, that night — we 
should then be within twelve miles of Chicago. Of course we made no unneces- 
sary delay, but set off as soon after dinner as possible. The crossing of the east 
fork of the Du Page was more perilous than the former one had been. 

It was almost dark when we reached Lawton's. The Aux Plainesf was frozen, 
and the house was on the other side. By loud shouting, we brought out a man 
from the building, and he succeeded in cutting the ice, and bringing a canoe over 
to us; but not until it had become difficult to distinguish objects in the darkness. 
A very comfortable house was Lawton's, after we did reach it — carpeted, and with 
a warm stove — in fact, quite in civilized style. Mrs. Lawton was a young woman, 
and not ill looking. She complained bitterly of the loneliness of her condition, and 
having been 'brought out there into the woods; which was a thing she had not 
expected, when she came from the east.' We could hardly realize, on rising the 
following morning, that only twelve miles of prairie intervened between us and 
Chicago le Desire, as I could not but name it. 

Soon the distance was traversed, and we were in the arms of our dear, kind 
friends. A messenger was dispatched to ' the garrison ' for the remaining mem- 
bers of the family, and for that day at least, I was the wonder and admiration of 
the whole circle, ' for the dangers 1 had seen.' " 

* It was near this spot that the brother of Mr. Hawley, a Methodist preacher, was killed 
by the Sauks, in 1832, after having been tortured by them with the most wanton barbarity. 

"t" Riviere Aux Plaines was the original French designation, now changed to Devplaines, 
pronounced as in English. 



348 WISCONSIN. 

Nortli of Milwaukie, on tlie shores of Lake Michigan, arc several thriving 
city-like towns, containing each several thousand inhabitants. They are 
Ozanhee^ Sheboygan, 3Iani(oicoc, and Two Riveis. 

Citjj of Superior is at the head of Lake Superior, on the Bay of Superior 
and Neraadji River. It was laid out in 185-t, by a company of gentlemen 
who judged from its site that it must eventually be a large city. It has a 
splendid harbor, six miles long and one broad, admirably sheltered from storms, 
and capable of containing the shipping of the entire chain of lakes. In 
three years, its population had increased to 1,500 souls, and many buildings 
had been constructed. 

La Pointe, one of the oldest towns in the north-west, was first occupied 
by the French Jesuits and traders, in 1680. It is on Madeline Island of 
Lake Superior, which is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. 
It has an air of antiquity, in its ruined port, dilapidated pickets, that form- 
erly inclosed the place, and the old Fur Company's buildings, some of which 
are still standing. Here was the scene of the labors of Fathers Claude 
Allouez and Jean Marquette, and of an Indian battle between the warlike 
Dacotahs and Algonquins, in which the chapel of the Holy Spirit, erected 
by these devoted missionaries, was destroyed. Near it, on the mainland, is 
the newly laid out town of Bayfield. 



MINNESOTA. 



Mi.N.NKSoTA derives its name from the Minnesota River. The water of tlis 
river is clear, but has a biueish hue, owing to the peculiar colored clay of its 

bed. The name, Minnesota, indicates 
this peculiarity, and signifies "sky- 
tinted water." In 1679, Fatlier Hen- 
nepin, a Dutch Franciscan friar, and 
two others, of La Salle's expedition, 
accompanied the Indians to their 
villages, 180 miles above the Falls 
of St. Anthony. "He was the first 
JMiropean who ascended the 3Iissis- 
sippi above the mouth of the Wis- 
consin; the first to name and describe 
the Falls of St. Anthony; the first 
to present an engraving of the Falls 
of Niagara to the literary world.^ 
The first white man who visited 
the soil of Minnesota was a French- 
man, Daniel Greysolon du Luth, who 
in 1678 left Quebec to explore the 
country of the Assineboines. On the 
2d of July, of the next year, he planted the king's arms in Kathio, the great 
village of the Dakotahs, and, in the succeeding September, convened a coun- 
cil of the Indian nations at the head of Lake Superior. He built a fort a 
i;rading post at the mouth of Pigeon River, and advanced as ftir as Mille Lac. 
In June, 1680, leaving his post, he met Hennepin among the Dakotahs, and 
descended the Mississippi with him. Before the termination of that century, 
other Frenchmen also visited Minnesota. 

In 1689, Perrot, accompanied byLe Sueur, Father Marest, and others, took 
formal possession of Minnesota, in the name of the French king. They also 
built a fort on the west shore of Lake Pepin, just above its entrance — the 




Arms of Minnesota. 
Motto — Leloile du Nord — Tlie Star of the North. 



*From " The History of Minnesota, from the Earliest French Exploration to the Present 
Time ; by Edward Duffield Neill, Secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society. Phila- 
delphia, T. B. Lippincott & Co., 1858." 

349 



350 MINNESOTA. 

first French establishment in Minnesota. Le Sueur, in 1695, built a second 
post, on an island below the St. Croix. 

At this period, Le Sueur discovered, as he supposed, a copper mine on 
Blue Earth River, a tributary of the Minnesota. He returned in 1700, built 
a fort on the Minnesota, remained during the winter, and in the spring de- 
scended the Mississippi, with one hundred tuns of blue and green earth 
destined for France: but it is not known that he ever returned. 

Within the next GO years, Minnesota was visited by the French fur traders. 
In 1703, Capt. Jonathan Carver, a native of Connecticut, visited the country, 
and subsc((uently published his travels in England, in which he first called 
the attention of the civilized world to the existence of the ancient monu- 
ments in the Mississippi vallpy, whif^h h<^ dis'^'^^ver-'d "' the vicinity of Lake 
Pepin, and described. He also described a cave nea" St. Paul, which bears 
his name to this da}'. He designed to have returned to the country, with 
which he was greatly delighted: but the American Revolution intervening 
prevented. 

"After the Ficncli came the British fur tradeis. The British Xorth-wcst Fur Company 
occupied trading posts at Sandy LalvC, Leech Lake, and other central points within the 
IBliits of Minnesota. That at Sandy Lake was built in 1794, the year of Wayie'a Victo- 
ry. It was a hirge stockade, and contained two rows of buildinj:;s used as dwellings, pro- 
vision store, and workshops. Fort William, on the north side ot Lake Superior, eventu- 
ally became their principal dep(jt. This toit was on so large a scale as to accommodate 
forty partricrs, with their clerks and families. About these posts were many half-breeds, 
whose members were constantly increasing by the intermarriages of the French traders 
with the Indian women. Their goods, consisting principally of blankets, cutlery, printed 
calicoes, ribbons, glass beads, and other trinkets wei'c forwarded to the pnsts from Mon- 
treal, in packages of about ili) pounds each, and exchanged in winter for furs, which in 
the summer were conveyed to Montreal in canoes, carrying each about 65 packages and 10 
men. The Mackinaw Company, :ilso English merchants, had their headquarters at Mack- 
inaw, while their trading ptjsts were over a thousand miles distant, on the head waters of 
the Mississippi. Between the North-west and the Hudson's Bay Company a powerful ri- 
valry existed. The boundaries of the latter not being established, desperate collisions 
often took place, and the posts of each were frequently attacked. When Lieut. Pike 
ascended the upper Mississippi in ISOo, he fou;id the lur trade in the exclusive possession 
of the North-west Company, which was comp<jsed wholly of foreigners. Although the 
lake posts were surreiuleTed to our government in 1796, American authority was not felt 
in that quarter until after the war of lSl2, owing to the influence the English exercised 
over the Indians. It w^as from fear of American rivalry that the JBritish fur traders insti- 
gated tlie Indians to border wars against the early settlements. In 181G, congress passed 
a law excluding foreigners from the Indian trade." 

In 18;)(), when the Territory of Indiana was organized, that part of Minnesota east of 
the Mississippi was included within it; and in lt?03, when Louisiana was purchased, that 
part of Minnesota west of the Mississippi for the tirst time became United States territory. 
The tirst American oflicer who visited Minnesota on public business, was Zcbulon Mont- 
gomery Pike, a native of New Jersey, then a young lieutenant in the army. His errand 
was to explore the country, form alliances with the Indians, and expel the British traders 
found violating the laws of the United States. He was well treated by them; but as soon 
as he had departed, they disregarded the regulations he had established. Pike purchased 
the site of Fort Snelling, where, in 1819, barracks were erected, and a garrison stationed 
by the United States, which was the first .American establishment in the country. Further 
explorations were made in 1820, by Gov. Cass; in 182.3, by Major Long, and in 1832, by 
Henry R. Sclioolcraft, the last of whom discovered the source of the Mississippi. 

From 1836 to 1839, M. Nicollet (under whom was John C. Fremont), was engaged in 
making geograpliical surveys in this region, and ten years later, a scientific corps under 
Dr. Dale Owen, by their explorations, revealed much additional information respecting the 
topograjihy and geology of this northern country: as also have the published journals of 
Stansbury, Pope and Marcy, officers of the U. S. corps of topographical engineers. All 
these surveys and ex(tlorations were by order of government. 

The first settlers in Mituiesota. aside from the missionaries, fur traders, and military, 
were a lew Swiss emigrants from Pembina, the colony of Lord Selkirk, in the valley of the 
Red River, upward ef 60(' miles north of Fort Snelling. In the years of 1837 and 1838, 



MINNESOTA. g^| 

they opened farms on the site of St. Paul and vicinity. At this time the American eml 
grants had made no settlements on the Mississippi above Prairie du Chien. In October, 
1833, Rev. W. T. Boutwell established, at Leech Lake, the first Protestant mission m 
Minnesota west of the Mississippi. Li May, 1835, the first church in Minnesota Aas organ- 
ized in the garrison at Fort Snelling, by Rev. Thos. S. Williamson and Rev. J. D. Stevens, 
missionaries of the American Board of Foreign Missions to the Dakotahs. In Jt-'4.'), a 
settlement was begun on the site of Slilhvater, a mill and other improvements conimenced. 
The next year the first mill in Minnesota, above Fort Snelling, was built by B. Gervais, 
five miles northeast of St. Paul, at a point later known as Little Canada. In the year 
lb42, a store and some other trading shops were opened at St. Paul, which made it the 
nucleus of a settlement. 

Previous to the organization of Wisconsin as a state, that part of iMinne- 
Rota east of the Mississippi was included within it, and that part weyt in the 
Territory of Iowa. 

"On the 3d of March, 1849, a bill was passed organizing the Territory of Miiniesota, 
■whose boundary on the west extended to the Missouri River. At the time of the passage 
of the bill, organizing the Territory of Minnesota, the region was little more than a wild- 
erness. The west bank of the Mississippi, from the Iowa line to Lake Itasca, was unceded 
by the Indians. 

At Wapashaw was a trading post in charge of Alexis Bailly, and here also resided the 
ancient voya^eur, of fourscore years, A. Rocque. At the foot of Lake Pepin was a store- 
house kept by Mr. F. S. Richards. On the west shore of the lake lived the eccentric 
Wells, whose wife was a bois brule — a daughter of the deceased trader, Duncan Graham. 
The two unfinished buildings of stone, on the beautiful bank opposite the renowned Maid- 
en's Rock, and the surrounding skin lodges of his wife's relatives and friends, presented a 
rude but picturesque scene. Above the lake was a cluster of bark wigwams, the Dakotah 
village of Ravmneccha, now Red Wing, at which was a Presbyterian mission house. The 
next settlement was Kaposia, also an Indian village, and the residence of a Presbyterian 
missionary, the Rev. T. S. Williamson, M.D. 

On the east side of the Mississippi, the first settlement, at the mouth of the St. Croix, 
was Point Douglas, then, as now, a small hamlet. At Red Rock, the site of a former 
Methodist mission station, there were a few farmers. St. Paul was just emerging from a 
collection of Indian whisky shops, and birch roofed cabins of half-breed voyageurs. Here 
and there a frame tenetnent was erected; and, under the auspices of the Hon. H. M.Rice, 
who had obtained an interest in the town, some warehouses were being constructed, and 
the foundations of the American House were laid. In lb49, the population had increased 
to two hundred and fifty or three hundred inliabitants, for rumors had gone abroad that it 
might be mentioned in the act, creating the territory, as the capital." 

The officers appointed by President Taylor lor the territory were, Alex. Ramsay, of Pa., 
governor; C. K. Smith, of Ohio, secretary; A. Goodrich, of Tenn., chief justice; B. B. 
Meeker, of Ky , and David Cooper, of Pa., associate judges; H. L. Moss, U. S. district 
attorney; and A.M. Mitchell, of Ohio, marshal. The governor and other officers soon 
after arrived at St. Paul, and on the 1st of .lune the territorial government was organized. 
Henry H. Sibley, of Mich., was shortly after elected the first delegate to congress. The 
territorial legislature met on the od of September, and elected David Olmsted president 
of the council, and Joseph W. Furber as speaker of the house. The next day they assem- 
bled in the dining room of the town hotel, and, after a prayer by Rev. E. D. Neill,the gov- 
ernor delivered his message. One of the first acts of the body was to incorporate " the 
Historical Society of Minnesota." The total population of the territorv, on the 11th of 
June, 1849, was 4,049. 

On the 33d of Feb., 1856, the U. S. senate authorized the people of Minnesota to form 
a state constitution, preparatory to adnu.'sion into the Union. This was effected in the 
succeeding October, and on the 7th of April, 1858, the senate passed the bill admitting 
Minnesota into the Union. Henry M. Rice and James Shields were the first representa- 
tives of the new state in the national senate. In a census taken iu 1857, preliminary to 
admission, the population was ascertained to be 150,037. 

Like all new states, Minnesota has been injured by the spirit of speculation in land, 
especially in town sites. Prior to the commercial revulsion of 1857, it was estimated that, 
868 town sites had been recorded, enough to accommodate a town population of over two 
million. 



Minnesota extends from latitude 43° 30' to 48°, and in longitude from 
80° 29' to 91° 12': it is bounded on the E. by Lake Superior and Wiscon- 



352 MINNESOTA. 

sin; on the N. by the British Possessions; on the W. by Dakotah Terri- 
tory, and on the S. by Iowa: its greatest lenath north and south is 380 miles, 
and it has a breadth varying from 183 to 358 miles: total area 81,259 square 
miles. 

Minnesota occupies the elevated plateau of North Ameriea. At the "highth of 
land," or Hauteurs dea Terres, in the northern part of the state, lat. 47 deg. 7 min. 
and long. 95 deg., "are the sources of the three great river sj^stems of the conti- 
nent, 'f he slopes of the adjacent valleys, meeting upon this central ridge, give to 
the surface of .Minnesota, with the general aspect of an undulating plain, the shape 
of a pj'ramidal roof, down whose opposite sides the waters descend to their ocean 
outlets." Two thirds of this surface feeds the jMississippi with its waters, which 
thus tind their wa}' to the Gulf of Mexico, vs^hile the remainder of the surface con- 
trihutes in about equal proportions to the l?ed River of the North, flowing into 
Hudson's Bay, and to Lake Superior, whose final outlet to the ocean is through the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Highth of Land is ahout 1,500 feet above the (julf 
of j\Iexico, and is the only hilly region, excepting the trap summits north of Lake 
Superior. 

The majestic oMississippi takes its rise among the hills of Lake Itasca, and flows 
for 797 miles through the state. The IMinnesota, 470 miles long, empties into the 
Mississippi five miles above St. Paul, and is now navigable for steamers for '23S 
miles, to the moutli of the Yellow Medicine. The Red River has a length of 379 
miles, to the British line. The St. Croix River, so valuable for its pineries, is nav- 
igable for 52 miles. Lake Superior waslies 167 miles of the border of the state, 
and the St. Louis River, at its extreme west end, is navigable 21 miles. 

Hon. B. B. IMeeker, a ten years' resident in ^Minnesota, writing in 1860, gives a 
description of its climate, soil and general resources, which we copy in an abridged 
form ; 

The climate of Minnesota is already proverbially good. Its complete exemption from 
all those diseases and maladies local to most new countries, and so ju.'<tly a terror to all new 
comers, is conceded by all who have tested it by actual residence. There is hardly a town, 
or city, or neighborhood in the state, that is not able to boar testimony to more than one 
complete restoration from chronic disease of the lungs or some of the varied types of con- 
sumption assumed by that most subtile of all the agents of the fell destroyer. 

Perhaps no locality on our continent has less of fever and ague. Indeed, if there be any 
cases of this kind, their origin is readily traced to some other states or territories, and but 
a short residence is necessary to eradicate it entirely. Hundreds and hundreds of families 
are anaually driven from other western states to take up their residence in Minnesota, to 
escape this offensive and troublesome foe to the emigrant and his family. This is not only 
true of one, but of evtri/ portion of the state ; and what is very remarkable, it is just as 
healthy around the lake shores and along the valleys of our water courses, as upon the 
prairies and table lands of the interior. In no part of America are the seasons better de- 
lined or more emphatically marked. 

Wo will commence with the spring. This season usually begins about the middle of 
March, when the snow begins to melt and disappear suddenly. April is fickle and fluctu- 
ating — May tranquil, warm, and genial. The latter part of April the farmers plant pota- 
toes and sow their spring wheat. About the first of May they sow their oats, and about 
the tenth plant their corn. After the first of May frosts rarely ever appear, "certainly not 
to the same extent they do in states further south and east. This is a very remarkable fact, 
and is demonstrated j'early. I was informed by an aged missionary, in the spring of 1S49, 
that he had lived in the country then sixteen years, and that he had observed the appear- 
ance of frost averaged two weeks earlier in northern Illinois than in Minnesota. Why this 
difference in favor of a more northern state, is an interesting problem for philosophers and 
geologists, with whom I leave the solution — the fad, however, is incontestable. 

Summer in this state is indeed hot, sometimes even overpowering; but always succeeded 
by cool, breezy, delicious nights. Sleep here is repose indeed, and not exhaustion, as in 
more southern states. In no part of the world do crops grow more rapidly than in Minuc- 
Eota, owing chiefly to two causes, the intense heat of summer days and the warm nature of 
the soil. This peculiarity of the soil and climate explains the hurried and swift maturity 
of the various species of corn, that many who have not witnessed the fact, believe can not 
ripen with any degree of certainty north of Ohio or Illinois. This quick action of the sun 
and soil on vegetation and grain, is necessarily a spur to the farmer, who is hurried from 
one department of his labor to another without much time for rest or relaxation. At first 
he will be apt to conclude that the planting of corn is too close on the sowing of wheat, 
oats, and barley ; and the weeding of the former too near the harvesting of the latter. But 



MINNESOTA. 353 

he ■will soon learn by observation and experience to keep them separate and apart by taking 
time by the forelock. 

The autumns of Minnesota are bright, clear, and dry — well adapted to the cutting and 
curing of hay, and the in-gathering of the crops. It is also the best season for sport, as 
hunting, fishing, and driving. No state in the Union has better natural roads and thorough- 
fares, and at this season you can safely drive a carriage to the Red River — thence down 
that rich valley of land to the British interior — or westward to the Rocky Mountains, or 
southerly to Iowa or Missouri. A good team road you can find at this season in almost 
any direction, and perfect health by the way. 

The winter here is cold, dry, and severe. Snow falls for sleighing generally about the 
twentieth of November, and from that time to Christmas. After that but little snow falls, 
and it is uniform winter till spring comes, when it makes its exit rather unceremoniously. 
But let no one suppose that winter here is cheerless and void of social interest. In no part 
of the country are there more social appliances and social pleasures than in Minnesota. 
Lyceums, lecture-rooms, social and dancing parties, sleighing excursions by day and by 
moonlight, are common sources of pleasure from the capitol to the country hamlet. This, 
too, is the season for harvesting the pine forest — an employment half business and half 
pleasure — a crop gathered in the. winter and manufactured and sold in the spring anij 
summer. 

Minnesota, like all the other states, has more or less of poor or indifTerent soil ; at the 
same time few states in the Union have more productive or remunerating lands than Min- 
nesota, and these are admirably distributed so as ultimately to equalize the population 
through the several important districts marked by the physical geography of the country. 
The great natural subdivisions of the state are : 

I. The Lnke Superior region or the region extending some sixty miles around the head 
of the great lake that bears that name. This district is for the most part woodland. Most 
of the soil is thin, low, and wet, with here and there a fertile locality of hard wood, as ash, 
sugar maple, and elm, having a clay or hard-pan subsoil. But little of this region is at 
present settled, and it is generally unknown to the emigrating public, as no road has yet 
been completed — from Superior City to the Mississippi — a distance of eighty miles only. 
It is to be regretted, and the government is to be blamed, that it has never constructed this 
road either for military or postal purposes, as well as for calling into requisition and settle- 
ment a large tract of the public domain, thus uniting, by a comparatively small expense, 
the two great valleys of the continent, the Lake and Mississippi. It would be essentially 
a »Ja^^o)ioZ highway, and would speedily force into settlement all the cultivable lands be- 
tween the two mighty waters. This, too, is the mineral, the copper and iron district of 
Minnesota — the ouhj region in America where copper is found in massive purity. AVhen the 
slumbering wealth of this region shall be appreciated, and capital and operatives shall have 
found a lodgment in this portion of Minnesota, agriculture in this vicinity will find an in- 
exhaustible market and a rich reward at the head of the lake. 

II. In the north-west of the state, heads the great valley or basin of the Red River of 
the North. This is almost a distinct region of country, and has many peculiarities in soil 
and population. The valley proper, is about thirty miles in width, being timbered and 
prairie and of the very richest soil, composed of a deep black loam, resting upon a clayey 
foundation. This is a vast luxuriant grass region — the ancient paradise of the buffalo herds 
— from which they have just been driven by the vanguard and outpost of our progressive 
population. This great valley is admirably adapted to the cultivation of hemp, barley, 
maize, wheat, oats, and potatoes. 

III. The Upper Mississippi. By this I mean so much of the valley of the Upper Mis- 
jissippi as lies north of the Falls of St. Anthony. On the east side or left hand of this 
river, from its source to the falls, the soil is generally inferior, and yet there are many por- 
tions of it are good and yield well. On the west side, however, the soil is not only good 
but generally excellent. The Sauk River valley, the Crow River valley and its branches, 
are not surpassed in fertility and productiveness in any western state- This region is not 
only well settled but populous, and is very productive in wheat, rye, oats, corn, and pota- 
toes, which are shipped in large quantities from the falls to St. Louis, the most accessible 
and best market. 

IV. The St. Peter's or Minnesota valley. This is an immense district of agricultural and 
grazing lands, stretching south-westerly first, and then north-westerly, embracing a tract 
of some five hundred miles, fertile in corn, wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes, all of which 
are easily and cheaply floated to the Mississippi, thence south to the best market. 

V. Lower Minnesota, or all that country lying west of the Mississippi and south of the 
St. Peter's or Minnesota River, including the very rich and fertile country drained by the 
Blue Earth. This whole country is well settled, and very fertile in corn and wheat. 

The crops that do best in Minnesota are wheat, rye, barley, oats, potatoes, and corn — 
the latter not always a certain crop. The average yield of wheat this year is supposed to 
be twenty-five bushels to the acre, the largest average of any state of the Union. 

There is no mineral coal in Minnesota, but the country is otherwise well supplied with 
fuel and means for manufacturing. For a prairie state, it is by far the best wooded and 

23 



354 



MINNESOTA. 



timbered of them all. All the region between the Upper Mississippi and the Great Lake ii 
a wilderness of wood, except a nanow belt of prairie along the river. All the great val 
leys above described have an abundance of wood for fuel, fencing, and building purposes. 

I think it is the best watered country in the world. A settler can hardly select him a 
farm in any part of the state that will not be near a spring, a creek, or lake. Cascades and 





St. raid. 

waterfalls, too, are to be found all over the state, and are valued for their beauty and util- 
ity. Water-power, as it is called, is inexhaustible in Minnesota, and is rapidly being ap- 
propriated to various branches of manufacturing. Flour and lumber have already become 
important staples, and command high and cash prices, from the Falls of St. Anthony to 
New Orleans. Other manufacturing will soon spring up, and make Minnesota, in this re- 
spect, the New England of the north-west. 

The more intense periods of cold in the winter of Minnesota, are shorn 
of their severity, by the absence of winds and the peculiar dryness of the 
atmosphere, which imparts an elasticity and buoyancy to the spirits. It has 
been ascertained by theometrieal observations, continued for many years at 
Fort Siielling, that its spring temperature is identical with that of Massa- 
chusetts; its summer with that of northern Ohio; its autumn with that of 
northern Vermont, and its winter is like that of Montreal. The population 
of Minnesota, in 1850, was 6,075, and in 1860, 176,535: and farms under 
cultivation, 19,075. 



St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, derives its name from the Catholic 
church which had been organized there six years previous to the laying out 
of the town. St. Paul stands on the left or east bank of the Mississippi; 
but at this particular point the course of the river is from south-west ta 
north-east: the town is 8 miles below the Falls of St. Anthony, and 5 below 
Fort Siielling and the mouth of the Minnesota: distance, by the Mississippi, 
above New Orleans, 1,900 miles; above the mouth of the Ohio, 860; above 
St. Louis, 688; above Galena, 280; above La Crosse, 114; and about 400 



MINNESOTA. 



355 



from Chicago by the usual route of travel. The main part of St. Paul stands 
upon a plain of land about 80 feet above the river, and 800 above the Gulf 
of Mexico, on one of the most beautiful and commanding of sites. " Com- 
mercially, it is the key to all the vast region north of it, and, by the Minne- 
sota River, to the immense valley drained through that important tributary 
to the Mississippi. The approach to it from below is grand and imposing. 
The traveler, after leaving Dubuque nearly 300 miles below, sees nothing to 
remind him of a city until he rounds the bend in the river below St. Paul, 
when her tall spires, substantial business houses, and neat dwellings burst 
upon his view." St. Paul is near the geographical center of the continent, 
and is the prominent business point of one of the most beautiful, fertile, 
and healthy of countries. Population 1860, 10,401. 

The first settlers at St. Paul were the Swiss, originally from Pembina, Lord Selkirk's 
colony, on the Red River oC the North. In the spring of ISS."), the colonists there were driven 
from their homes by a terrible freshet in the river, consequent upon the melting of the 
snows. "After the flood, they could no longer remain in the land of their adversity, and 
they became the pioneers in emigration and agriculture in the state of Minnesota. At one 
time a party of 24.3 departed for the United States, who found homes at different points on 
the banks of the Mississippi. Before the eastern wave of emigration had ascended be- 
yond Prairie du Chien, the Swiss had opened farms on and near St. Paul, and should be 
recognized as the first acttial settlers in the country." They first located on the land on 
the east side of the Mississippi, between St. Paul and Fort Snelling, and commenced im- 
provements. In March, 1838, the commander at the fort selected this land as a part of 
a military reservation. It was, therefore, withheld from s;ile. The settlers, wlio were 
principally the Swiss, were ordered to be removed by the war department. On the 6th and 
7th of May, 1840, the troops from the fort, with undue haste, removed these unfortunate 
people, and destroyed their cabins: they then removed to the site of St. Paul: among 
them were Messrs. Massey, Perry, Garvis and Pierrie. 

" The year [1838] that the Dakotahs ceded the land east of the Mississippi," says Neill 
in his History of Minnesota, "a Canadian Frenchman, by the name of Parant, the ideal 
of an Indian whisky seller, erected a shanty at what is now the principal steamboat land- 
ing in St. Paul. Ignorant and overbearing, he loved money more than his soul. Desti- 
tute of one eye, and the other resembling that of a pig, he was a good representative of 
Caliban. 

In the year 1842, some one writing a letter in his groggery, for the want of a more 
euphonious name, designated the place as ' Pig's Eye,' refeningto tlie peculiar appearance 
of the whisky seller. The reply to the letter was directed in good faith to ' Pig's Eye,' 
and was received in due time. 

In 1842, the late Henry Jackson, of Mahkato, settled at the same spot, and erected the 
first store on the hight just above the lower landing; and shortly after, Roberts and Simp- 
son followed, and opened small Indian trading shops. In the year 1846, the site of St. 
Paul was chiefly occupied by a few shanties, owned by ' certain lewd fellows of the baser 
sort," who sold rum to the soldier and Indian. It was despised by all decent white men, 
and known to the Dakotahs by an expression in their tongue, which means, the place 
where they sell minne-wakan." * 

St. Paul was laid off as a town into lots in July, 1847, by Ira B. Brunaon, of Prairie du 
Chien, in the employment of residents. "The numes of those who were then sole pro- 
prietors, barring Uncle Sam's prior lien, were Vetal Guerin, Alex. R. M'Leod, Henry 
Jackson, Hartshorn & Randall, Louis Roberts, Benj Gervais, David Farribault, A. L. Lar 
penteur, J. W. Simpson, and J. Deraarrais." For a year or two the place showed no signs 
of a promising future, until the Hon. Henry M. Rice bought in, and by his energy and 
reputation for forecast, " infused new life into the place." When the territorial bill for 
the organization of Minnesota was passed, St. Paul, through the exertions of Hon. Henry 
H. Siblev, was named as the temporary capital. The act was signed on the 3d of March, 
1840. Says Neill: 

"More than a month after the adjournment of congress, just at eve, on the 9th of .\pril, 
amid terrific peals of thunder and torrents of rain, the weekly steam packet, the first to 
force its way through the icy barrier of Lake Pepin, rounded the rocky point, whittling 
loud and long, as if the bearer of glad tidings. Before she was safely moored to the land- 
ing, the shouts of the excited villagers announced that there was a Territory of Minnesota, 



<" Supernatural Water. 



356 



MINNESOTA. 



and t) itt St. Paul was the seat of government. Every successive steamboat arrival poured 
out on Iho landing men big with hope, and anxious to do something to mold the future of 
the new state. 

Nine days after the news of the existence of the Territory of Minnesota was received, 
there arrived James M. Goodhue with press, types, and printing apparatus. A graduate 
of Amherst College, and a lawyer by profession, he wielded a sharp pen, and wrote edito- 
rials, which, more than anything else, perha])S, induced emigration. Though a man of 
some glaring faults, one of the counties properly bears his name. On the 28th of April, he 
issued the first number of the ' Pioneer.' 

On the 27th of May, Alexander Ramsey, the governor, and family arrived at St. Paul, 
but, owing to the crowded state of the public houses, immediately proceeded in the steamer 
to the establishment of the fur company known as Mendota, at the junction of the Minne- 
sota and Mississippi, and became the guest of the Hon. H. H. Sibley. 

For several weeks there resided, at the confluence of these rivers, four individuals who, 
more than any other men, have been identified with the public interests of Minnesota, and 
given the state its present character. Their names are attached to the thriving counties of 
Ramsey, Rice, Sibley, and Steele. 

' As unto the bow, the cord is, 

So unto the man is the woman. 

Though she bends him, she obeys liim, 

Though aho draws him, yet she follows, 

Useless each without the other.' " 




Fort Snelling, originally called Fort St. Anthony, is a noted point in th( 

history of Minnesota. It 
stands on a lofty bluff, 5 miles 
above St. Paul, on the west 
bank of the Mississippi, at the 
junction of the Minnesota, and 
on the north bank of the lat- 
ter. It is composed of large 
barracks and numerous edifices, 
surrounded by thick walls. 
Previous to the organization 
of Minnesota, in 1849, it was 
the only important point north 
Fort sneiltno. of Prairie du Chien, and was 

for years the rendezvous of missionaries, of scientific explorers, and of mer- 
cantile adventurers, on their way to the Dakotahs. The scenery at this 
point, up the valley of the Minnesota, is surpassingly beautiful. The fort 
was named from Col. Snelling. He was a brave officer of the war of 1812, 
and particularly distinguished himself at Tippecanoe and Brownstown. He 
died in 1828. 

In Feb., 1819, the war department ordered the 5th regiment of infantry to concaitrate 
at Detroit, for the purpose of transportation to the Mississippi, to garrison Prairie du Chien 
and Rock Island, and to establish a post as the head-quarters of the corps at the mouth 
of the Minnesota. 

Col. Leavenworth ascended the Mississippi with his soldiers in keel boats, and erected 
temporary barracks above the present village of Mendota, on the south side of the river, 
where they wintered. Col. Snelling subsequently assumed command of the garrison. On 
the 10th of September of the next year (182U), the cornerstone of Fort Snelling was 
laid. 

The wife of Colonel Snelling, " a few days after her arrival at the post, gave birth to 
the first infant of white parents in Minnesota, which, after a brief existence of thirteen 
months, departed to a better land. The dilapidated monument which marks the remains 
of the ' little one,' is still visible in the graveyard of the fort. Beside Mrs. Snelling, the 
wife of the commissary, and of Captain Gooding, were in the garrison, the first American 
ladies that ever wintered in Minnesota." 

The Minne-Tia-ha Falls, the existence of which the genius of Longfellow 



MINNESOTA. 



357 




has perpetuated in living lines, is within a few minutes drive from Fort Snel- 
ling, or St. Anthony, being between these two points. 

" Waterfolls, in the Dakotah tongue, are called ha-Jia. The 'h, has a strong gut- 
tural sound, and the word is ap- 
^-s==^ ^=^ plied because of the curling or 

fe^" "^^^ laughing of the waters. The 

y verb I-ha-ha primarily means to 

/ curl; secondarily to laugh, be- 

cause of the curling motion of 
the mouth in laughter. The 
noise of Ha-ha is called by the 
Dakotahs 1-ha-lui, because of its 
resemblance to laughter. A 
small rivulet, the outlet of Lake 
Harriet and Calhoun, gently 
gliding over the bluif into an am- 
phitheater, forms this graceful 
waterfall. It has but little of 
'the cataract's thunder.' }siaga- 
ra symbolizes the sublime ; St. 
Anthony the picturesque; Ha ha 
the beautiful. The fall is about 
sixty feet, presenting a parabolic 
curve, which drops, without the 
least deviation, until it has reach- 
ed its lower level, Avhen the 
stream goes on its way rejoicing, 
curling along in laughing, child- 
ish glee at the graceful feat it has 
jierformcd in bounding over the 
precipice." 

St. Anthony is beautifully 
situated, on a gently rising prairie, on the left or east bank of the Missis- 
sippi, at the Falls of St. Anthony. 8 mile.s by land above St. Paul, 2 miles 
further north, and 12 by the windings of the river, and also 7 miles by the 
latter above Fort Snelling. " The first dwelling was erected in this city iu 
the autumn of 184:7, and Mrs. Ard Godfrey claims the honor of having given 
birth to the first of the fair daughters of St. Anthony." Here is located the 
University of the State. "Minnesota seems determined to be in advance of 
other states in education, for two sccfio)is in every township have been appro- 
priated for the support of common schools, no other state having previously 
obtained more than one section in each of its townships for such a purpose." 
The celebrated Falls of St. Anthony were named, in 1680, by their dis- 
coverer, Louis Hennepin, in honor of his patron saint. 

"They are only twenty feet in hight; but the scenery does not derive its inter- 
est from their grandeur, but from the perfect grouping of rock and wood and water 
on a magnificent scale. The Mississippi is upward of six hundred yards wide 
above the falls. These are quite perpendicular, and the water drops in beautiful 
single sheets on either side of a huge mass of white sandstone, of a pyi-amidal 
' form, which splits the stream. The rapids below extend for several hundred yards, 
and are very broad, divided into various channels by precipitous islands of sand- 
stone, gigantic blocks of which are strewn in grotesque confusion at the base of 
lofty walls of stratification of dazzling whiteness. These fantastically-shaped 
islands are thickly wooded, and birch and maple cling with desperate tenacity to 
nooks and crannies in the perpendicular cliffs. The banks of the river are of a 
character similar to the islands in its stream. The snowy-white houses of ^t. An- 
thony are almost hidden by the thick foliage of the left bank." 



MiNNK-iiA-HA Falls. 

'Here the Falls iif Jliniie-Iia-lia 
Flash and s;leam ainuiig the oak tiees, 
Laugh aud leap into the valley." 



358 MINNESOTA. 

Situated at the bead of navigation on the Mississippi, with an unlimited 
water power, St. Anthony has a fine prospect of becoming an important man- 
ufacturing and commercial city. It has abundance of building stone, is in a 
rich agricultural region, and with abundance of lumber in its vicinity. 

Immediately opposite St. Anthony is the thriving town of Minneapolis. 
An elegant suspension bridge connects the two places. "As a work of 
beauty and art it can hardly be surpassed, while it has the appearance of 
great solidity; its massive cables being firmly anchored on either side in the 
solid rock. The work was undertaken in the spring of 1854, and finished 
the next year, at an expense of over $50,000, being the first suspension 
bridge ever built in a territory, and the first to span the Father of Waters." 
The two places, St. Anthony and Minneapolis, have unitedly about 7,000 
inhabitants. 

Travelers visiting this region are apt to be eloquent in their descriptions. Part 
of this is no doubt to be attributed to the pure, dry, bracing atmosphere, which not 
only imparts a wondrous distinctness to the whole landscape, lending unwonted 
charms to the skies above, and to the earth beneath, but so braces up the system 
with the sensation of high health, that the stranger looks upon all things around 
him with most pleasing emotions. The efiect of this elastic, life-giving atmosphere 
has, indeed, been described by some, as at times producing in thorn a buoyancy 
of feeling, that they could compare to nothing but the exhilaration occasioned by a 
slight inciulgonce in ardent spirits ! Here the weak man feels a strong man, and 
the strong man a giant! The enthusiastic Bond, in his work on Minnesota, says 
that, owing to the strengthening nature of the cliinate, the labor of one man will 
produce more, and yield a larger surplus above his necessities, than in any other 
western state or territory. " We have," says he, " none of the languor, and debil- 
ity, and agues, that turn men into feeble women in the harvest field, as they have 
south of us. Labor here stands Jirmhj on its legs, the year round, and drives things 
through !" 

Among the travelers in this region, who have spoken in its praise, is the 
celebrated savant Maury, superintendent of the National Observatory, at 
"Washington. Says he: 

At the small hours of the night, at dewy eve and early morn, I have looked out 
with wonder, love, and admiration upon the steel-blue sky of Minnesota, set with 
diamonds, and sparkling with brilliants of purest ray. The stillness of yoursinall 
hours is sublime. I feel constrained, as I gaze and admire, to hold my breath, lest 
the eloquent silence of the night should be broken by the reverberations of the 
sound, from the seemingly solid but airy vault above. 

Herschell has said, that in Europe, the astronomer might consider himself highly 
favored, if by patiently watching the skies for one year, he shall, during that period 
lind, all told, one hundred hours suitable for satisfactory observations. A teles- 
cope, mounted here, in this atmosphere, under the skies of Minnesota, would have 
its powers increased many times over what they would be under canopies of a 
heaven less brilliant and lovely. 

Col. F. A. Lumsden, of the New Orleans Picayune, writing from St. An- 
thony, two weeks before his death and that of his family by shipwreck, oa 
the ill-fated steamer Lady Elgin, on Lake Michigan, thus gives vent to his 
admiration: 

I have missed much by not having visited this section of country before, and one can 
have no oonect idea of this region by anything they may hear or read about it. The 
scenery — the country — the lakes and the rivers — the crops and the climate are the finest 
in the world. 

Such scenery as the Upper Mississippi presents I have never beheld: its beauties, its 
romantic grandeur can never be justly described. On either shore of this vast river, for 
miles ou miles, stand the everlasting hills, their slopes covered with the emerald carpeting 
of spring. 



MINNESOTA. ^^^ 

As a place of summer resort, abounding in all the requisites of pleasure and health, St. 
Anthony excels all the watering places of the lashionable and expensive east. As for 
, the Falls of St. Anthony, they are ruined by Yankee enterprise, and all their beauty has 
departed. Mills, foundries, dams and lumber rafts have spoilt all of nature's romaniic 
loveliness by their innovations, and you would be astonished to see the hundreds of houses 
recently erected here, some of which are beautiful and costly specimens of architecture, 
that would prove ornaments to any city. The Winston House, at St. Anthony, is one of 
the largest and most elegant hotels of the north- west, built of stone at a cost of $110,000, 
nud furnished in princely style. It is now filled with southern people. 

This is my fourth day here, and I already begin to experience the fine effects of the in- 
vigorating climate and stimulating atmosphere. I have been liunting and fishing, and 
("oumi the sport excellent. Tlicie are plenty of deer in the neighborhood, but I have seen 
none of them yet. The chief shooting is the prairie chicken, and they are in abundance 
in the plains and stubble fields. For fishing one can hardly go amiss. Within a range of 
from six to twenty miles from the town, are several magnificent lakes. In all of these, 
the greatest quaiUity of fish is to b<^ found, such as perch, of various kinds, pickerel, bass, 
trout, etc., while iu numerous small streams, hundreds of trout — the regular speckled trout 
— are taken daily. A gay and Joyous party of us yesterday visited Lake Minnetouka, 
where we got up a very handsome picnic, and had a good time. A party of six gentle- 
men, all from the soutli, are to start to-morrow for the buffalo grounds of the Red River 
of the North, on a grand hunting expedition. 

The Minnesota River and Fort Snelling, as well as the pretty little Falls of Minne-ha- 
ha, lie betvVeen St. Paul and this place. From the hights of Fort Snelling a most en- 
chanting View of the rich valley of the Minnesota is had; and the traveler looks out upon 
the vast plain, stretching away beneath his vision, with emotions of surprise — almost of 
bewilderment — at the stupendous scene. Whnt uieallh, what richrs have the United States 
not acquired in the possesaion of this yreat domain of the north? 

Wiiioiuf, is on the ]Mississippi lliver, 150 miles below Saint Paul, 
and has 4,000 inhabitants. It was named from the Indian maiden 
Winona, who, according to the legend, threw herself from a clifF into Lake 
Pepin, and found a grave in its waters, rather than wed an uncongenial 
brave. Red Wine/ and Hantivgs are smaller towns, on the Mississippi, the 
first the seat of Hamlin University, a methodist institution, and on that 
beautiful expansion of the Mississippi, Lake Pepin: Hastings is 25 miles be- 
low St. Paul. 

Mendota is on a beautiful island, at the junction of the Minnesota with 
the Mississippi. It possesses great advantages in position, and was for a 
long time a noted trading post of the American Fur Company. Immedi- 
ately in the rear of Mendota rises the lofty Pilot Knob, which is much 
visited. 

Beside the above there are numerous other rising towns in Minnesota, of 
which we have not descriptions at hand, as Wahashaw, Shakopee, Le Siieitr, 
Nicollet, StiUicater, Lake City, etc. Whatever descriptions may be given 
of the rising towns in the west are of doubtful value, excepting as a matter 
of history, for often is the rapidity of their increase so great, that the sta- 
tistics of one season are of no reliability as a basis of knowledge a few seasons 
later. 



360 



MINNESOTA. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC. 



Nicholas Perrot was one of those master minds whose enterprises mark the his- 
tory of their times. He was by birth a Canadian, bred to the excitements of a 
frontier life. Educated by service to the Jesuits, he became familiar with the cus- 
toms and languages of the savages of the lakes of the far west. Years before La 
Salle launched the Griffin on Lake Erie, he was sent by government on an errand 
to the trii)es of the north-west, and penetrated even as far south as Chicago. He 
Avas the first man known to have built a trading post on the Upper Mississippi, 
which he did on the shores of Lake Pepin. According to the Dakotah tradition, 
he gave seed and corn to their people, through the influence of which the Dakotahs 
began to be led away from the rice grounds of the Mille Lac region. 

Louis Hennepin was born in Ath, Netherlands. He was bred a priest of the 
Ilecollect branch of the Franciscans. From his youth he had a passion for travel 
and adventure, and sought out the society of strangers, "who spent their time in 
nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing." in 1676, he welcomed 
witli joy the order from his superior to embark for Canada. He accompanied La 
Salle in his celebrated expedition to explore the far west. In F"'eb., 1680, he was 
dispatched by La Salle, with two voyageurs in a canoe, on a voyage of discovery 
up the unknown regions of the Upper Mississippi. It was on this journey that 
he discovered and named the Falls of St. Anthony. In 1683, he published, at 
Paris, a toIera])ly correct account of his travels in Minnesota. In 1698, he issued 
an enlarged edition, dedicated to King William, in which he falsely claimed to 
have descended the Mississippi to its mouth. His descriptions were stolen from 
the works of other travelers. AVishing to return to Canada, the minister of Louis 
XIV wrote, "As his majesty is not satisfied with the conduct of the friar, it is his 
pleasure that if he return thitlier, that they arrest and send him to the intendanfc 
at Rochefort." " Jn the year 1701, he was still in Europe, attached to a convent 
in Italy. He appears to have died in obscurity, unwept and unhonored." 

Jean N. Nicollet was born in 1790, in Cluses, Savoy. So poor were his parents 
that he was obliged, at the early age of nine years, to gain a subsistence by play- 
ing upon the flute and violin. When ten years old, he was apprenticed to a watch- 
maker, and turned his leisure hours to the study of mathematics. He eventually 
moved to Paris and entered the normal school, later became a college professor, 
and gained distinction as an astronomer, receiving the decoration of the Legion 
of Honor. In 1832, he emigrated to the United States, poor and honest. In the 
summer of 1836, he came to Minnesota, and explored the sources of the Upper 
Mississippi, with scientific exactnes.s. Soon after he received a commission from 
the tinited States to explore the sources of the Minnesota, and at this time was 
assisted by John C.Fremont. "The map which he constructed, and the astro- 
nomical observations which he made, were invaluable to the country." Hon. II. 
H. Sibley, in his notice of Nicollet, says: 

" His health was so seriously affected after his return to Washington in 1839, that from 
that time forward he was incapacitated from devoting himself to the accomplishment of 
his work as exclusively as he had previously done. Still he labored, but it was with de- 
pressed spirits and blighted hopes. He had long aspired to a membership in the Academy 
of Sciences of Paris. His long continued devotion and valuable contributions to the cause 
of science, and his correct deportment as a gentleman, alike entitled him to such a distinc- 
tion. But his enemies were numerous and influential, and when his name was preseniea 
in accordance with a previous nomination, to fill a vacancy, he was black-balled and re- 
jected. This last blow was mortal. True, he strove against the incurable melancholy 
which had fastened itself upon him, but his struggles waxed more and more faint, until 
death j)ut a period to his sufferings on the 18th of September, 1844. 

Even when he was aware that his dissolution was near at hand, his thoughts reverted 
back to the days when he roamed along the valley of the Minnesota Kiver. It was my 
fortune to meet him for the last time, in the year 1842, in Washington City. A short time 
before his death, I received a kind but mournful letter from him, in which he adverted to 
the fact that his days were numbered, but at the same time he expressed a hope that ho 
would have strength suflicient to enable him to make his way to our country, that he might 
yield up his breath and be interred on the banks of his beloved stream. 

It would have been gratifying to his friends to know that the soil of the region which 
had employed so much of his time and scientific research, had received his mortal remains 



MINNESOTA. 



361 



into his bo?oiu, but they were denied this melancholy satisfaction. He sleeps beneath the 
sod far away, in the vicinity of the capital of the nation, but his name will continue to be 
cherished in Minnesota as one of its early explorers, and one of its best friends. The as- 
tronomer, the geologist, and the christian gentleman, Jean N. Nicollet, will long be re- 
membered in connection with the history of the north-west. 

« Time shall quench full many 
A people's records, and a hero's acts. 
Sweep empire after empire into nothing ; 
But even then shall spare this deed of thine. 
And hold it up, a probk-m few dare imitate. 
And none despise.' " 



Lahe Itasca is one of the multitude of those clear, beautiful sheets of water 
which do so abound in Minnesota, that the aboriginal inhabitants were called, by 

the early French voj/agenrs, 
the ^'People of the Lakes." 
It is estimated by Schoolcraft, 
that within its borders are ten 
thousand of these, and it is 
thought, it is measurably to 
them that the husbandman of 
Minnesota is so blessed with 
abundance of summer rains. 
The waters, pure, sweet, and 
cold, abound with fish of de- 
licious flavor. The Indians 
often reared their lia])itations 
on tlie margins of the most 
beautiful and picturesque. 
T h e greater number a r e 
isolated and destitute of out- 
lets ; usually of an oval form, 
and from one to two and three 
miles in diameter, "with clear 
white sandy shores, gentle, 
grassy slopes, or rimmed with 
walls of rock, their pebbly 
beaches, sparkling Avitli cor- 
nelians and agates, while the 
oak crove or denser wood 




Lake Itasca. 
The Source of the Mississippi. 



which skirts its margin, completes the graceful outline." 

Among all these sheets of water that by day and by night reflect the glories of 
this northern sky, the lake named Itasca, from an Indian maiden, is especially 
honored. For here, from the lap of encircling hills, in latitude 47 deg. 13 min. 
35 sec, 1,575 feet above the ocean, and 2,527 miles from it, by its own meander- 
ings, the Mississippi, the Father of Waters, finds his birth-place. 

Lake Itasca was first brought to the notice of the civilized world as the source 
of the Mississippi, by J3r. Henry K. Schoolcraft, Indian agent at Sault Ste. Marie. 
In the summer of 1832, he was given charge of an expedition to visit the Indians 
toward the source of the Mississippi. Attached to the expedition was a military 
escort, under Ijieut. James Allen, Dr. Houghton, geologist of Michigan, and Kev. 
W. T. Boutwell, who w.is sent out by the American Board, preliminary to estab- 
lishing missions among the Indians. They crossed over from the west end of Lake 
Superior, and at two o'clock on the afternoon of the I3th of July, reached the 
Elk Lake, named Itasca by ]\Ir. Schoolcraft. " With the exception of traders, no 
white men had ever traced the Mississippi so far. The lake is about eight miles 
in length, and was called Elk by the Ojibways, because of its regularities, resem- 
bling the horns of that animal. Lieut. Allen, the commander of the military de- 
tachment, who made the first map of this lake, thus speaks : 

'From these hills, which were seldom more than two or three hundred feet high 



362 MINNESOTA 

"we came suddenly down to the lake, and passed nearly through it to an island near 
its west end, where we remained one or two hours. We were sure that we had 
reached the true source of the great river, and a feeling of great satisfaction was 
manifested by all the party. Mr. Schoolcraft hoisted a flag on a high staff on the 
island, and left it flying. The lake is about seven miles long, and from one to 
three broad, but is of an irregular shape, conforming to the bases of pine hills, 
which, for a great part of its circumference, rise "abruptly from its shore. It is 
deep, cold, and very clear, and seemed to be well stocked with fish. Its shores 
show some bowlders of primitive rock, but no rock in place. The island, the only 
one on the lake, is one hundred and fifty yards long, fifty yards broad in the high- 
est part, elevated twenty or thirty feet, overgrown Avith elm, pine, spruce, and wild 
cherry. There can be no doubt that this is the true source and fountain of the 
longest and largest branch of the Mississippi.' " 



THE INDIANS OF MINNESOTA. 

"Jlinnesota, from its axrliest discovery, has been the residence of two powerful 
tribes, the Chippewas or Ojibways, and the Sioux — pronounced Sooz — or Dah- 
kotahs.* The word Chippewa is a corruption of the term Ojibway, and that of 
Dahkotah signifies the allied tribes. The Winnebago from Iowa, and the Menon- 
omies from Wisconsin, have recently been removed to Minnesota. They are both 
small tribes compared to the above. 

The Dalikotahs claim a country equal in extent to some of the most powei-ful 
empires of Europe, including the greater part of the country between the Upper 
Mississippi and the Missouri. The country from Rum River to the River De Cor- 
beau has been alike claimed by them and the Ojibways, and has been the source 
of many bloody encounters within the last two hundred years. The Dahkotahs 
have destroyed immense numbers of their race, and are one of the most warlike 
tribes of North America. They are divided into six bands, comprising in all, 
28,000 souls. Besides these, a revolted band of the Sioux, 8,000 strong, called 
Osinipoilles, reside just east of the Rocky Mountains, upon Saskatchawaa River 
of British America. 

The Dahkotahs subsist upon buffalo meat and the wild fruits of their forests. 
The former is called j9em?/uca?f, and is prepared in winter for traveling use in the 
following manner: The lean parts of the buffalo are cut into thin slices, di-ied over 
a slow fire in the sun, or by exposing it to frost — pounded fine, and then with a 
portion of berries, mixed with an equal quantity of fat from the hump and brisket, 
or with marrow in a boiling state, and sowed up tightly in sacks of green hide, or 
packed closely in baskets of wicker-work. This ' pemmican ' will keep for several 
years. 

They also use much of the wild rice, which grows in great abundance in the 
lakes and head streams in the Upper Mississippi country. The rivers and lakes 
of the Dahkotah and Ojibway country are said to produce annually several mil- 
lions of bushels of it. It is said to be equally as nutritious and palatable as the 
Carolina rice. It grows in water from four to seven feet deep, which has a muddy 
bottom. The plant rises from four to eight feet above th9 surface of the water, 
about the size of the red cane of Tennessee, full of joints and of the color and 
texture of bulrushes. The stalks above the water, and the branches which bear 
the grain, resemble oats. To these strange grain fields, wild ducks and geese resort 
for food in the summer ; and to prevent it being devoured by them, the Indians tie 

*" The Dahkotahs in the earliest documents, and even until the present day, are called 
Sioux, Scioux, or Sods. The name originated with the early ' voyageurs.' For centuries 
the Ojibways of Lake Superior waged war against the Dahkotahs; and, whenever they 
8j)oke of them, called them Nadowaysioux, which signifies enemies. The French traders, 
to avoid exciting the attention of the Indians, while conversing in their presence, were 
accustomed to designate them by names which would not be recognized. The Dahkotahs 
■were nicknamed Sioux, a word composed of the two last syllables of the Ojibway word for 
foes.'' — NcUI'b Minnesota. 



MINNESOTA. 



363 



it, when in the milky state, juet below the head, into large bunches. This arrange- 
ment prevents these bii'ds from pressing the heads down when within their reach. 
When ripe, the Indians pass among it with canoes lined with blankets, into which 
they bend the stalks and whip off the grain with sticks; and so abundant is it 




that an expert squaw will soon fill a canoe. After being gathered it is dried and 
put into skins or baskets for use. They boil or parch it, and eat it in the winter 
season with their pemmican. Beside the pemmican and wild rice, the country 
abounds in sugar-maple, from which the Indians make immense quantities of sugar. 
Their country abounds with fine groves, interspersed with open plains clothed with 
rich wild grasses — their lakes and rivers of pure water are well stored with fish, 
and their soil with the whortleberry, blackberry, wild plum, and crab Rpple ; so 
that this talented and victorious race possess a very desirable and beautiful terri- 
tory. 



364 MINNESOTA. 

The Ojibways inhiiT)it tlic head-waters of the Mississippi, Ottertail ami Leach, 
De Corbeaii and Red Hirers, and Winnipei;' Lake. They arc a powerful tribe, al- 
most equaling the Dahkutahs in numbers : the}' speak a copious language, and are 
of low stature and coarse features. The Avoiiien have an awkward side-at-a-time 
gait; which proceeds from their being 'accustomed, nine months of the year, to 
wear snow-shoes, and drag sledges of a weight fnun two hundred to four hundred 
pounds. No people are more attentive to comfort in dress than the Ojibways. It 
is composed of deer and fawn-skins, dressed with the hair on for winter, and with- 
out the hair for summer wear. 

They are superstitious in the extreme. Almost every action of their lives is in- 
fluenced by some whimsical notion. They believe in the existence of a good and 
an evil spirit, that rule, in their several departments, over the fortunes of men ; 
and in a state of future rewards and punishments." 



EFFECT OF THE CLIMATE OF MINNESOTA ON LUNG DISEASES. 
[From the Letters of the Rev. Dr. Horace Bushnell.] 

I went to Minnesota early in July, and remained there until the latter part of 
the ^lay following. 1 had spent a winter in Cuba without benefit. I had spent 
also nearly a year in California, making a gain in the dry season, and a partial 
loss in the wet season, returning, however, sufficienily improved to resume my la- 
bors. Breaking down again from tliis only partial recovery, 1 made the experi- 
ment now of Minnesota; and suluuitting myself, on returning, to a vei-y rigid ex- 
amination, by a physician who diil not know at .all what verdict had l)een passed 
l)y other pliysicians before, he said, in jweordance with their opinion, " You have 
had a ditliculty in the right lung, but it is healed." 1 had suspected frcun my 
symptoms that it might be so, and tlio fact appears to be confirmed by the further 
fact that 1 have been slowlj^, though irregularly gaining all the summer. 

This improvement, or partial recovery, 1 attribute to the climate of ^linnesota. 
But not to this alone — other things have concurred. First, 1 had a n;iturally firm, 
enduring constitution, which had only given way under excessive burdens of labor, 
and had no vestige of hereditary disease upon it. Secondly, I had all my burdens 
thrcnvn otf, and a state of complete, uncaring rest. Thirdly, I was in such vigor 
as to be out in the open air, on horseback and otherwise, a good part of the time. 
It does not follow, by any means, that one who is dying under hereditary con- 
sumption, or one who is too far gone to have any power of endurance, or spring 
of recuperative energy left, will be recovered in the same manner. 

A great many such go there to die, and some to be partially recovered and then 
die : for I knew of two young men, so for recovered as to think themselves well, or 
nearly 80, who by overviolent exertion brought on a recurrence of bleeding, and 
(liinl, one of them almost instantly, and the other in about twenty-four hours ; both 
in the same week. The general opinion seemed to be that the result was attributa- 
ble, in part, to the overtonic property of the atmosphere. And 1 have known of 
very remarkable cases of recovery there which had seemed to be hopeless. One 
of a gentleman who was carried ashore on a litter, and became a robust, hearty 
man. Another who told me that he had even coughed up bits of his lung, of tiie 
size of a walnut, and was then, seven or eight months after, a perfectly sound- 
looking, well set man, with no cough at all. 1 fell in with somebody every few 
days who had come there and been restored ; and with multitudes of others whose 
disease had been arrested, so as to allow the prosecution of business, and whose 
lease of life, as they had no doubt, was much lengthened by their migration to 
that region of the country. Of course it will be understood that a great many are 
sadly disappointed in going thither, and that as the number of consumptives 
making the trial increases, the funerals of the consumptive strangers are becoming 
sadly frequent. 

The peculiar benefit of this climate appears to be from its dryness. There is as 
much, or even a little more of rain there than elsewhere, in the summer months; 
but it comes more generally in the night, and the days that follow brighten out in 
a fresh, tonic brilliancy, as dry almost as before. The winter climate is intensely 



MINNESOTA. 



365 



cold, and yet so dry, and clear, and still, for the most part, as to create no very 
great sufforing. One who is properly dressed finds the climate much more enjoy- 
able than theamphibious, half-fluid, half-solid, sloppy, grave-like chill of the east. 
The snows are light; a kind of snow-dew that makes an inch, or sometimes three, 
in a night. Real snow-storms are rare ; there were none the last winter. A little 
more snow to make better sleighing would be an improvement. As to rain in the 
Avinter, it is almost unknown. There was no drop of rain the last winter, from the 
latter part of October to the middle, or about the middle of March, except a slight 
drizzle on thanksgiving day. And there was not snow melting enough for more 
than about eight or ten daA'S to wet a deerskin moccasin (which many gentlemen 
wear all the winter). The following statement will show the comparative rain-fall, 
whether in the shape of rain or snow, for three diflerent points, that may be taken 
to represent the whole country; being on the two coasts, and St. Paul in the mid- 
dle of the continent: San Francisco, spring, 8 inches; summer, 0; autumn, 3; 
winter, 10; mean, 21. vSt. Paul, spring, 6 inches; summer, 12; autumn, 6; win- 
ter, 2; mean, 2G. Hartford, spring, lOlinches; summer, 11; autumn, 10; winter, 
10; mean, 41. 

The San Francisco climate stands first, here, in dryness, it will be observed; but 
it requires to be noted, in the comparison, that while there is no rain-fall there for 
a whole six months, there is yet a heavy sea fog rolling in every day, Avhich makes 
the St. Paul climate really the driest of the two. The beautiful inversion, too, of 
the California water-season, at St. Paul, will be noticed; the water falling here in 
the summer, when it is wanted, and ceasing in the winter, when it is not. 



IOWA. 




Iowa derived its name from the lou-a Indians, who were located on the 
Iowa River. They at last became incorported with other tribes, principally 

among the Sauks, or Sacs and Foxes. 
These tribes had the reputation of 
being the best hunters of any on the 
borders of the Mississippi or Mi?pouri. 
At the time the first white traders 
went among them, their practice was 
to leave their villages as soon as their 
corn and beans were ripe and secured, 
to go on to their wintering grounds, it 
being previously determined in coun- 
cil on what particular ground each 
party should hunt. The old men, 
women, and children embarked in 
canoes; the young men went by land 
with their horses ; and on their arri- 
val, they commenced their winter's 
hunt, which lasted about three 
months. In the month of April, 
they returned to their villages to cul- 
tivate their lands. Iowa was origin- 
ally a part of the French province of Louisiana. The first white settlement 
was made at Dubuque. As early as 1800, there were mines of lead worked 
at this place by the natives, assisted by Julien Dubuque, an Indian trader, 
who had adopted their habits, married into their tribe, and became a great chief 
among them. In 1830, a war among the Indians themselves wascarried on with 
savage barbarity. Some 10 or 12 Sac and Fox chiefs, with their party, were 
going to Prairie du Chien from Dubuque, to attend a treaty conference with 
the U. S. commissioners, when they were attacked at Cassville Island by a 
large war party of the Sioux, and literally cut to pieces, only two of all their 
number escaping. The tribe, now in great confusion and alarm, left Du- 
buque, mostly never to return, leaving the mines and this part of the coun- 
try vacant, and open to settlement, as when occupied by them, they would 
allow no one to intrude upon their lands. ■ In June of this year, Mr. L. H. 
Langworthy, accompanied by his elder brother, crossed the Mississippi in a 

367 



Arms of Iowa. 

Motto — Our liberties we prize, and our rights we 
will niaiutaiii. 



368 IOWA. 

canoe, swimming tlieir horses by its side, and landed for tlie first time on the 
west bank of the stream. Soon after this, a number of miners crossed over 
the river, possessed themselves of these vacant lands, and commenced suc- 
cessful mining operations. " This was the first flow or the first tide of civ- 
ilization in Iowa." The miners, however, were soon driven off by Capt. 
Zachary Taylor, then commanding at Prairie du Chien, and a military force 
stationed at Dubuque till 1832, when the ''Black Hawk War" commenced. 
After the Indians were defeated the miners returned. 

Until as late as the year 1832, the whole territory north of the state 
of Missouri was in undisputed possession of the Indians. After the 
Indians were defeated at the battle of the Bad Ax, in Wisconsin, Aug., 
1832, partly to indemnify the government for the expenses of the war, the 
Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States a strip of country west of the 
Mississippi, extending nearly 300 miles N. of Missouri, and 50 miles wide, 
commonly called the '"Black Hawh Purchased Further purchases were 
7nade in 1836 and 1837; and in 1842, by a treaty concluded by Gov. Cham- 
bers, a tract of about fifteen miUion acres was purchased of the Sacs and 
Foxes, for one million of dollars. This tract, comprising some of the finest 
counties of the state, is known as the '■^ New Purchase.'' 

The Pottowatomies, who inhabited the south-western corner of the state, 
and the Winnebagoes, who occupied the " Neutral Ground," a strip of coun- 
try on the northern borders, have been recently peaceably removed, and the 
Indian title has thus become extinct within the limits of Iowa. The terri- 
tory now comprised within the limits of the state was a part of the Missouri 
Territory from 1804 to 1821, but after that was placed successively under the 
jurisdiction of Michigan and Wisconsin Territories. The following conclud- 
ing details of its history are from IMonette : 

"The first white settlement in the Black Hawk Purchase was made near 
the close of the year 1832, at Fort Madison, by a colony introduced by 
Zachariah Hawkins, Benjamin Jennings, and others. 

In the summer of 1835, the town-plat of 'Fort Madison' was laid oiF by 
Gen. John H. Knapp and Col. Nathaniel Knapp, the first lots in which were 
exposed to sale early in the year 1836. The second settlement was made 
in 1833, at Burlington, seventy-nine miles below Bock Island. About the 
same time the city of Dubuque, four hundred and twenty-five miles above 
St. Louis, received its first Anglo-American population. Before the close of 
the year 1833, settlements of less note were commenced at many other points 
near the western shore of the Mississippi, within two hundred miles of the 
northern limits of the state of Missouri. It was in the autumn of 1834, 
that Aaron Street, a member of the ' Society of Friends,' and son of the 
Aaron Street who emigrated from Salem, in New Jersey, founded the first 
Salem in Ohio, and subsequently the first Salem in Indiana, on a tour of ex- 
ploration to the Iowa country, in search of 'a new home,' selected the 'beau- 
tiful prairie eminence ' south of Skunk River as the site of another Salem in 
the 'Far West.' In his rambles thirty miles west of Burlington, over the 
uninhabited regions, in all their native loveliness, he was impressed with the 
great advantages presented by the 'beautiful and fertile prairie country, 
which abounded in groves of tall forest trees, and was watered by crystal 
streams flowing among the variagated drapery of the blooming prairies.' 
Transported with the prospect, the venerable patriarch exclaimed, ' Now have 
mine eyes beheld a country teeming with every good thing, and hither will 
I come, with my children and my children's children, and my flocks and 



IOWA. 369 

herds ; and our dwelling-place shall be called ' Salem,' after the peaceful city 
of our fatheYs.' 

Nest year witnessed the commencement of the town of Salem, on the 
frontier region of the Black Hawk Purchase, the first Quaker settlement in 
Iowa. Five years afterward this colony in the vicinity of Salem numbered 
nearly one thousand souls, comprising many patriarchs bleached by the 
snows of seventy winters, with their descendants to the third and fourth gen- 
erations. Such was the first advance of the Anglo-American population 
west of the Upper Mississippi, within the 'District of Iowa,' which, before 
the close of the year 1834, contained nearly five thousand white inhabitants. 
Meantime, for the convenience of temporary government, the settlements 
west of the Mississippi, extending more than one hundred miles north of the 
Des Moines River, had been by congress erected into the 'District of Iowa,' 
and attached to the District of Wisconsin, subject to the jurisdiction of the 
Michigan Territory. 

The District of Iowa remained, with the District of Wisconsin, attached 
to the jurisdiction of Michigan Territory, until the latter had assumed an 
independent state government in 1836, when the District of Wisconsin 
was erected into a separate government, known as the Wisconsin Territory, 
exercising jurisdiction over the District of Iowa, then comprised in two 
large counties, designated as the counties of Des Moines and Dubuque. The 
aggregate population of these counties in 1836 was 10,531 persons. It was 
not long before the District of Iowa became noted throughout the west for 
its extraordinary beauty and fertility, and the great advantages which it af- 
forded to agricultural enterprize. 

Already the pioneer emigrants had overrun the first Black Hawk Purchase, 
and were advancing upon the Indian country west of the boundary line. 
Settlements continued to extend, emigration augmented the population, and 
landofiices were established at Dubuque and Burlington for the sale of such 
lands as were surveyed. 

Meantime, the District of Iowa, before the close of the year 1838, had 
been subdivided into sixteen counties, with an aggregate population of 22,860 
souls, distributed sparsely over the whole territory to which the Indian title 
had been extinguished. The same year, on the 4th of July, agreeably to 
the provisions of an act of congress, approved June 12, 1838, the District 
of Iowa was erected into an independent territorial government, known as 
the 'Territory of Iowa.' The first 'territorial governor and superintendent 
of Indian affairs ' was Robert Lucas, formerly governor of Ohio, with James 
Clark secretary of the territory. Charles Mason was chief justice of the 
superior court, and judge of the first judicial district; Joseph Williams was 
judge in tfie second district; and Thomas S. Wilson in the third. The first 
delegate elected by the people to represent them in congress was Augustus 
C. Dodge. 

The Iowa Territory, as first organized, comprised 'all that region of coun- 
.try north of Missouri, which lies west of the Mississippi River, and of a 
line drawn due north from the source of the Mississippi, to the northern 
limit of the United States.' 

The first general assembly of the Iowa Territory made provision for the 
permanent seat of government, On the first of 5lay, 1839, the beautiful 
spot which is now occupied by the 'City of Iowa' was selected. 

During the year 1839, emigration from New England, and from New York 
by way of the lake route Irom Bufi"alo to the ports on the western shore of 

24 



370 '^^''^- 

Lake Michigan, and from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, began to set strongly 
into the Iowa Territory, and numerous colonies advanced to settle the beau- 
tiful and fertile lands on both sides of the Des Moines River and its numer- 
ous tributaries, as well as those upon the small tributaries of the Mississippi 
for two hundred miles above. 

Population increased in a remarkable manner; aided by the unbounded 
facilities of steam navigation, both on the great lakes and upon the large 
tributaries of the Mississippi, the emigration to the Iowa and Wisconsin Ter- 
ritories was unprecedented in the history of western colonization. The cen- 
sus of 1840 exhibited the entire population of Iowa Territory at 43,017 per- 
sons, and that of the Wisconsin Territory at 30,945 persons. 

Such had been the increase of emigration previous to 1843, that the legis- 
lature of Iowa made formal application for authority to adopt a state consti- 
tution. At the following session of congress, an act was passed to ' enable 
the people of the Iowa Territory to form a state government.' A conven- 
tion assembled in Sep.tember, and on the 7th of October, 1844, adopted a 
constitution for the proposed 'state of Iowa;' it being the fourth state organ- 
ized within the limits of the province of Louisiana. 

By the year 1844, the population of Iowa had increased to 81,921 persons; 
yet the people were subjected to disappointment in the contemplated change of 
government. The constitution adopted by the convention evinced the pro- 
gress of republican feeling, and the strong democratic tendency so prominent 
in all the new states. The constitution for Iowa extended the right of suf- 
fraiie to every free white male citizen of the United States who had resided 
six months in the state, and one month in the county, previous to his appli- 
cation for the right of voting. The judiciary were all to be elected by the 
people for a term of four years, and all other officers, both civil and milita- 
ry, were to be elected by the people at stated periods. Chartered monopolies 
were not tolerated, and no act of incorporation was permitted to remain in 
force more than twenty years, unless it were designed for public improve- 
ments or literary purposes ; and the personal as well as the real estate of the 
members of all corporations was liable for the debts of the same. The leg- 
islature was prohibited from creating any debt in the name of the state ex- 
ceeding one hundred thousand dollars, unless it were for defense in case of 
war, invasion, or insurrection ; and in such case, the bill creating the debt 
should, at the same time, provide the ways and means for its redemption. 
Such were some of the prominent features of the first constitution adopted 
for the state of Iowa. Yet the state was not finally organized under this 
constitution, and the people of Iowa remained under the territorial form of 
government until the close of the year 184G. 

The constitution of Iowa having been approved by congress, an act was 
passed j\Iarch 3, 1845, for the admission of the 'state of Iowa' into the Fed- 
eral Union simultaneously with the 'state of Florida,' upon the condition that 
the people of Iowa, at a subsequent general election, assent to the restricted 
limits imposed by congress, in order to conform with the general area of 
other western states; but the people of Iowa refused to ratify the restricted 
limits prescribed for the new state, a majority of nearly two thousand in the 
popular vote having rejected the terms of admission. Hence Iowa remained 
under the territorial government until the beginning of 1846, when the peo- 
ple, through their legislature, acquiesced in the prescribed limits, and con- 
gress authorized the formation of another constitution, preparatory to the 
admission of Iowa into the Union. 



IOWA. S^X 

The people of Iowa, in 1846, assented to the restriction of limits, and the 
formation of a territorial government over the remainins; waste territory lying 
north and west of the limits prescribed by congress. Petitions, with numer- 
ous signatures, demanded the proposed restriction by the organization of a 
separate territory, to be designated and known as the 'Daeotah Territory,' 
comprising the Indian territory beyond the organized settlements of Iowa. 
Congress accordingly authorized a second convention for the adoption of 
another state constitution, and this convention assembled in May, 1846, and 
adopted another constitution, which was submitted to congress in June fol- 
lowing. In August, 1846, the state of Iowa was formally admitted into the 
Union, and the first state election was, by the proclamation of Gov. Clarke, 
to be held on the 26th day of October following. In the ensuing December, 
the first state legislature met at Iowa City." 

Iowa is bounded N. by Minnesota and Daeotah Territory, W. by Missouri 
River, S. by the state of Missouri, and E. by Mississippi River. It is situ- 
ated between 40° 30' and 4.3° 30' N. Lat., and between 90° 20' and 96° 50' 
W. Long. Its greatest width, from E. to W., is 307 miles, and 186 from N. 
to S.; included within its limits is an area of 50,914 square miles. 

The face of Iowa is moderately uneven, without any mountains or very 
high hills. There is a tract of elevated table land, which extends through 
a considerable portion of the state, dividing the waters which fall into the Mis- 
sissippi from those falling into the Missouri. The margins of the rivers and 
creeks, extending back from one to ten miles, are usually covered with tim- 
ber, while beyond this the country is an open prairie without trees. The 
prairies generally have a rolling surface, not unlike the swelling of the ocean, 
and comprise more than two thirds of the territory of the state: the tim- 
bered lands only one tenth. The soil, both on the prairie and bottom lands, 
is generally excellent having a deep black mold intermingled with a sandy 
loam, sometimes of red clay and gravel. It is watered by streams of the 
clearest water, and its inland scenery is very beautiful. It is studded in parts 
with numerous little Jakes of clear water, with gravelly shores and bottoms. 

In the north-eastern part of the state are very extensive lead mines, being 
continuations of those of Illinois and Wisconsin. Vast coal beds exist, extend- 
ing, it is stated, upward of tico hundred miles, in the direction of the valley 
of the Des Moines River alone, which centrally intersects the state. The 
entire area of the coal fields in this state, is estimated to be not less than 
35,000 square miles, nearly two thirds of the entire state. The beds of coal 
are estimated by geologists to be of the average thickness of 100 feet. Iron 
ore, zinc and copper are also found. Iowa is also rich in agricultural re- 
sources, its fertile soil producing all kinds of fruit and grains raised in north- 
ern climates. "As a general rule, the average quantity of snow and rain in 
Iowa is much less than in New York and New England. There are much 
fewer clouds. The cold weather in winter is about the same as in similar 
latitudes in the east; winter commences about the same time, but the spring 
generally opens much earlier. The intense cold weather is comparatively 
short. For a period of years the spring will average from two to four weeks 
earlier than in central New York. This diff"erence is due to several causes. 

In the east the proximity ot large bodies of water gives rise to an im- 
mense number of very dense clouds, that pi-event the spring sun from hav- 
ing the same efiiect as is experienced in the west. The altitude of the coun- 
try, and the warm quick nature of the Iowa soil, are circumstances going far 
toward accounting for this diiference. The heat of summer is much greater 



372 



IOWA, 



than in the same hititude in New York and New England, though a person 
may work in the open sun in Iowa when the thermometer is 100 degrees 
above zero more comfortably than he can when it is at 90 degrees in New 
York. An atmosphere saturated with water is more sultry and disagreeable 
with the thermometer at 90, than a dry atmosphere with the thermometer at 

Iowa is blessed with abundance of water power, and the noblest of rivers; 
the ^Mississippiis on the east, the Missouri on the west, while numerous streams 
penetrate it, the finest of which is the Des Moines, the great central artery 
of the state, which enters it from the north and flows south-east through it 
for -AOG miles: it is a beautiful river, with a rocky bottom and high biuiks, 
which the state is making navigable, for small steamers, to Fort De^s Moines| 
200 miles from its mouth. 

By the census of 1856, the number of paupers was only 132 out of a pop 
ulation of more than half a million. Population, in 1836, 10,531; in 1840 
42,017; in iSSO, 192,214; in 1856, 509,000; in 1860, 674 948 




Eastern vieic of Dtibngve, from Dimleiih, 111. 

The view shows the appearance of Dubuque, as seen from the terminus of the Illinois Central Railroao 
on the eastern side of the Mississipiii. On the left is the terminus of the Pacific and Dubuque Railroad 
On the right the Shot Tower. Back of the principal part of the city are the bluffs, rising to a hight of 
about 200 feet, too 

Dubuque, the largest city, and the first settled place in the state, is on the 
right or western bank of the Mississippi, 1,638 miles above New Orleans, 
426 above St. Louis, and 306 below the Falls of St. Anthony. The city 
proper extends two miles on a table area, or terrace, immediately back of 
which rise a succession of precipitous bluffs, about 200 feet high. A small 
marshy island is in front of the city, which is being improved for business 
purposes. The beautiful plateau on which the city was originally laid out, 
being too limited for its growth, streets have been extended up and over the 
bluffs, on which many houses have been erected of a superior order, among 
which are numerous elegant residences. The Dubuque Female College is 



IOWA. 373 

designed to accommodate 500 scholars. The Alexander College, chartered 
in 1853, is located here, under the patronage of the Synod of Iowa. Sev- 
eral important railroads terminate at this place, which is the head-quarters 
and principal starting place for steamboats on the northern Mississippi. 
Nearly one third of the inhabitants speak the German language. Popula- 
tion 1860, 13,021. 

Mr. J. L. Langworthy, a native of Vermont, is believed to have been the 
first of the Anglo-Saxon race who erected a dwelling, and smelted the first 
lead westward of the JMississippi. He first came here in 1827. The first 
act resembling civil legislation, within the limits of Iowa, was done in Du- 
buque. Mr. Langworthy, with four others, H. P. Lander, James McPhee- 
ters, and Samuel H. Scales, having obtained permission to dig for mineral, 
entered into an agreement, dated July 17, 1830, by which each man should 
hold 200 yards square of ground, by working on said ground one day in six, 
and that a person chosen by a majority of the miners present, should hold 
the agreement, "and grant letters of arbitration. ' It appears, from an in- 
dorsement on the paper, that Dr. Jarrote held the articles, and was the first 
person chosen by the people in the territory to be clothed with judicial 
powers. In Oct., 1833, Mr. Langworthy and his brothers, with a few neigh- 
bors, erected the first school-house built in Iowa. It stood but a few rods 
from the Female College. The first brick building erected in Dubuque was 
in the summer of 1837, by Le Roy Jackson, from Kentucky. This house 
is now standing on the corner of Iowa and Eleventh-streets, and is owned 
and occupied by William Rebman, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to 
Dubuque in 1836, when a lad of 14 years, and acted as hodman to the ma- 
sons who erected the building. When Mr. R. came to this place, there were 
some 30 or 40 dwellings, many of them log cabins. The first religious ser- 
vices were held in a log structure, used by various denominations. The first 
school was kept by Rev. Nicholas S. Bastion, a Methodist preacher; the 
school house stood on the public square, near the Centennial Methodist 
Church. It is said that the first lead discovered here was by Peosta, an In- 
dian chieftain or the wife of one, who presented it to Capt. Dubuque. 

The site of Dubuque was anciently known as the cornfields and place of 
mounds of the ^'Little Fux Village." It was named, in 1834, after Julian 
Dubuque, an Indian trader, who settled here in 1788, and is generally con- 
sidered as the first white settler in Iowa. He is said to have been of French 
and Spanish parentage. He married into the Indian tribe, adopted their 
habits and customs, and became a great chief among them. He was of small 
stature, addicted to the vices incident upon the commingling of Spanish and 
Indian races in America, and a great medicine man. "He would take live 
snakes of the most venomous kind into his arms and bosom, and was conse- 
quently regarded by the Indians with superstitious veneration. He died a 
victim to his vices, and was buried on a high bluff that overlooks the river, 
near the Indian village at the mouth of Catfish Creek." When his grave 
was visited by L. H. Langworthy, Esq., in 1830, a stone house, surmounted 
by a cedar cross, with a leaden door, stood over the spot. The remains of 
two Indian chiefs were also deposited within. The cross had a French in- 
scription, of which the following is a translation : 

"Julien Dubuque, miner, of the mines of Spain. Died this 24th day of March, 1810, 
aged 45 years 6 mo." 

The Indians, being instructed by Dubuque, worked the mines of lead here 
as early as 1800. About the year 1830, an Indian war, between the Sioux 



374 IOWA. 

and the Sacs and Foxes, caused the latter to forsake their village here. 
Upon this the whites entered upon these lands, and several made their for- 
tunes in a sinjxle day, by striking upon a larse lode. They were, however, 
soon ordered to recross the river by Zachary Taylor, connnanding the United 
States forces at Prairie du Chien, as the territory had not yet been purchased 
of the Indians. After the Black Hawk purchase, the west side of the Mis- 
sissippi was opened for settlement. By 1834, several stores were erected; 
the mines increased in richness, and emigration rapidly advanced. For a 
time " Lynch Law " was the only one recognized. The first execution for 
murder was that of a man who shot his partner. '' Upon this event a court 
was organized, jury impanneled, trial had, criminal found guilty, and after a 
short time being allowed the prisoner to prepare for death, he was executed. 
The gallows was erected- upon the south-west corner of White and S*venth- 
streets, upon a mound, which was only removed for the large block that now 
fills its place. The population, at that time, amounted to over 1,000, nearly 
the whole of which were witnesses to the final act of that dreadful tragedy." 
The first newspaper issued here was by John King, Esq., under the Ibl- 
lowing title: 

" Dubuque Visitor, Truth our Guide — the puhlic good our aim. Duhuque 
Lead 3Iines, Wisconsin Territory, May 16, 1836." 

In 1838, some attention was paid to agricultural pursuits. The soil prov- 
ing good, the prosperity of the place greatly increased. The exportations of 
lead that year exceeded 6,000,000 lbs. In 184G, the lands adjoining Du- 
buque were brought into market, and the next year Dubuque was reincor- 
porated under its present charter. The population at that time was less than 
3,000. 

" Below the ' Little Fox village,' is the bluff where the Sioux made their last and 
final stand against the Sacs and Foxes. It stands close upon the shore of the Mis- 
sissippi, with its perpendicular walls about two hundred feet in hight, and sloping 
back toward a low prairie, by which it is surrounded and terminates with an ab- 
rupt descent to this prairie. Here and there, scattered around it, are castellated 
rocks, which make it one of nature's fortifications. The Sioux were encamped on 
the summit of this l)lnff. In the night the Sacs and Foxes commenced ascending, 
and when near their enemy, by a fierce encounter, they secured the outposts, and 
in a very short time had so reduced the number of the Sioux, that those remaining, 
rather than have their scalps hang at their enemies' girdles, threw themselves 
headlong from the precipice and were dashed to pieces. At the present time, a 
few of the bones of those devoted warriors may be found in this their last resting 
place; and of late years, when the Indians visit this spot, they cast pebbles and 
twigs from the summit upon the remains of those below." 

To the foregoing outline we annex these details from the Lectures of Lu- 
cius H. Langworthy, Esq., upon the History of Dubuque : 

In 1827, the speaker came to the mines, in company with a brother and two 
sisters, together with Mr. Meeker, on his return from Cincinnati, Maj. Hough, 
Capt. Donney and lady, and five or six others. 

We embarked at Quincy, Illinois, in a pirogue, and were thirty days on the voy- 
age. A pirogue is a kind of intermediate craft, between a canoe and a keel boat. 
The name is French, and si2;nifies the kind of boats used by the early voyageurs 
to transport their furs and effects over the shoal waters and rapid streams of the west- 
ern wilderness. I mention the time occupied in our journey hither, in order to show 
some of the difficulties of settling this new country at that early period. Think 
of a boat's crew, with several ladies on board, all unaccustomed to the river, being 
compelled to work a boat up with poles and oars, against the swollen current of 
this mighty stream, in the hot weather of June, sleeping on sand bars, or anchored 



IOWA. 



375 



out in the river at night, to avoid the musqnitoe?, or hirklng Indians, living upon 
salt pork and dry biscuit, coifee without cream or sugar, and withal making only 
about eight miles average per day. But this was then the land of promise, as Cal- 
ifornia has since been. In July of that year, tlie Winnebago war commenced. 
Much alarm was spread over the country, and the people erected forts and block 
houses for defense, abandoning all other employments for the time. Col. Henry 
Dodge led a company of miners against the Indians, at their town on Rock River. 
The village, however, was found deserted, and they returned after taking one lad 
prisoner. 

We crossed over the Mississippi at this time, swimming our horses by the side 
of a cunoe. It was the first flow,* or the first tide of civilization on this western 
shore. There was not a white settler north of the Des Moines, and west of the 
Mississippi, to Astoria, on the Columbia River, with the exception of Indian traders. 
The Indians had all along guarded this niining district with scrupulous care. They 
would not allow the white people to visit the place, even to look at the old grass- 
grown diggings of Uubuque, which were known to exist here, much less would 
they permit mining to be done, or settlements to be madei 

The country had just been abandoned by the red men, their moccasin tracks 
were yet fresh in the prairie trails along which the retiring race had fled on their 
mysterious mission westward, and the decaying embers were j'ct cooling on their 
deserted hearths witiiin their now lonely and silent wigwams. Where Dubuque 
now stands, cornfields stretcheii along the blutfs, up theravines and the Coule val- 
ley, and a thousand acres of level land skirting the shore, was covered with tall 
grass, as a field of waving grain. But the stalks of the corn were of the last year's 
growth, the ears had been plucked, and they were withered and blighted left 
standing alone mournful representatives of the vanished race. A large village was 
then standing at the mouth of (Catfish Creek, silent, solitary, deserted — nothing re- 
mained to greet us, but the mystic shadows of the past. About seventy buildiniis, 
constructed with poles and the bark of trees, remained to tell of those wlio had so 
recently inhabited them. Their council house, though rude, was ample in its di- 
mensions, and contained a great number of furnac^es, in which kettles had been 
placed to prepare the feasts of peace or war. But their council fires had gone out. 
On the inner surface of the bark there were paintings done with consideralde 
artistic skill, representing the buffalo, elk, bear, panther, and other animals of the 
chase; also their wild sports on the prairie, and even their feats in wars, where 
chief meets chief and warriors mix in bloody fray. Thus was retained a rude 
record of their national history. It was burned down in the summer of 1830, by 
some visitors in a spirit of vandalism, much to the regret of the new settlers. 

When the Indians mined, which was on special occasions, there were often fifty 
or a hundred boys and squaws at work on one vein. They would dig down a 
square hole, covering the entire width of the mine, leaving one side not perpendic- 
ular, but at an angle of about forty-five degrees, then with deer skin sacks attached to 
a bark rope they would haul out along the inclining side of the shaft the rock and 
ore. Their mode of smelting was by digging into a bank slightly, then put up flat 
rocks in a funnel shape, and place the ore within, mixed with wood; this all burnt 
together, and the lead would trickle down into a small excavation in the earth, of 
any shape they desired, and slowly cool and become fit for exportation. 

The lead manufactured here in early times, by Dubuque and the natives, found 
its way to St. Louis, Chicago, Mackinaw, and other trading ports, and some even 
into the Indian rifle in the war of 1812, in the woods of Indiana and Michigan. 
The mode of smelting adopted at first, by the white people, was by building a fur- 
nace somewhat like two large chimney places, set in a bank of earth, leaving an 
aperture in the lower side, for a circulation of air. In these, large logs of wood 
were placed like back-logs, back-sticks and fore-sticks all fitting together, then the 
mineral was placed on the logs, covered with finer wood, and the whole set on fire. 
Thus, in twenty-four hours, the lead would be extracted and run into cast-iron 
molds. About fifty per cent, of lead was obtained in this way, leaving scorias and 
a waste of small pieces of ore to be run over in another furnace differently con- 
structed. In this last process, about fifteen per cent, was added to the first pro- 
duct. Now, by the improved mode, of blast furnaces, about eighty-five per cent, ig 



376 



IOWA. 



obtained, fehowinc that the ore is nearly pure, except only the combination of sul- 
phur with it, which is the inflammable material, and assists in the process of sepa- 
ration. 

As I have said, the speaker and an elder brother, in June of 1827, crossed the 
Mississippi in a canoe, swimmini:;; their horses by its side, landed for the first time 
on the western bank of the stream, and stood upon the soil of this unknown land. 
Soon after this, a number of miners crossed over the river, and possessed them- 
selves of these lands, thus left vacant; their mining operations proved eminently 
Buccessful. 

About the fourth of July, Zachary Taylor, then commanding at Prairie du Chien, 
called upon the miners, in a formal and public'manner, forbade their settlement, 
and ordered them to recross the river. This land was not yet purchased of the 
Indians, and, of course, came under the control of the war department. Captain 
Taylor, as he was then called, told the miners that it was his duty as a government 
officer, to protect the lands ; that such were the treaty stipulations, and that they 
must be off in one week. They declined doing this, telling the captain that he 
must surrender this time. They urged that they had occupied a vacant country, 
had struck some valuable lodes, that the land would soon be purchased, and that 
they intended to maintain possession; to which Zachary Taylor replied, " We shall 
see to that, my boys." 

Accordingly a detachment of United States troops was dispatched, with orders 
to make theniiners at Dubuque walk Spanish. Anticipating their arrival, they had 
taken themselves off, for at that early day they believed that " rough " would be 
"ready" at the appointed time. The miners were anxiously peei-ing from the high 
bluffs on the east side of the river as the steamer came in sight bringing the sol- 
diers, who were landed on the west shore. Three of the men, who had lingered 
too long, were taken prisoners. They were, however, soon released, or rather took 
themselves off. It is said that one of them, a large, fat man, by the name of Le7n- 
ons, made his escape from the soldiers while at Galena, and taking the course of 
the hiiih prairie ridge leading northerly, exhibited such astonishing speed, that the 
race has long been celebrated among the miners, as the greatest feat ever performed 
in the diggings. 

The military force was stationed permanently at Dubuque, and the Indians, ven- 
turini; back to the place, sure of safety and protection against their inveterate ene- 
my, the Kioux, and other intruders, were encouraged to mine upon the lodes and 
prospects which the white people had discovered. From one mine alone the In- 
dians obtained more than a million pounds of ore, in which they were assisted by 
the traders and settlers along the river, with provisions, implements, and teams. 
While the discoverers, those who had opened these mines again, after they were 
abandoned by them and the Spanish miners more than twenty years, were com- 
pelled to look across the water and see the fruits of their industry and enterprise 
consumed by the Indians. We lost, in this manner, more than twenty thousand 
dollars worth of mineral, which was taken from one lode by them. 

In September, 1832, a treaty was held at Kock Island, by General Scott and 
others, on the part of the government, and the Black Hawk purchase was agreed 
to. It included all the country bordering on the west side of the ^lississippi Kiver, 
comprising the eastern portion of our state. About this time, those who felt an 
interest in the mines of Dubuque, returned to take possession of their former dis- 
coveries. 

Many fine lodes and prospects were discovered, and considerable lead manufac- 
tured lip to about January 25, 1833. I could here name many others who settled 
during this fall: Thomas McCraney, Whitesides, Camps, Hurd, Kiley, Thomas 
Kellv, etc. In fact there were more than two hundred allured here by the flatter- 
ing prospects of the country during this fall. But, in January, the troops were 
again sent down from Prairie du Chien, and removed the settlers the second time, 
merely because the treaty by which the land was acquired had not been ratified 
by tlie United States senate, a formal act that every one knew would take place at 
the earliest opportunity. This was a foolish policy on the part of the government, 
and operated peculiarly hard upon the new settlers, who were thus obliged to leave 
their cabins in the cold winter of 1832-3, and their business also until spring. 



IOWA 9 77 

In June, 1833, Mr, John P. Sheldon, arrived with a commission from the depart- 
ment at Washington, as superintendent of the mines, the military force havinc 
b=?en previously withdrawn, and the treaty confirmed. He proceeded to ij;rant 
written permits to miners, and licenses to smelters. These permits entitled the 
holder to the privile.i^e of staking off two hundred yai'ds square of land wherever 
he chose, if not occupied by others, and have peaceful possession, by delivering his 
mineral to a licensed smelter, while the smelter was required to give a bond to the 
agent, conditioned to pay, for the use of the government, a fixed'per centage of all 
the lead he manufactured. Mr. Sheldon continued to act in this capacity only 
about one year, for he could not be the instrument of enforcing this unjust and un- 
wise policy. He saw that these men, like all other pioneers, who, by their 
enterprise were opening up a new country, and fitting it for the homes of those 
who follow their footsteps, should be left, by a wise and judicious system, to the 
enjoyment of their hard earnings. The hidden wealth of the earth, its pine for- 
ests and surface productions, should alike be offered freely to all those who pene- 
trate the wilderness, and thus lay the foundation of future societies and states. 

It has been the policy of our government, at various times, to exact rent for all 
mineral, or pine lumber, taken from the public lands; which policy is wrona; and 
should be forever abandoned; for the early settlers have privations and hardships 
nnough, without encountering the opposition of their own government, especially 
ihese miners, many of whom had labored for years on the frontiers, cut off from 
^he enjoyments of home and all the endearments of domestic life. Tour speaker 
vas, himself, one of these, being thrown in early life upon the crest of the wave 
~.f western emigration, often beyond the furthest bounds of civilization, and not 
unfrequently amid the tragical scenes of border strife. Twenty-three years he la- 
"bored, mostly in the mines, in difierent capacities, and during about half that pe- 
riod he has toiled in the deep, narrow caves and crevices, in the cold, damp ground, 
working upon his knees, sometimes in the water, and living like many other miners 
in "Bachelor's Hall," cooking his own food, and feeling secluded from society and 
far from the circle and association%of youthful friendship. Under such privations, 
he felt the demand of a heavy tax, by the government, to be oppressive indeed, and 
he would be wanting in consistency and spirit, if he had not, on all proper occa- 
sions, protested against a system that seems much more regal than republican, and 
which degrades the western pioneer to the condition of a tenant at will of the gen- 
eral government. , 

In 1833-4, the town of Dubuque continued to improve. It now first received its 
name by a public meeting held fur that purpose, and began to assume the appear- 
ance of a prosperous business place. 

At this time there were but very fow men in the -whole country who did not in- 
dulge in drinking and gambling. "Poker" and "brag" were games of common 
fastime, while the betting often run up to hundreds of dollars in a single sitting, 
t pervaded all classes; the merchants and other passengers, to and from St. Louil, 
while on the steamboats occupied their time chiefly in this way, and it was consid- 
ered no disgrace to gamble. Balls and parties were also common, and it was not 
an unfrequent occurrence for one to treat his partner in the dance at the bar, if he 
^.id not, he generally performed that delicate and flattering attention to himself. 
The Sabbath was regarded as a holiday, and vice and immorality were prevalent in 
every form. Yet amidst all this there were occasional gleams of moral sunshine 
breaking through the clouds of dissipation, and a brighter future lay before us. 
Upon the establishing of courts here, first under the jurisdiction of Michioan. 
then under that of Wisconsin Territory, matters assumed a more peaceful and quiet 
aspect. 

But there were even then occasions of turbulence and bloodshed, in quarrels 
about lands and claims. Mr. Woodbury Massey lost his life in one of these diffi- 
culties. There were no courts of competent jurisdiction to try cases of crime, or 
rights to property. A long time intervened between the withdrawal of the gov- 
ernment protection and the establishment of civil laws by local authority. 

Ivo survey of the public lands had yet been made, and'in the transition from the 
old to the new state of things, misunderstandings naturally arose. Under the gov- 
ernment rules and regulations for the control of the mines, it was necessary to 



378 



IOWA. 



work and have mining tools almost continually on the land claimed, in order to se- 
cure possession; under the new order of thini|;s there were no uniform customs pre- 
vailinji, reiiardin:;' possession of property; each man formed his own standard artd 
•was governed by his own opinions. It was not surprisinir, then, that difficulties 
should arise. He who has passed through .all the scenes and trials incident to the 
settlement of a new country, will not readily seek another distant frontier as a 
home. 

Woodbury Massey was the eldest of several brothers and a sister, all left orphans 
in early life. Himself and family were members and the chief founders of the 
first Methodist Church erected in this city; a man of fine education, polite and 
amial)le in his disposition, one of our first merchants, and possessing a large share 
of popular favor. He was enterprising in business, and upright in all his dealings. 
Had he lived, he would no doubt have proved a main pillar and support in our 
young community. But in an evil hour he became the purchaser of a lot or lode, 
called the Irish lot, near where Mr. McKenzie now lives. 

It appeared that a Mr. Smith, father and son, had some claim on this lot or lode. 
They were the exact opposite to Mr. Massey, in character and disposition. A suit 
before a magistrate grew out of this claim, and the jury decided the property to 
belong to Mr. Massey. It being a case of forcible entry and detainer, the sherifi", 
as was his duty, went with the latter to put him again in possession of the pre- 
mises. 

When they arrived upon the ground, the two Smiths, being secreted among the 
digii;ings, rose up suddenly, and firing their guns in quick succession, Mr. Massey 
was shot through the heart. His family, living near by, saw him fall, thus early 
cut down in the prime of his life and usefulness, a victim to the unsettled state of 
the times, and the ungoverned passions of turbulent men. The perpetrators of 
this deed were arrested and held in confinement until the session of the circuit 
court, at Mineral Point, Judge Irving presiding. Upon the trial, the counsel for 
the defense objected to the jurisdiction of the court, which was sustained by the 
judge, and accordingly the prisoners were discliarged and let loose upon society 
They, iiowever, left tliis part of the country for a time. 

One of the younger brothers of Mr. Massey, highly exasperated by this transac- 
tion, that no trial could be obtained for sucla offenders, had determined, it seems, 
that should the elder Smith ever come in his way, he would take the punishment 
for the murder of his brother intQ his own hands. One day, while sitting in his 
shop at Galena, he chanced to see Smith walking the public streets of the place, 
when, instantly snatching a pistol and hastening in the direction, he fired upon 
liim with fatal aim. Thus Smith paid the forfeit of his life by intruding again 
among the friends of the murdered man, and in the community which had wit- 
nessed the scenes of his violence. 

For this act of the younger brother, there seems to have been the broadest char- 
ity manifested. He was never tried, or even arrested, and still lives in the coun- 
tr}^, a quiet man, and greatly respected by all who know him. 

The death of the father, of course, soon brought the younger Smith to the mines. 
It was understood privately that he determined to shoot one or the other of the 
surviving brothers at the very first opportunity. He was known to be an excellent 
shot with a pistol, of imperious disposition and rash temper. These rumors finally 
reached the ears of the fair haired, blue eyed sister, who was thus made to believe 
that he would carry his threats into execution. She was just verging into woman- 
hood, with fresh susceptibilities, and all of her deep affections awakened by the 
surrounding difficulties of the family. One day, without consulting others, she de- 
termined, by a wild and daring adventure, to cut off" all chances of danger in that 
direction. Disguising herself for the occasion, and taking a lad along to point out 
the person she sought, having never seen him herself, she went into the street 
Passing a store by the way side, the boy saw Smith and designated him from the 
other gentlemen in the room by his clothing. On seeing him thus surrounded by 
other men, one would suppose that her nerves would lose their wonted firmness. 
He was well armed and resolute in character, this she knew; yet stepping in 
amidst them all, in a voice tremulous with emotion and ominous in its tones, she 
exclaimed, "If you are Smith, defend yourself" In an instant, aa he arose, she 



JOWA. 



379 

pointed a pistol at his breast and fired; he fell, and she retired as suddenly as she 
appeared. It was all done so quickly, and seemed so awful that the specta- 
tors stood, bewildered at the tragical scene, until it was too late to prevent the dis- 
aster. 

It so happened that Mr. Smith had, at the time, a large wallet filled with papers 
in his breast pocket. The ball striking about its center did not of course pene- 
trate all of the folded leaves, and thus providentially his life was spared. 

8mith, soon recovering from the stunning eff'ects, rushed into the street to meet 
his assailant; but she had fled and found shelter at the house of Mr. Johnson, a 
substantial merchant of the town, and was subsequently sent away, by her friends 
here, to some relatives in Illinois, where she was afterward married to a Mr. Wil- 
liamson, formerly of this place. Her name, Louisa, has been given to one of the 
counties in our State. Smith lived several years, but the wounds probably has- 
tened h'is death. She is also dead, and it is to be hoped that God's mercy has fol- 
lowed them beyond earth's rude strifes, and that they dwell in peace in a purer 
and better world. 



liiiins of Camanche, Clinton county. 

After the Great Toruado of June 3, ISUO. Engraved from a view taken by photograph. 

The west has, at various periods of its history, been subject to severe, tor- 
nadoes, which have carried rain and devastation in their course. The most 
terrible ever known, was that which swept over eastern Iowa and western Illi- 
nois, on the evening oF Sunday, June 3, 1860. It commenced about five 
miles beyond Cedar Rapids, in Linu county, Iowa, and stopped near Elgin, 
Illinois, thus traversing a distance of nearly 200 miles. It varied in width 
from half a mile to two miles. It was of the nature of a whirlwind, or ass some 
eye witnesses aver of two whirlwinds, moving in the same direction and near 
each other, which in shape resembled a funnel. The larger villages between 
Cedar Rapids and the Mississippi, were out of the course of this fearful de- 
stroyer; but much property was damaged, and more than fifty lives lost be- 
fore reaching the river. The town of Camanche, on the Mississippi, in Clin- 
ton county, about 70 miles below Dubuque, was utterly destroyed, and New 
Albany, opposite it on the Illinois side, nearly ruined. It was stated in the 
33 



380 



IOWA. 



priuts of the time, that, by this terrible calamity, 2,500 persons had been 
rendered houseless and homeless, and about 400 killed and wounded. The 
account of this event is thus given in the Fulton Courier: 

The storm reached Camanche at 7.30 P.M., with a holloAv, rumblinf;; noise her- 
alding its approach, which sounded like a heavy train of car.-^ passing over a bridge. 
Moving with the velocity of lightning, it struck the devoted town, and the fearful 
work of havoc commenced. The scene that followed, as given hj eye witnesses, 
can neither be imagined nor described. Amidst the roar of the tempest, the rust- 
ling of the wind, the reverberating peals of thunder, the vivid flashes of lightning, 
the pelting of the rain, the crash of falling buildings, tlie agonizing shrieks of ter- 
ror stricken women and children, the bewildered attempts to escape, and the 
moans of the dying, but little opportunity was left to observe the general appear- 
ance of the blow. 

Parents caught their children in their arms and rushed frantic for any place that 
seemed to promise safety. Many found refuge in cellars, which to others proved 
graves. So sudden was the shock that many in the upper parts of buildings were 
left no time to flee to other parts. 

To go outside was as hazardovis as to remain within. The turbulent air was fdled 
with fragments of lumber, furniture, and trees, flying in every direction, with the 
force of cannon balls. 

Amidst such intense excitement, attended with such fatal consequences, moments 
seem years. But from statements, that beyond doubt are correct, the storm did not 
rage less than two and a half, nor more than five minutes. It would seem impos- 
sible, on looking at the devastation, to suppose it the work of so short a time. 
Darkness immediately closed over the scene, and left a pall over the town only 
equaled by the darker gloom that draped the hearts of the survivors of the 
disaster. 

At Albany, heavy warehouses were lifted entire, and removed some considerable 
distance, strong brick and stone buildings entirely demolished, while the lighter 
frame dwelling houses were, in most cases, entirely swept away. We could not 
estimate the whole number of buildings injured, but could learn of not over three 
houses in the whole town that were not more or less damaged — most of them de- 
stroyed. The ground was strewed with fragments of boards. The hotel kept by 
Captain Barnes was not moved from its foundation, but part of the roof and inside 
pai-titions were carried away. The brick (Presbyterian) church was leveled to 
the ground, and the Congregational much injured. The I)rick and stone houses 
seemed to afford but little more protection than the frame, and when they fell gave, 
of course, less chance of escape. But one place of business (Mr. Pease's) was left 
in a condition to use. The buildings, household furniture, provisions, and evei-y- 
thing in fact, in most instances, were swept beyond the reach of recovery. The 
ferry-boat was lifted from the water and laid upon the shore. Cattle, horses, and 
hogs, were killed or driven away by the irresistible element. The loss of life, how- 
ever, was far less than could have been expected. But five persons were killed, and 
perhaps fifty or sixty injured. 

Camanche was almost completely destroyed. A very few buildings Avere, as if 
by miracle, left standing, but even these were more or less injured. The ground 
was covered with splinters, boards, furniture, etc., completely shivered to pieces. 
Nothing perfect or whole was to be seen, but everything looked as though it 
had been riven by lightning. The larger trees were blown down: while on the 
smaller ones that Avould yield to the wind, were to be seen tattered pieces of cloth- 
ing, carpets, pillows, and even mattresses, nearly torn to shreds. The river below 
was covered with marks of the storm, and much property was lost by being swept 
into the water. The general appearance of the ground was much like the traces 
left by a torrent where flood-wood is left lying in its path. Where buildings once 
st<iod is now a mass of unsightly ruins. It is with difficulty that the lines of the 
former streets can be traced. Frame houses were swept away or turned into every 
conceivable variety of positions. Dead animals were left floating in the river or 
lying among tBe ruins. The feathers on the poultry were even stripped from their 
bodies. Everything was so completely scattered and destroyed that it was useless 



IOWA. 381 

to attempt to recover anything, and the citizens could only sit down in despair. 
Until 12 M. of Monday, the work of exhuming the bodies fi-om the fallen ruins was 
still progressing. In one room that we visited, the bodies of children and females 
were lying (ten or twelve in number), clothed in their white winding sheets. It 
was a sight that we pray may never again be ours to witness. The little children, 
in particular, had but few face injuries, and lay as if sleeping. 

In all, thirty-eight persons were reported missing at Camanche, and thirty-two 
bodies have been found. About eighty were reported as wounded, some of whom 
have since died. Information has been received which furnishes us with reliable 
accounts of 139 deaths caused by the tornado along the line of the Iowa and Ne- 
braska road, including Camanche. On the Illinois side of the river the loss of 
life has not been quite so great, but we think we are safe in putting the total num- 
ber of killed at 175. The wounded are by far more numerous, while the loss of 
property can not be definitely estimated. We hear of 150 cattle in one yard in 
Iowa that were all destroyed. Farm houses, fences, crops, railroad cars, and all 

Eroperty that fell in the path of the tornado, were left in total ruin. There were 
undreds of thousands of dollars worth of property destroyed, much of which will 
never be reported. 

The tornado commenced in Linn county, Iowa, and stopped, as near as we can 
learn, in the vicinity of Elgin, Illinois. It, of course, would carry objects some- 
times in opposite directions, moving as it did with the motion of a whirlwind. We' 
saw one house that had been lifted from its foundation, and carried two hundred 
feet in a course directly contrary to the regular course of the tornado. 

The escapes in all the jtlaces where the storm passed, were often truly miracu- 
lous. In Albany, ^Ir. Slaymaker had repaired to the church for the purpose of 
ringing the Ijell for wor.'liij), but seeing the appearance of a heavy rain approach- 
ing, concluded not to ring it. Had the congregation been called together it would 
have been certain death to all, as the walls of the church, being built of brick, fell 
on the inside. We saw a small house that had been carried several rods with three 
persons in it, and set down without damage to the house or inmates. A little 
daughter of Mr. ISwett was lying on a bed, and was blown with it twenty rods into 
a grove, from whence it came unharmed, calling for its mother. An infant son of 
Mrs. Joseph Riley was buried beneath her, and it is thought that her own weight 
upon it was the cause of its death. One family took refuge in a meal chest, which, 
fortunately, proved strong enough to protect them from a mass of rubbish that 
covered them. Mrs. Oliver il'jAtahan fell in a place where the floor of the first 
story had been previously partly broken, producing a sag or bend. The joists fell 
over her, but were long enough to reach over the bend, and thus saved her life. 
Mr. EflFner had at one time been safely secure in his cellar, but going up for some- 
thing to shield his child from the cold, Avas killed instantly. We saw two children 
who were killed in the arms of their mothers. At Camanche, the first story of a 
hardware store, with its contents, was carried into the river and lost, while the up- 
per part of the building dropped down square upon the foundation as though 
placed there by mechanics. A child was blown from fifteen miles west of Camanche 
to that place and landed uninjured. One man in Iowa was taken up 200 feet. A 
family on a farm took refuge in a "potato hole," where they remained secure; but 
the house they left was completely demolished. Pieces of boards were picked up 
eight and ten miles from Albany, in both north and south directions. A wagon 
was lifted into the air, broken to pieces, and the tire of one of the wheels twisted 
out of all shape. Nine freight cars, standing on the track at Lisbon, were blown 
some distance from the place they were standing. The tornado raised immediately 
over the house of Mr. Minta, in "Garden Plain, and descended to strike the nest 
house beyond. We noticed that those living in frame houses met with less loss of 
life than the inmates of brick or stone houses. 

A passenger from the west informs us that a small boy was blown across Cedar 
River, and his mangled body left in the forks of a tree. In one family all that 
was left were three little girls, the father and mother and two children having been 
instantly killed. We saw where a fence board had been forced clear through the 
side of a house, endwise, and hundreds of shingles had forced themselves clear 
through the clapboards of a house. 



382 



IOWA. 



Another &ye witness says: A chimney, weighing!; a])Out two tuns, was broken ofiF 
at its junction witli the roof, lifted into the air, and hurled down into the front 
yard, burying itself in the ground a deptli of tliree feet, without breaking or crack- 
intf a single l>rick. A light pine shingle was driyen from the ontside through the 
clapboards, latli and plaster, and proje(*ts two intdies from tlie inside wall of a dwell- 
inic house. No other known force could have accomplished tliis. A common trowel, 
such as is used by masons, was driven through a pine knot in the side of a barn, 
projecting full two inches. In one spot was found a large pile of book covers, 
every leaf from Avhich was gone, and twisted into a thonsand shapes. Leaves were 
stripped of their tissue, leaving the fibers clean and bare as if a botanist had 
neatly picked it off". 'i\-fe ti'unks were twisted several times round until they were 
broken off'. The Millard House, a three story brick structure, fronting north, was 
lifted up from its foundation and turned compietely round, so that the front door 
faced the soutli. It then collapsed, and seemed to fall outwardly as if in a vacuum, 
and strange to relate, out of seventeen persons in tlie house, only two were killed. 
One house upon the bank was lifted irom its foundation and whirled into the river, 
crushini^ as it fell and drownini: three persons, the inmates. 

A piano was taken out of a house in the center of the town, and carried some 
distance to the river bafik without breaking it. 

Tlie effects upon some of the houses near Camanche, which were in the outer 
edire of the tornado, were verj- curious. Upon some roofs the shingles were 
Btriuped off" in faeiful shapes, a bare spot upon one roof exactly resembling a fig- 
ure's. t~(ime roofs were entirely unshingled. and in some cases every clapboard 
was torn off". The sides of some houses were literally perforated with boards, 
splintered timbers and sharp stakes. In some parts of Camanche, where iiouses 
stood thickly clustered together, there is not a vestige of one left. Another tract 
of about forty acres is covered with splinters about two feet in length. Tlie lower 
stories of some houses were blown out entirely, leaving the upper story upon the 
ground. The town is entirely ruined, and we do not see how it can ever be re- 
built. There are whole blocks of lots tliat are vacant entirely, with nothing but 
the cellar to indicate that a house ever stood there. 

The whole atmosphere around the place is sickening, and a stench is peiwading 
the whole path of the storm that is almost impossible to endure. 



Davenport, a flourishing; city, the county seat of Scott, is beautifully 
situated on the right bank of the Mississippi, at the foot of the upper rapids, 
opposite the town of Rock Island, with which it is connected by a most nuig- 
nificent railroad bridge, the first ever built over the Mississippi. The great 
railroad running through the heart of tlie state, and designed to connect the 
Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, has its eastern terminus at Davenport. The 
city is 330 miles above St. Louis, and 100 below (Jalena. The rapids ex- 
tend 20 miles above this place, and the navigation of the river is somewhat 
obstructed by them during the time of low water. The city is built on 
ground which rises gradually from the water, with a chain of rounded hills 
in the back ground. Pop- 1860, 11,268. 

The city derived its name from Col. George Davenport, who was born in 
England, in 1783. He came to this country when a young man, entered 
the U. S. army as sergeant, and saw considerable service, on the frontier, in 
the war of 1812. After the war, he settled on Rock Island, opposite this 
town, and engaged in trading with the Indians. That vicinity was densely 
settled by them. The village of Black Hawk was there in the forks of 
Rock River and the Mississippi. He carried on the fur trade very exten- 
sively for many years, establishing trading posts at various points. On the 
4th of July, 1845, a band of robbers entered his beautiful residence in the 
middle of the day, in the absence of his family, and in robbing, accidentally 



IOWA. 



383 



stot him. He died the same night. All of the murderers were taken, tliree 
were hung and two escaped. Mr. Davenport was of a very free and gener- 
ous disposition, jovial and fond of company. Wherever he went a crowd 
assembled around him to listen to his anecdotes and stories. He never sued 




Suuiheni view of Davenport, from the Rock Island Fen-y. 

The StRamlioat Lnniling and Flourin? Mill is seen in the central part. The Railroad Depot and A. Le- 
Claire's residence, oil an elevation in the distance, on the right. The Iowa College building on the left. 

any one in his life, and could not bear to see any one in distress without try- 
ing to relieve them. The biographer of Col. Davenport gives these inci- 
dents: 

During the Black Hawk war Mr. Davenport received a commission from Gov. 
Reynolds, appointing him aetins; quartermaster general, with the rank of colonel. 
In the latter part of the summer of 1832, the cholera broke out among tlie troops 
on the island, and ramred fearfully for about ten days; one hundred died out of a 
population of four hundred ; every person was dreadfully alarmed. An incident 
occurred during this time which will show the state of feeling. Mr. Davenport, 
Mr. LeClaIre, and a young officer were standing together in front of the store one 
morning. The officer had been giving them an account of the number of deaths 
and new cases, when an orderly came up to them with a message from Gen. 8cott 
to Mr. LeClaire, requesting him to come down to the fort as soon as possible. Mr. 
DeClaire looked at Mr. Davenport to know what excuse to make. Mr. Davenport, 
after a moment, replied to the orderly to tell Gen. Scott that Mr. LeClaire could 
not come, as he was quite sick. The officer and orderly laughed heartily at Mr. 
Davenport and Mr. LeClaire being so much alarmed; but next morning the first 
news they received from the fort, was, that these two men were dead. 

At the time the cholera broke out at Fort Armstrong, there were two Fox chiefs 
confined in the guard-house for killing the Menomonies at Prairie du Chien, and 
had been given up by their nation as the leaders, on the demand of our govern- 
ment, and were awaitinsi their trial. Mr. Davenport interceded for them with the 
commanding officer, to let them out of their prison, and give them the range of 
the island, with a promise that they should be forthcoming when they were wanted. 
The Indians were released, and they pledged their word not to leave the island 



384 



IOWA. 



until permitted to do so by the proper authorities. Durina; all the time the fcnrful 
epidemic raged on the island, and every person was fleeing from it that could get 
away, these two chiefs remained on the island, hunting and iishing, and when the 
sickness had subsided, they presented themselves at the fort to await their trial, 
thus sliowing how binding a pledge of this kind was with this tribe of Indians. 
Ml". Davenport, for many years, was in the habit of crediting the chiefs of the dif- 
ferent villages for from tifty to sixty thousand dollars worth of goods annually, 
having nothing but their word pledged for the payment of them, which they 
always faithfully performed. 

The following extracts relative to the early history of Davenport, are from 
Wilkie's History of the city: 

" In the year 1833, there were one or two claims made upon the lands now 
occupied by the lower part of the city. The claim upon which the city was 
first laid out was contended for by a Dr. Spencer and a Mr. McCloud. The 
matter was finally settled by Antoine LeClaire buying them both out: giv- 
ing them S150. . . . Having fenced in this portion, Mr. LeClaire cul- 
tivated it until it was sold to a company in 1835. In the fall of this year, a 
company was formed for the purchasing and laying out a town site. They 
met at the house of Col. Davenport, on Rock Island, to discuss the matter. 
The following persons were present: Maj. Wm. Gordon, Antoine LeClaire, 
Col. Geo. Davenport, Maj. Thos. Smith, Ale.x. McGregor, Levi S. Colton, and 
Philip Hambaugh. These gentlemen, with Capt. James May, then in Pitts- 
burg, composed the company which secured the site 

In the spring of the next year, the site was surveyed and laid out by Maj. 
Gordon, U. S. surveyor, and one of the stockholders. The cost of the en- 
tire site was $2,000 or $250 per share. In May the lots were offered at auc- 
tion. A steamboat came up from St. Louis, laden with passengers to attend 
the sale, which continued for two days. Some 50 or GO lots only were sold, 
mostly to St. Louis speculators, at from $300 to $600 each. The remaining 
portion of the site was divided among the proprietors. The emigra- 
tion this year was small, only some half dozen families coming in. The first 
tavern was put up this year and opened by I'ldward Powers, on the corner 
of Front and Ripley-streets. It was built by Messrs. Davenport and Le- 
Claire, and was called '■'■Davenport Hotel." A log shanty drinking salbon was 
also put up, which stood on Front-street, below the Western-avenue. It was 
long a favorite resort of the politician and thirsty. 

James Mackintosh opened the first store, and commenced business in a 
log house near the U. S. House, corner of Ripley and Third-streets. . . , 
Lumber at that time was brought from Cincinnati, and almost everything 
else from a distance. Flour at $16 per barrel; pork at 16 cents per pound, 
were brought from that city. Corn was imported from Wabash River, and 

brought $2 per bushel The ferry dates its existence from this 

year — it being a flat bottomed craft, technically called a " mud-boat." This, 
in 1841, was superseded by a horse-boat, which in time gave way to steam. . 

The first child born in Davenport, was in 18-41, a son of L. S. Colton. . . 
The first law office was opened by A. McGregor. The first religious dis- 
course was delivered by Rev. Mr. Gavitt, a Methodist, at the house of D. G. 
Eldridge. Preaching also from an Episcopalian the same spring. Reli- 
gious services were held occasionally, in which a priest I'rom Galena 
officiated. . . . The pioneer ball was held at ]\Ir. LeClaire's, Jan. 8, 
1836. Some forty couples were present, consisting of frontier men, officers 
from the island, and others. The music was furnished by fiddles, from which 



IOWA. 385 

no contemptible strains were occasionally drawn by Mr. LcClairc himself. . . 
The party danced till sunrise, then broke up — the gentlemen being, as a 
general thing, as genial as all the " punches " they could possibly contain, 
would make them. 

In the summer of 1836, Mr. A. LeCIaire was appointed postmaster. Mails came 
once a week from the east, and once in two weeks from Uubuque. The postmas- 
ter used to carry the mail across the river in his pocket, and the per centage for 
the first three months was seventy-Jive cents. In September, a treaty was held at 
East Davenport, between Gov. Dodge, U. S. commissioner, and the ^acs and Foxes. 
The object of the treaty was to secure possession of the land bordering on the 
Iowa River, and known as "Keokuk's Keserve." About one thousand chiefs and 
warriors were present, and were encamped during the time just above Kenwick's 

mill This was the last treaty ever held in this vicinity. There were 

seven houses at the close of this year. There was a frame dwelling partly finished 
and owned by a i\Ir. Shields. It has been since known as the "Dillon House" 
(o/* which a gentleman^ since governor of the state, teas once hostler). The year 
(1836) closed with a population of less than one hundred. Stephenson (nowKock 
Island) which had been laid out in 1834, had at this time a population of nearly 
five hundred 

The first duel "on record" in Iowa, was fought, in the spring of 1837, between 
two Winnebago Indians. These young men, in a carousal at Stephenson, com- 
menced quarreling, and finally resorted to the code of honor. One had a shot gun, 
the other a rifle. On the Willow Island, below the city, at the required distance 
they fired at each ctlier. The one with the shot gun fell, and was buried not far 
from the graveyard below the city. The survivor fled to his home in the Hock 
River country. The friends and relations of the slain clamored for the blood of 
the slayer, and the sister of the latter went for the survivor. She found him — en- 
treated him to come back to Rock Island and be killed, to appease the wrathful 
manes of the deceased. He came — in a canoe paddled by his own sister — singing 
his death song. A shallow sirave was dug, and kneeling upon its brink, his body 
tumbled into it, and his death song was hushed, as the greedy knives of the exe- 
cutioners drank the blood of his brave heart. 

Dr. A. E. Donaldson, from Pennsylvania, came in July, 1837, and was, it is stated, 
the first regular physician. The religious services, for this year, and for a year or 
two afterward, were held in a house belonging to D. C. Eldridge. Clergymen of 
various denominations officiated. In 1838, during the summer, the first brick house 
was erected by D. C. Eldridge, standing on the S.E. corner of Main and Third- 
streets. Nearly at the same time, the brick building now used by the Sisters, in 
Catholic block, was completed as a church. A long controversy between Rocking- 
ham and Davenport, respecting the location of the county-seat, was terminated in 
favor of the latter, in 1840, by the citizens of Davenport agreeing to construct the 
court house and jail, free of expense to the county. 

The celebrated " Missouri War" is ascribed to about this date. It arose from a 
dispute in regard to boundary — two lines having been run. The northern one cut 
off a strip of Iowa some six or eight miles in width, and from this portion Mis- 
souri endeavored to collect taxes. The inhabitants refused to pay them, and the 
Missouri authorities endeavored, by sending a sherifl", to enforce payment. A fight 
ensued, and an lowan was killed, and several taken prisoners. The news spread 
along the river counties, and created intense excitement. War was supposed to be 
impending, or to have actually begun. 

Col. Dodge, an individual somewhat noted as the one who, in connection with 
Theller, had been imprisoned by the Canadian authorities for a participation in 
the "Patriot War," had lately arrived here, after breaking jail in Canada. His 
arrival was opportune — a call for volunteers to march against Missouri was circu- 
lated, and was responded to by some three hundred men, who made Davenport 
their rendezvous on the proposed day of marching. A motley crowd was it! Arms 
were of every kind imaginable, from pitchforks to blunderbusses, and Queen Anno 
muskets. One of the colonels wore a common rusty grass scythe for a sword, 
while Capt. Higginson, of company A, had been fortunate enough to find an old 

25 



386 IOWA. 

sword that an Indian had pawned for Avliisky, whivh he elegantly belted around 
him with a heavy log chain. 

The parade ground was in front of the ground now occupied by the Scott House. 
Refreshments were plenty, and '• steam " was being rapidly developed for a start, 
when word came that peace was restored — Missouri having resigned her claim 
to the disputed ground. The army was immediately disbanded, in a style 
that would do honor to the palmiest revels of Dacchus. Speeches were made, 
toasts drunk, and a host of maneuvers, not in the military code, were performed, 
to the* great amusement of all. Some, in the excess of patriotism and whisky, 
started on alone to Missouri, but lay down in the road before traveling far, and 
slept away their valor. 

8t. Anthony's Church, the first erected, was dedicated May 23, 1839, by Rt. Rev. 
Bishop Loras, of Dubuque. The Catholic Advocate thus states, "Mr. Antoine Le- 
Claire, a wealthy Frenchman, and a zealous and exemplary Christian, in partner- 
ship with Mr. Davenport, has granted to the Catholic congregation, in the very cen- 
ter of the town, a whole square, including ten lots, erecting, partly at his own ex- 
pense, a fine brick church with a school room attached." The Rev. 

Mr. Pelamourgues, who first assumed charge of the church, still retains it. 

The First Presliytorian Church was established in the spring of 1S38, pastor, 
James D.Mason; the Davenport Congregational Church was organized July 30, 
1839, by Rev. Albert Hale; their present church building was erected in 1844. 
The first regular services of the Protestant Episcopal Church were commenced 
here Oct. 14, 1841, by Rev. Z IT. Goldsmith. The corner stone of the present 
edifice of Trinity Church was laid, by Bishop Kemper, May 5, 1852. The Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church was established June 1, 1842; the First Baptist Church was 
established in 1839, N. 8. Bastion, pastor; the German Congregation was estab- 
lished Julv 19, 1857, A. Frowein, pastor; "Church of Christ," or Disciples Church 
established July 28, 1839. 

The first newspaper was the " Fowa Sun and Davenport and Rock Island News," 
issued in Aug., 1838, by Alfred Sanders. It was continued till 1841, when it was 
succeeded by the " Davenport Weekly Gazette." The " Weekly Banner " was 
started in 1848, by A. Montgomery; in 1855, it was bought by Messrs. Hildreth, 
Richardson & West, and was changed to the " Iowa State Democrat." The " Even- 
ing News," daily and weekly, was started by Harrington & Wilkie, Sept., 1856. 
The " Der Demokrat" (German) was established, by T. Guelich, in 1851. 



BeUevue, the capital of Jackson county, is on the Mississippi, 12 miles 
below Galena. It is one of the oldest towns in the state, having been first 
settled in 1836, by J. D. Bell. The location being a beautiful one, had long 
been a favorite spot with the Indians. The population in 18G0 was about 
1.500. 

The following interesting narrative of some incidents which took place 
here in the early settlement of the place is given to us by Wm. A. 
Warren Esq. He was the sheriff in command of the posse of citizens, 
some of whom it will be seen lost their lives in their efforts to restore law 
and order. 

In the year 1836, was organized a band of horse-thieves, counterfeiters, and high- 
way robbers, having their head-quarters near Elk Heart, Michigan, and extending 
their ramifications in all directions from that point, many hundred miles. The 
Rock River valley, Illinois, and the settled portions of what is now Iowa, were the 
chief points of their operations, although the band extended through Kentucky, 
Missouri, and even to the Cherokee Nation. 

Their organization was complete. They had their pass words, and other means 
of recognition. No great master spirit controlled the whole organization, as is 
usually the case in criminal associations of that nature. The leaders were those 
whose education rendered them superior to the instincts of the half savage settlers 
with whom they were associated. 

Their method of doing business, and escaping detectiou, was as follows: B.'b 



IOWA 



587 



band, in Iowa, would "spot" certain horses and other "phmder," and arrange to 
make a foray on some particular niirht. A., in ^lissouri, havini; obtained tlio 
knowledjie of this, wouI<l start liis band on a marauding expedition the same night. 
But those who were to do the plundering would make a feint to go north or south 
on a trading expeilition, a day or two belbre the time fixed upon, and returning at 
night, would be carefully concealed until the proper time, when they would sally 
forth on the expedition in earnest. The two bands then meeting half "wny, would 
exchange the stolen property, and returning, dispose of the plunder, perhsips to 
the very persons whom they had robbed a few nights before. 




Slorming of the Belleviie TLifel, hi/ the Citizens. 

The fnirvaving illintnitc's ;i sceix' in tli" early IiUtoi-v "t R/lli-vnc. Tlie hotel of tlie town was orcnjiii'd 
by a banii of outlaws, who had hiM»n fhv tcrrir o( 111" wlmh- ciintvy for hiiuilrefls of miles distant. As 
they defied the authorities, the citizens w^ie eomtiellod to resort to arms. The stronghohl was cariieU by 
storm, in which several were slain on eacli side. 

Those of the band who were merely accomplices, wore careful to be visiting 
some honest neighbor on the night of the robbery, and thus avert suspicion from 
tliemselves. By tiiis means, it will bo seen, that detection was alnio.st impossible, 
and suspi(don unlikely to rc-^t upon tlie reiil perpetrators. 

The tlien frontier villaj:e of Bclleviie, was a central point on this route, and also 
the headquarters of one of tlie most munenms and powerful of the bands. Its 
leader, William Brown, was a man remarkable in many respects. He came to 
I?ellevue in the spring of 1830, and soon after brought out iiis Aimily an'I opened 
a public house, which was destined to become famous iu the village history. 
Brown, physically, was a powerful man. and in education superior to those around 
him. He possesse<l a pleasant, kindly address, an'I was scrupulously honest in his 
every day's dealings with his neighbors, it is said that none who reposed conli- 
denct in him in a business transactioti ever regretted it. He was ably seconded 
h\ hii- wife, a woman of about 24 yc^ars of age. and of more than ordinary natural 
oapac ty. They had but one child, a little girl of gome four years of age. Ever 
ready to assist the destitute, the foremost in public improvements, this ftimily soon 
became idolized by the rude population of that early day, so that nothing but pos- 
itive proof finally fastened suspicions of dishonesty upon them. Having, by his 



388 ^°^^- 

Triles, seduced a larger part of the young men into his band, and being daily rein- 
forced fnim other quarters, Brown became more bold in his operations, then threw 
off the mask, and openly boasted of his power and the inability of the authorities 
to crush him out. It was no idle boast. Fully two thirds of the able bodied men 
in the settlement were leagued with him. He never participated in passing coun- 
terfeit money, stealing horses, etc., but simply planned. 

Any man who incurred the enmity of the "gang," was very certain to wake 
some morning and find his crops destroyed, his horses stolen, and the^arks of his 
cattle having been slaughtered in his own yard; in all probability the hind quar- 
ters of his favorite ox would be offered for sale at his own door a few hours there- 
after. If one of his gang was arrested. Brown stood ready to defend him, with an 
argument not now alwaj's attainable by the legal profession — he could, at a mo- 
ment's notice, prove an alibi. Thus matters went on, until it became apparent to 
the honest portion of the community that the crisis had arrived. 

As an instance of the boldness which they evinced, now the band had become 
80 powerful, we give an incident of the stealing of a plow from a steamboat. In 
the spring of 1839, a steamboat landed at Bellevue to wood ; the boat was crowded 
with passengers, and the hurricane deck covered with plows, it being a pleasant 
day, the citizens, old and young, according to custom, had sallied forth to the river 
side, as the landing of a steamboat was then by no means a daily occurrence. The 
writer of this, standing near Brown, heard him remark to a man, named Hapgood, 
and in the presence of numerous citizens, "that, as he (H.) had long wanted to 
join Brown s party, if he would steal one of those plows, and thus prove his qual- 
ifications, he should be admitted to fuJl fellowship." Hapgood agreed to make the 
trial, and thereupon, to our surprise, as we had supposed the conversation to be 
merely in jest, he went upon the hurricane deck, and in the presence of the cap- 
tain, passengers, and citizens on shore, shouldered a plow and marched off the 
boat and up the levee. When on the boat, Hapgood conversed with the captain 
for a few minutes, and the captain pointed out to him which plow to take. In a 
few moments the boat was gone, and Hapgood boasted of the theft. It was sup- 
posed that he had bought the plow and paid the captain for it, but the next day, 
when the boat returned, there was great and anxious inquiry, by the captain, " for 
the man that took that plow," but he had disappeared, and remained out of sight 
until the boat was gone. About the same time another bold robbery occurred 
near Bellevue, the incidents of which so well illustrate the character of these 
ruffians, that we can not forbear recounting them. 

One Collins, a farmer, living about eight miles from town, came in one day and 
sold Brown a yoke of cattle for $80. Being a poor judge of money, and knowing 
Brown's character well, he refused to take anything in payment but specie. On 
his return home that evening, he placed his money in his chest. About midnight 
his house was broken open by two men, upon which he sprang from his bed, but 
was immediately knocked down. His wife coming to his rescue was also knocked 
down, and both were threatened with instant death if any more disturbance was 
made. The robbers then possessed themselves of Collins' money and watch and 
departed. In the morning he made complaint before a justice of the peace, ac- 
cusing two men in the employment of Brown with the crime. They were arrested 
and examined. On the trial, Collins and his wife swore positively to the men, and 
also identified a watch found with them as the one taken. Jn their possession was 
found $80 in gold, the exact amount stolen. A farmer living near Collins, testified 
that about 11 o'clock, on the night of the robbery, the accused stopped at his 
house and inquired the way to Collins'. Here the prosecution closed their evidence, 
and the defense called three witnesses to the stand, among whom was Fox, nfter- 
ward noted as the murderer of Col. Davenport, all of whom swore positively that, 
on the night of the i-obbery, they and the accused played cards from dark till day- 
light, in Brown's house, eight miles from the scene of the robbery! In the face 
of the overwhelming testimony adduced by the state, the defendants were dis- 
charged I 

Another laughable instance, displaying the shrewdness and villainy of these fel- 
lows, occurred early in the spring of 1838. Godfrey (one of the robbers of Col- 
lins) came into town with a fine span of matched horses, with halter ropes around 



IOWA. 



389 



their necks. From the known character of their possessor, the sheriflF thouffht best 
to take the horses into his custody. Brown's gang remonstrated against Uie pro- 
ceedings, but to no eflect. Subsequently a writ of replevin was procured, and the 
horses demanded — the sheriff refused to give them up. A general row ensued. 
The citizens, being the stronger party at that time, sustained the sheriff, and he 
maintained the dignity of his office. Handbills, describing the horses accurately, 
were then sent around the count}^ A few days afterward, a stranger appeared in 
town, anxiously inquiring for the sheriff, and upon meeting him, he announced his 
business to be the recovery of a fine span of horses, which had been stolen from 
him a short time before, and then so accurately described those detained by the 
sheriff, that the latter informed him that he then had them in his stable. Upon 
examining them, the man was gratified to find that they were his; turning to the 
crowd, he oflered $25 to any one who would produce Godfrey, remarking that, if he 
met him, he would wreak his vengeance upon him in a summary manner, without 
the intervention of a jury. Godfrey was not, however, to be found, and the horses 
were delivered to the stranger. 

Imagine the consternation of the sheriff, when, two days later, the true owner 
of the horses appeared in search of them! The other was an accomplice of God- 
frey, and they had taken that method of securing their booty. Similar incidents 
could be detailed to fill pages, for they wore of continual occurrence. 

On the 20th of March, 184-0, the citizens of Bellevue, not implicated in the 
plans of the horse-thieves and counterfeiters, held a meeting to consider the 
wrongs of the community. But one opinion was adv^anced, that the dejiredators 
must leave the place or summary venj;eance would be inflicted upon them all. It 
was resolved that a warrant should be procured for the arrest of the whole gang, 
froiu .Justice Watkins — father of our present sheriff — and, upon a certain day, the 
sheriff, accompanied by all the honest citizens as a posse, should proceed to serve 
the same. The warrant was issued upon the affidavit of Anson Harrington, Esq., 
one of our most respectable citizens, charging about half the inhabitants of the 
town — Bnjwn's men^ with the commission of crimos, 

A posse of 80 men was selected by the sheriff from among the best citizens of 
the county, who met in Bellevue on the first day of April, 1840, at 10 o'clock, A.M. 
Brown, in the mean time, had got wind of the proceedings, and had rallied a party 
of 23 men, whose names were on the warrant, and proceeded to fortify the Bellevue 
Hotel, and prepare for a vigorous defense. On the-sheriffs arriving in Bellevue 
with his party, he found a red flag streaming from the hotel, and a portion of 
Brown's men marching to and fro in front of their fort, armed with rifles, present- 
ing a forinidaljle appearance. 

A meeting of the citizens was then convened to consult upon the best method 
of securing the ends of justice, of which Major Thos. S. Parks was chairman. It 
was resolved that the sheriff should go to Brown's fort, with two men, and demand 
their surrender, reading his warrant, and assuring them that they should be pro- 
tected in their persons and property. It was also resolved, if they did not surren- 
der, to storm the house, and that Col. Thos. Cox, then a representative in the Iowa 
legislature, should assist the sheriff in the command of the party selected for this 
purpose. 

The sheriff then went to the hotel, accompanied by Messrs. Watkins and Ma- 
goon. When near the house, they were suddenly surrounded by Brown and a 
party of his men, all fully armed. They captured ihe sheriff, and ordered Watkins 
and Magoon to return and inform the citizens, that at the first attempt to storm 
the house, they would shoot the sheriff. Being conducted into the house, the sheriff 
read his warrant and informed them of the proceedings of the meeting. Just then 
it was discovered that Col. Cox, with a party of citizens, was rapidly advancing 
on the hotel. Upon the sheriff's promise to stop them and then return, he was re- 
leased by Brown. He met the party, and accosting Cox, requested him to delay 
the attack one hour, and if he (the sheriff) did not return by that time, for tljem 
to come on and take the house. 

Cox was determined the Sheriff should not return, saying that he should not 
keep his word with such a band of ruffians. Better counsels, however, prevailed, 
and the sheriff went back. On his return he found that Brown's men had been 



390 ^c)^A. 

drinking freely to keep up their courage. After some parleying, Brown deter- 
mined nt t to surrender, commanding tlie sheriff to return to his men and tell them 
to come ( n, and if they succeeded in carrying the hotel, it should only be over their 
dead bodies. 

The sheriff returned and disclosed the result of his interview. !Mr.s. Brown, in 
the mean time, and a fellow called I5uckskin, paraded the streets with a red flag. 
The citizens were then addressed by Cox and AVatkins, and it was finally deter- 
mined that a body of forty men should be selected to make the attack, upon wliich 
the posse started and charged upon the house at a full run. As our men entered 
the porch, the garrison commenced firing, but we being so near they generally over- 
shot their mark. At the first fire one of our best men. Mr. Palmer, was killed, and 
another, iMr. Vaughn, badly wounded. Brovi-n opened the door and put out iiis 
gun to shoot, when he was immediately shot down by one of our men. The ))attle 
then became desperate and hand to hand. After considerable hard fighting, the 
" balance " of the gang commenced their retreat through the back door of the 
house. They were surrounded and all captured but three. The result of the 
fight was, on the part of the counterfeiters the loss of five killed and two badly 
wounded; on the part of the citizens, four killed and eleven wounded. 

The excitement after the fight was intense. Many of the citizens were in Aivor 
of putting all the prisoners to death. Other counsels, however, prevailed, and a 
citizens' court was organized to tr}' them. 

During the fight, Capt. Harris anchored his lioat in the middle of the river, and 
remained there until the result was known, when the passengers ascended to the 
upper deck and gave three hearty cheers. Doctors Finley, of Dubuque, and Crosa- 
raan, of (Jalena, were sent for, and were soon in attendance on the wounded of 
both parties. 

Much joy was manifested by the citizens at the breaking uj) of one of the most 
desperate gangs of housebreakers, murderers and c(mnterreiters, that ever infested 
the western country. The next morning a vote of the citizens was taken as to the 
disposal of the prisoners. 

As the district court was not to meet for three months, and there being no jail 
in the county, and in fact none in the territory that was safe, and surrounded as 
•we were on all sides, by oflshoots of the same band, who could muster 200 m^Ti In 
a day's time to rescue them, it was deemed the merest folly to attempt to detain 
them as prisoners, and it was rescdved to execute summary justice npon them. 
The question was then put, whether to hang or whip them. A cup of red and 
white beans was first passed around, to be used as ballots, the red for hanging, and 
the white for whipping. 

A breathless silence was maintained during the vote. In a few moments the 
result was announced. Jt stood furti/ two white and thirty eight red beans. 'J'he 
resolution to whip them was then unanimously adopted. Fox, afterward the mur- 
■Jerer of Davenport, and several others nnide full confessions of many crimes, in 
ivhich they had been engaged. 'J'he Avliole crowd of prisoners was then taken 
f)Ut and received from twenty-five to seventy five lashes apiece, upon their bare 
backs, according to their deserts. They were then put into boats and set adrift in 
the river, without oars, and under the assurance that a return would insure a 
speedy death. 

Animated by the example of Bellevue, the citizens of Rock River, III., Linn, 
Johnson, and other counties, in Iowa, arose en masse, and expelled the gangs of 
robbers from their midst, with much bloodshed. 

Thus ended the struggle for supremacy between vice and virtue in Bellevue, 
Avhich, from this day forth, has been as noted, in the Mississippi valle}', for the 
morality of its citizens, as it was once rendered infixmous by their crimes. 



Burlington, a flourishing comniereia] city, the seat of justice for Pes 
Moines county, is on the western side of the Mississippi, 45 miles above 
Keokuk, 248 above St. Louis, and 1,429 above New Orleans. The city was 
organized under a charter from the Territory of Wisconsin, in 1838. It is 



IOWA. 



391 



regularly laid out and beautifully situated. Part of the city is built on the 
liigh grounds or bluffs, rising in some places about 200 feet above the 
river, affording a beautiful and commanding view of the surroundino' coun- 
try: with the river, and its woody islands, stretching far away to the 




Soiitli-eastern view of Burlington. 

The view shows the aiipeariince of the city, as spcn from near the South Bhiff : the eastern teniiiiins of 
the Tiurliiigton and Missouri Railroad, the (Juiirt House, auit other public building-!, on the elevated ground 
in the distance, appear in the central part ; the North Bluff and Steamboat Lauding on the right 

north and south. It has a variety of mechanical and manufacturing estab- 
lishments. The pork packing business is carried on extensively. It is the 
Beat of the Burlington University, and contains 12 churches, in 1860, 6,706. 
inhabitants. 

The country for sixty miles around Burlington, sometimes called the "frar- 
den of Iowa," is very fertile. Near the city are immense quantities of gray 
limestone rock, suitable for building purposes. 

The first white person who located himself in Burlington, appears to have 
been Samuel S. White, a native of Ohio, who built a cabin here, in 18;]2, 
close to the river at the foot of the upper bluff. The United States, accord- 
ing to the treaty with the Indians, not being then entitled to the lands west 
of the Mississippi, the dragoons from Fort Armstrong came down, burnt 
White out, and drove him over to the Illinois side of the river. He re- 
mained on Honey Creek till the 1st of the next June, when, the Indian title 
being extinguished, he returned and rebuilt his cabin near its former site. 

Mr. White was soon afterward joined by Amzi Doolittle, and in 1834, they 
laid out the first part of the town on the public lands. The survey of White 
and Doolittle was made by Benjamin Tucker and Dr. Wra. R. Ross. Their 
bounds extended down to Hawkeye Creek. White and Doolittle afterward 
sold out all their lands and removed. The first addition to this tract was 
made by Judge David Rorer, a native of Virginia, in April, 1836, who had 
emigrated the month previous. In July of this year, he built the first brick 
building ever erected in Iowa. Judge R. laid the first brick with his own 
hands. This building stood on what is now lot 438, the next corner north 



392 



IOWA. 



of Marion TTall. This dwelling was taken down by Col. Warron, in 1S54 or 
'55. The first location made outside the town, was by a settler named To- 
thero, whose cabin was about three miles from the river; this was previous 
to June, 1833. He was consequently driven off by the drag jons, and his 
cabin destroyed. 

The town was named by John Gray, a native of Burlington, Vermont, and 

brother-in-law to White, the first set- 
tler. The Flint Hills were called by 
the Indians SJiokokon, a word in their 
language signifying " flint hills ; " thcso 
blufis are generally about 150 feet 
above the river. Burlington became 
the county seat of Des 3Ioines in 
1834, under the jurisdiction of Michi-^ 
gan. In 1836 it was made the seat of 
government of Wisconsin Territory, 
and in the fall of 1837, the legislature 
of that territory first met at Burling- 
ton. When Iowa Territory was formed 
in 1838, Burlington been me the seat 
of government. The building in which 
the legislative assembly first met stood 
on the river bank, just north of Colum- 
bia-street. It was burnt down ?oon 
afterward. At the first court he.d in 
Burlington, thi-ee divorces were granted, one conviction for assault and bat- , 
tery, and one fine for contempt of court. The record does not show the 
grounds of contempt, but from other sources we learn il was a rencounter in 
open court, in which the tables of the judges, being dry goods boxes and 
barrels with planks laid across, were overturned. The hero of the occasion 
was afterward taken prisoner in the Santa Fe expedition from Texas. 

Dr. Boss and Maj. Jeremiah Smith, who came to Burlington in 1833, were 
the first merchants. The first church (the Methodist Old Zion) was erected 
the same year, and is believed to have been the first house of worship erected 
in Iowa. In this venerable structure, which is still standing, the legislative 
body have met and courts have been held. The "Iowa Territorial Gazette," 
the first newspaper, was issued in the summer of 1837, by James Clarke, 
from Pennsylvania, who was subsequently governor of the territory. The 
second paper was the "Iowa Patriot," afterward the "Hawkoye," by James 
Cr. Edwards, of Boston. The Iowa Historical and Geological Society/ was or- 
ganized in 1843, and is the oldest literary society in the state. 




Judge Rorer's House. 
The first brick buililiiig erected in Iowa. 



The following inscriptions are from monuments in the Aspen Grove Cem- 
etery, at the N.W. border of the city: 

Here lie the mortal remains of Jas. Clarke, founder of the first Newspaper in Burling- 
ton. Moiuber of the first Constitutional Convention, Secretary and Governor of the Territo- 
ry of Iowa. Born July 5, 1812 ; died July 28, 1850 



My Husband and our Father, Abner Leonard, minister of the Gospel, born Dec. 1.3,1787, 
in Washington Co., Pa.; died Oct. 30, 1856. 

Now with my Savior, Brother, Friend, 
A blest Eternity I'll spend, 
Triumphant in his grace. 



IOWA. 



393 



In memory of Rkv. Horace Hutchinson, late Pastor of the Congrcffational Church of 
Burlington. He was born at Sutton, Mass., Aug. 10, 1317. Graduated at Amherst Colh-o 
18;/J, and at Aadover Theological Seminary iu 1843. He died March 1 1846 



Sacred to the memory of Rev. Samuel Payne, Missionary, native of New Jersey who 
departed this life, Jan. 8, 1845, aged 38 years, 6 mo. and 17 days. Blessed are the 'dead 
which die in the Lord from henceforth : yea saith the spirit, that they may rest from their 
labors ; and their works do follow them. Rev. xiv, 13. 



T ^° I'^To^T °^--^f I; Thomas Schultz, German Missionary of the Methodist Church ; born 
July 11, 1821 ; died March 18, 1848. *christus ist main Leben und sterben ist mein Gewin. 

In memory of Rev. William Hemminghaus, German Missionary of the M.E. Church • 
born Jan. 26, 1808; died Jan. 24, 1848. i i.u» ivi.ji. v^nurcn , 

Wo ich bin da soil mein, diener auch sein. 
Where I am, there shall be my servant. Jan. 12, 1826. 




East view of Keokulc. 

The view shows the appearance of Keokuk, as seen from the highta above the Ferry landin", on the 
lUmois sKle of the Mississippi. The Keokuk, Fort Des Moines and Minnesota Railroad is ou the extreme 
leit ; the Keokuk, Mount Pleasant and Muscatine Railroad on the right. 

Keokuk, and semi-capital of Lee county, is a short distance above 
the confluence of the Des Moines with the Mississippi, on the west side of 
the Mississippi, 200 miles above St. Louis, 1,400 above New Orleans, and 
about 150 from Des Moines, the capital. It is at the S.E. corner of the 
state, at the foot of the "Lower Kapids," and being the only city of loAva 
having uninterrupted communication with all the great tributaries of the 
"Father of Waters," it has not inaptly been called the ''Gate City'' of Iowa. 
The site of Keokuk is remarkably fine. It covers the top and slopes of a 
large bluff, partially around which the Mississippi bends with a graceful 
curve, commanding a fine prospect to the south and north. The city stands 



394 i*^^^'^- 

upon an inexliaustible quarry of limestone rock, forminjr ample material fur 
buildings. A portion of the great water power at this point is used in 
various manufactories, flouring mills, founderies, etc. The Mississippi, up- 
ward from this place, flows over a rocky bed of limestone, called the Rapids, 
12 miles in extent, falling, in that distance, 24^ feet, making it difficult for 
the larger class of steamboats to pass. The city contains several splendid 
public buildings, the medical department of the State University, hospital, 
bomc eight or nine churches, and about 13,000 inhabitants. 

The plat of the village of Keokuk was laid out in the spring of 1837, and 
in the ensuing June a public sale of town lots was held, and attended by a 
very lar^e crowd. One boat was chartered in St. Louis, and numbers came 
up "on other boats. Only two or three lots, the south-west corner of Main- 
street and the levee, and one or two others lying contiguous, were sold. The 
corner lot went for 81,500, and a New York company still hold the deed of 
trust on it to secure the payment. 

In 18-40, the main portion of Keokuk was a dense forest, and where Main- 
street now is, were thick timber and underbrush. It was so swampy and 
rough between Third and Fourth-streets, as to be rather dangerous riding 
on horseback after a heavy rain. About a dozen cabins comprised ail the 
improvements. In the spring of 1847, a census of the place gave a popula- 
tion of 620. Owing to the unsettled state of the titles, but little progress 
was made till 1849. From that time until the autumn of 1857 it had a 
rapid growth. 

Keokuk derived its name from Keokuk (jlie Watcliful Fox), a chieftain 
of the Sac tribe, distinguished for his friendship to the Americans during 
the Black Hawk war. He often lost his popularity with his tribe by his 
efforts to keep them at peace with the United States, and nothing but his 
pow^erful eloquence and tact sustained him. He was once deposed by his 
tribe, and a young chief elected in his place. He, however, soon attained 
his former position. Keokuk was born about the year 1780. He was not 
a hereditary chief, but raised himself to that dignity by the force of talent 
and enterprise. He was a man of extraordinary eloquence; fertile in re- 
sources on the field of battle; possessed of desperate bravery; and never at 
a loss in any emergency. He had six wives, was fond of display, and on his 
visits of state to other tribes, moved, it is supposed, in more savage mag- 
nificence than any ether chief on the continent. He was a noble looking 
man, about five feet ten inches in bight, portly, and over 200 pounds in 
weight. He had an eagle eye, a dignified bearing, and a manly, intelligent 
expression of countenance, and always painted and dressed in the Indian 
costume. He supplanted Black Hawk as chieftain of the Sacs and Foxes. 
He died in Missouri a few years since, and was succeeded in the chieftain- 
ship by his son. 

The Des Moines River,- which terminates at Keokuk, is one of the noblest 
of streams. Keokuk is the principal port of its valley, in which half the 
population and agricultural wealth of the state are concentrated. On the 
banks of the Des Moines stood the village of the celebrated chief Black 
Jluick, who there breathed his last, Oct. 3, 18-40. He was buried near the 
banks of the river, in a sitting posture, as is customary with his tribe. His 
hands grasped his cane, and his body was surrounded by stakes, which united 
at the top. 

Iowa is noted for the extent and magnificence of her prairies. These are 
of great advantage to tlie rapid and easy settlement of a country. When, 



IOWA. 



395 



however, too extensive, without a sufficiency of timber, a prairie country has 
some serious drawbacks. Fortunately, in Iowa, the immense beds of coal 
-partly supply the deficiency in fuel, and the prairie country there is remark- 
ably healthy. It is generally rolling, often even hilly, the streams mostly 





Prairie Scenei-y. 

fresh running water, with sandy or gravelly beds, which condition prevents 
the origin of miasma, the great scourge of flat, prairie districts, where slug- 
gish stream.s, winding their snaky shaped course through rich alluvial soifs, 
generate disease and death from their stagnant waters, green and odious with 
the slime of a decaying vegetation. The prairie farms of Iowa, large, smooth 
and unbroken by stump or other obstrpction, afiFord an excellent field for the 
introduction of mowing machines and other improved implements of agri- 
culture. ^ '^ 

The wonderful fertility of the prairies is accounted for by the fact that we have 
a soil "which for thousands of years has been bearing annual crops of erass, the 
aghcs or decayed stems of which have been all that time adding to the ori'o-inal far- 



396 



IOWA. 



tility of the soil. So lone back as -we liave any knowledge of the country, it had 
heon the custom of the Indians to set fire to the prairie ^rass in autumn, after frost 
set in, tiie (ire spreading with wonderful rapidity, covering vast distric^f of coun- 
try, and filling the atmosphere for weeks with smoke. In the course of ages a soil 
somewhat resembling an ash-heap must have been thus gradually created, and it 
is no wonder that it should be declared to be inexhaustible in fertility. In Europe 
such tracts of fertile country as the plain of Lombardy are known to have yielded 
crops for more than 2,000 years without intermission, and yet no one says that the 
soil is exhausted. Here we have a tract naturally as rich, and with the addition 
of its own crops rotting upon its surface, and adding to its stores of fertilitv all 
that time. It need occasion no surprise therefore, to be told of twenty or thirty 
crops of Indian corn being taken in succession from the same land, without ma- 
nure, every crop, good or better, according to the nature of the season." 

A distinixuished English chemist analyzed some of the prairie soils of the west. 
'•His analysis, which was of the most scrutinizing character, bears out completely 
the high character for fertility which practice and experience had already proved 
these soils to possess. The most noticeable feature in the analysis is the very large 
quantity of nitrogen which each of the soils contains, nearly twice as much as the 
most fertile soils of Britain. In each case, taking the soil at an average depth of 
ten inches, an acre of these prairies will contain upward of three tuns of nitrogen, 
and as a heavy crop of wheat with its straw contains about fift^'-two pounds of ni- 
trogen, there is thus a natural store of ammonia in this soil sufficient for more 
than a hundred wheat crops. In Dr. Voelcker's words, ' It is this large amount of 
nitrogen, and the beautiful state of division, that impart a peculiar character to 
these" soils, and distinguish them so favorably. They are soils upon which I 
imaLMue fiax could be grown in perfection, supposing the climate to be otherwise 
favorable. I have never before analyzed soils wliich contained so much nitrogen, 
nor do I find any record of soils richer in nitrogen than these.' " 

"The novelty of the prairie country is striking, and never fails to cause an ex- 
clamation of surprise from those who have lived amid the forests of Ohio and 
Kentucky, or along the wooded shores of the Atlantic, or in sight of the rocky bar- 
riers of the Allegheny ridge. The extent of the prospect is exhilarating. The 
outline of the landscape is undulating and graceful. The verdure and the flowers 
are beautiful; and the absence of shade, and consequent appearance of a profu- 
sion of light, produces a irayety which animates every beholder. 

These plains, although preserving a general level in respect to the whole coun- 
try, are yet, in themselves, not flat^lmt exhibit a gracefully waving surface, swell- 
inc- and sinkiuic with easy, graceful slopes, and full, rounded outlines, equally avoid- 
ing the unmeaning horizontal surface, and the interruption of abrupt or angular 
elevations. 

The attraction of the prairie consists in its extent, its carpet of verdure and 
flowers, its undulating surface, its groves, and the fringe of timber by which it is 
surrounded. Of all these, the latter is the most expressive feature. It is that 
which gives character to the landscape, which imparts the shape, and marks the 
boiindal-y of the plain. If the prairie be small, its greatest beauty consists in the 
vicinity of the surrounding margin of woodland, which resembles the shore of a 
lake indented with deep vistas, like bays and inlets, and throwing out long points, 
like capes and headlands. 

In the spring of the year, when the young grass has just covered the ground 
with a carpet of delicate green, and especially if the sun is rising from behind a 
distant swell of the plain and glittering upon the dewdrops, no scene can be more 
lovely to the eye. The groves', or clusters of timber, are particularly attractive at 
this season of' the year. The rich undergrowth is in full bloom. The rosewood, 
dogwood, cral)-apple, wild plum, the cherry, and the wild rose are all abundant, and 
in niany portions of the state the grape-vine abounds. The variety of wild fruit 
and flowering shrubs is so great, and such the profusion of the blossoms with which 
they are bovved down, that the eye is regaled almost to satiety. 

The gayety of the prairie, its embellishments, and the absence of the gloom and 
savairc wildriess of the forest, all contribute to dispel the feeling of loneliness which 
usually creeps over the mind of the solitary traveler in the wilderness. Though 



IOWA. 397 

he may not see a house or a human being, and is conscious that he is far from the 
habitations of men, the traveler upon the prairie can scarcely divest himself of the 
idea that he is traveling through scenes embellished by the hand of art. The 
flovrers, so fragile, so delicate, and so ornamental, seem to have been tastefully dis- 
posed to adorn the scene. 

In the summer, the prairie is covered with long, coarse grass, which soon assumes 
a golden hue, and waves in the wind like a fully ripe harvest. The prairie-grass 
never attains its highest growth in the richest soil; out in low, wet, or marshy land, 
where the substratum of clay lies near the surface, the center or main stem of the 
grass — that which bears the seed — shoots up to the hight of eight and ten feet 
throwing out long, coarse'leaves or blades. But on the rich, undulating prairies, 
the grass is finer, with less of stalk and a greater profusion of leaves. The roots 
spread and interweave, forming a compact, even sod, and the blades expand into a 
close, thick grass, which is seldom more than eighteen inches high, until late in 
the season, when the seed-bearing stem shoots up. The first coat is mino-led with 
timall flowers — the violet, the bloom of the wild strawberry, and various others, of 
the most minute and delicate texture. As the grass increases in hight, theso 
Buialler flower.s disappear, and others, taller and more gaudy, display their brilliant 
colors upon the green surface; and still later, a larger and coarser succession arises 
with the rising tide of verdure. It is impossible to conceive a more infinite diversity, 
or a richer profusion of hues, 'from grave to gay,' than graces the beautiful carpet 
of green throughout the entire season of summer." 

"Tlie autumnal months, in Iowa, are almost invariably clear, warm, and d:-y. 
The immense mass of vegetation with whicli this fertile prairie soil loads itself 
•luring the summer is suddenly withered, and the whole earth is covered with com- 
bustible materials. This is especially true of those portions where grass grows 
from two to ten feet high, and is exposed to sun and wind, becoming thoroughly 
dried. A single spark of fire, falling upon the prairie at such a time, instantly 
kindles a blaze that spreads on e\cTy side, and continues its destructive course as 
long as it finds fuel. These tires sweep along with great power and rapidity, and 
frequently extend across a wide prairie and advance in a long line. No sight can 
be more sublime than a stream of fire, beheld at nigiit, several miles in breadth 
advancing across the plains, leaving behind it a background of dense black smoke, 
throwing before it a vivid glare, which lights up the whole landscape for miles 
with the brilliancy of noonda3^ The progress of the fire is so slow, and the heat 
so intense, that every combustible in its course is consumed. The roots of the 
prairie-grass, and several species of flowers, however, by some peculiar adaptation 
of nature, are spared." 

The winters on the prairie are often terrible. Exposed to the full sweep of the 
ley winds that come rushing down from the Rocky Mountains, without a .single 
obstruction, the unlucky traveler that is caught, unprotected by sufficient clothing, 
is in imminent danger of perishing before the icy blast. December and January 
of the winter of 1856-7, were unprecedentedly stormy and cold in western Iowa. 
A writer for one of the public prints, who passed that winter on the western fron- 
tier of this state, gives this vivid picture of the suflerings of the frontier settlers, 
his communication being dated at "Jefferson's Grove, fifty miles from a postoffice."' 

"Once the mercury has been 30 deg. below zero, twice 24 deg., several times 16 
deg., and more than seven eighths of the time at some point below zero. Only two 
days in the whole two months has it been above the freezing point. 

We have had four fierce snow storms, in which one could not see an object four 
rods distant, and I doubt if such storms can be excelled in fury in any of the hy- 
perborean regions. Everybody was compelled to keep within doors; cattle were 
driven before the driving snow until they found refuge in the groves; and most of 
the houses, within doors, were thoroughly sifted with snow. But I wjll relate a 
few instances of frontier hardships. 

Forty miles above here, at the very margin of the settlement, a family was caught 
by the first snow storm, almost without firewood and food. In the morning the 
husband made a fire, and leaving to seek for assistance from his nearest neieldiors, 
distant six miles, directed his family to make one more Jire, and then retire to bed, 
and there remain until ho returned ; they did so. After excessive hardships, ho 



398 



IOWA. 



returned on the second day, with some friends, and conveyed his Avife and little 
children, on hand-sleds through tlie deep snow, to their kind neighhors. 

Last Ruiimu'r five families ventured across a fifty mile prairie, uninhabited, of 
course, and commenced making farms on a small stream, very sparcely timbered, 
called Boyer River. The early frost nipped their late corn, and left them with- 
out food/ Seven of the .men of this little detached settlement, started in the 
Fall for Fort Des Moines, distant one hundred and fifty miles, to procure provis- 
ions and other necessaries. When on their return, fifty miles from Fort Des 
Moines, on the North Koon l?iver, they were overtaken by the severe snow storm 
that commenced on the first day of December and raged for forty eight hours. 
'I'liey then halted, constructed sleds, and started for their families, one hundred 
miles distant, across a trackless prairie. They suffered terribly, and one of them 
perished with the cold." 




Sfate Capitol, Des Moines. 

Drs Afouu'.i which became in 1855 the capital of Iowa, is at the head of 
steainjiioat navigation on Des Moines River, in the geographical center of the 
state, about 170 miles west of Davenport, and 140 eastward of Council Bluffs. 
The line of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad passes through the city, 
as also will several others in contemplation. The city is situated at the con- 
fluence of Raccoon River with the Des ^loines, the two streams uniting near 
the corporation limits. The scenery at this point is beautiful: a smooth val- 
ley, rising on all sides, by successive benches, back to the gently sloping 
hills, which finally attaiti a hight of about 200 feet. 

This spot was the council ground of the Indians. It was afterward the 
site of Fort Des Moines, selected by the officers of the U. S. army, on which 
barracks and defenses were erected. Most of the town is laid out with wide 
sticets. On the elevations are beautiiul building sites, commanding views 
of all the central town, of both rivers, and of the faces of most of the other 
hills, with' their residences. On the summit of one of the hills is the pres- 
ent state house, and the square set apart for the permanent capitol. ^ome 
6 or 7 churches are already erected, and 3 newspapers are printed. Popu- 
lation about 5,000. 



IOWA. 



399 



Muscatine, tLe county seat of Muscatine county, is situated 100 miles 
above Keokulv, and 32 below Davenport. Commencing at the Upper Rapids, 
the Mississippi runs in a westerly direction until it strikes a series of rocky 
bluiFs, by which its course is turned due south. At this bend, and on tlie 
summit of the bluffs, is situated the city of Muscatine, which is rogulaily 




>ifrr..r.T.T.EiKii?s 
'.% 'pi"r'|Tf^:j ' 






Western vieic of Muscatine. 

laid out, with fine, wide streets, having several elegant buildings. It is a 
shipping point for a very great amount of produce I'aised in the adjoining 
counties. When the various railroads are completed which are to run in 
various directions from this point, Muscatine will have added to her natural 
advantages fine facilities for communication with every part of the country. 
Muscatine was first settled by the whites in 183G, previous to which time 
it was an Indian trading post, known by the name of Manatlicha. After- 
ward it was called Bloomington. Population in 1860, 5,324. 

Council Bluffs City, the county seat of Pottawatomie county, is near the 
geographical center of the United States, on the east side of the Missouri 
River, about 1-40 miles westward of Des Moines, the capital of the state, 
nearly opposite Omaha City, the capital of Nebraska, about 300 miles above 
Leavenworth City, and 685 above St. Louis. It is built on a beautiful ex- 
tended plain. It has a number of fine stores, and many elegant private 
buildings. This is a flourishing place, and here a portion of the emigrants 
for the far west procure their oatfits. It was for a long time an important 
point in overland travel to California, being the last civilized settlement be- 
fore entering the Indian country. Four important railroads from the east 
are projected directly to this place, some of which are fast progressing to 
completion. The first one finished will be the Mississippi and Missouri, 
which, commencing at Davenport, already extends to beyond Iowa City. 
Population about 5,000. 

A gentleman, who was at Council BIuflFs in 1860, gives these valuable 
items upon the history of the town, and the condition and resources of the 
country: 

The growth of Council Bluffs has been rapid within the last six years, and it 
still retains, as it is likely to retain, the position of the most important city of 
western Iowa. This point was formerly known as Kanesville, and was for about 



400 



IOWA. 



three years — from 184G to 1849 — the residence of the ^rormon hosts ol Briirham 
Younji, in his celebrated march to the great Salt Lake valley. After the liormons 
^Yere driven from Nauvoo, they determined to build up a kingdom to themselves in 
the far west. They departed, but upon reaching the borders of the great jjlains 
they found they liad nt)t the number of cattle and horses, nor the provisions that 
were indispensable for so long and so distant a journey; so they selected a roman- 
tic and wooded valley, adjoining the great bottoms of the Missouri, I'or their tem- 
porary home. Timber av;\^ plenty, and with it they soon constructed log housca 
for fifteen thousand people. They inclosed several hundred acres of the rich and 
easily cultivated Missouri bottoms, and planted them with corn. Their cattle, fed 
on these fine pastures, increased in numbers rapidly. They raised large amounts 
of corn — for these fonatics are hard working, industrious men and women, in 
three years they found themselves so prosperous that they resumed their journey, 
and in due time found themselves at their destination in the '"Holy Valley" at the 
Great Salt Lake. 

As the Mormons left, other settlers came in. The name was changed to Council 
Bluffs. This cognomen had been given by Lewis and Clarke, a long time before, 
to a point on the Missouri, several miles above the present town. It had become 
a historical name, and it was wise in the new-comers to appropriate it to their use. 
So much for the early history of this place. The Mormon town was built in a very 
pleasant valley, that opens upon the great Missouri bottom from the north-east. It 
is four miles from the base of the hills, which are several hundred feet high, and 
very abrupt, to the river. The log houses left by the Mormons were used by the 
earlv settlers, and many of them are yet standing. 

But it soon became manifest that the business part of the future city must be on 
the great plain or bottom, and out of the bluffs. And so the result has shown. 
The best part of the city is on the plain, though the finest places for residences are 
en the delightful slopes and hillsides of the valleys, which now constitute the upper 
town. 

The view from the high bluffs back of the city is very commanding and beauti- 
ful. From the top of one of these hills one can see six rising cities in the far dis- 
tance — Omaha, Saratoga, Florence, Bellevue, St. Marys, and Pacific City. At the 
foot of these bluffs the Missouri bottom extends four miles to the west, to Omalux, 
and to the south and north as far as the eye can reach. The bottoms are from four 
to ten miles in width, and are mostly dry and most fertile lands. Strips of timber 
abound. The bluffs facing the bottom are generally naked, and very abrupt. Tho 
eastern man will again and again wonder how the earth can be made to remain in 
such fantastic and sharply pointed shapes for centuries, as he finds them here. 
Back of the first range of bluffs, the country is covered with timber for some miles, 
when the rolling and open prairie becomes the leading feature for hundreds of 
miles, and indeed across the state of Iowa to the Mississippi River. 

Council Bluffs claims a population of 5,000, but the usual deduction must be 
made. It has passed through the usual process of rapid ,and extended inflation, 
and consequent collapse and almost suspension of vitality. The paper part of the 
city embraces territory enough for a quarter of a million of people. The exten- 
sive and rich bottoms, instead of being cultivated as farms, are all staked off into 
city lots ; and in years past, large numbers of them were sold to speculators. So 
crazy did these people become, that one man bought a quarter section of this bot- 
tom land, two miles from the present town, and gave his notes for sixty tlioufiand 
dollars for the same. He collapsed, of course, as the crash of 1857 brouglit his 
air castle to the ground; and he can not now sell his land for twenty dollars per 
acre. Here is another large four story monument of folly in the shape of a brick 
hotel, some half a mile out from the present business part of the cit}'. A man by 
the name of Andrews had sold out shares in Florence for large sum.s. lie had 
realized about tliirty thousand dollars in hard cash. He became giddy, bought a 
tract adjoining Council Bluffs, laid it off into city lots; and, to show his faith and 
to sell his lots, he erected this large and costly hotel. But it was never completed. 
The crash also caught liim unprepared, and he went under, with thousands of 
others. His hotel is roofed, but not finished; and it looks the wreck it is, of th? 
*ast inflation which culminated and exploded three years ago. 



IOWA. 



401 



Still there are many evidences of substnntial prosperity in Council Bluffs. Sev- 
eral brick blocks of stores would do credit to older towns, and they are well filled 
with stocks of ,i;;oods, and held by substantial, intelligent Inisiness men. The bus- 
iness portion is mainly on the plain, atid is extending from the base of the bluffs 
toward the river. The present steamboat landing is about four miles from the 
town, and directly south of it. Council Bluffs has the Kanesville land olBce, 
where a large portion of the lands of western Iowa has been sold. 



Iowa City, the first capital of the state of Iowa, is on the left bank of 
Iowa Kiver, in Johnson county, 55 miles from Davenport, by the 3Iississippi 

and Missouri Railroad, 
in the midst of one of 
the most beautiful and 
thriving of ao-rieultural 
regions. Population 
in 1860, 5,214. 

Annexed we present 
a sketch from a corres- 
pondent, giving a his- 
tory of the city and of 
the University situated 
in it, which gives pro- 
mi.'^e of great useful- 
ness to the future of 
Iowa : 

In 1S3S, Congress pass- 
ed an act to divide the 
'I'erritory of Wisconsin, 
and form the Territory 
of Iowa out of that part 
which lay to the west of 
the iMij^sissippi Kiver. 
The governor of the nevr 
territory under the or- 
ganic act, (jxcd the seat 
of government at Bur- 
lington. On the 21st of 
January following, the 
territorial legislature ap- 
pointed commissioners to 
locate the seat of government and superintend the erection of public buildings. 
These commissioners selected the site now occupied by Iowa City, on the east bank 
of the Iowa Kiver, about 50 miles west of the Mississippi Kiver. Congress had 
appropriated $20,000 for the erection of the capitol, and subsequently granted the 
section of land on which the capitol was to be erected. The corner stone of the 
building was laid on the 4th of July, 1839. The proceeds of the sale of l(5ts on 
the section granted by congress, defrayed the main pnrt of the expense of the 
erection. The ilrst session of the legislature was held in Iowa City, in December, 
1S41, in a temporary building the capitol not being yet finished. The building Avas 
tirst occupied by the legislature in 1S44. 

'ilie location of the capital soon collected a considerable population in Iowa 
City. When the city was first laid out, there was but one log cabin on the ground. 
Kt the end of a single year, the number of inhabitants was seven hundred, and it 
continued steadily to increase. In 1852, the population was 3,500. The opening 
of the Mississippi and Mi.ssouri llailroad, from Davenport as far as Iowa City, in 
ISoi, and the rush of emigration into the stale, gave a new impetus to the city. 

26 




State University, Iowa City. 
TIk- large building on the right was originally the first Stiite Capitol. 



402 



IOWA. 



In LSo7 the population had increased to 8,000, and all kinds of business were ex- 
ceedinirly active and profitable. Hut the monetary crisis of 1857 put a stop to its 
prosperity, and since that time has diminished rather than increased, and in 1860 
was only about 7,000. In 1856, the capital was removed from lovra City to Dcs 
Moines, and permanently fixed there by the new constitution of the state, adopted 
in January, I860. 

AVlien the seat of government was removed to Des Moines, the state house in 
Iowa City was given by the legislature to the State University, together with the 
10 atres of land on Avhich it stands. The State University has for its foundation 
72 sections of land, granted by congress for the endowment of a university. la 
1847, the state legislature passed a law organizing the University, and appointing 
trustees to manage its concerns, put the institution did not go into operation till 
1855. At that time a chancellor and several professors were appointed, and the 
University was opened in a building hired by the trustees for that purpose. The 
year following a part of the state house was occupied by the preparatory depart- 
ment, and as lecture rooms for the professors. The building, however, was in a 
bad condition, and required fitting up in order to suit the purposes of an institu- 
tion of learning. The city was full of people, and accommodations for students 
could not be easily procured, and in 1857, the pecuniary embarrassments of the 
country preventing the collection of the interest on the funds, the trustees saw fit 
to close the University for a time — this took place in the summer of 1858. By the 
new constitution of the state, adopted in 1857, a board of education was created, 
whose duty it was to take the entire charge of the educational institutions of the 
state. This board at their first meeting, in December, 1858, passed a law reorgan- 
izin<T the University, appointing a new board of trustees, with the understanding 
that^the institution should be reopened as early as practicable. In October, 1859, 
they appointed the Rev. Silas Totten, D.D.,L.L.D., president of the University, and 
in June following, proceeded to fill the professorships of mathematics, languages, 
philosophy and chemistry, and natural history. On the 19th of October, the Uni- 
versity was reopened under the new organization. 

In the session of 1858, the legislature granted $13,000 to the University, for re- 
pairs on the state house, and for the erection of another building for the residence 
of students. A new roof was put upon the state house, and the other building be- 
gun and the exterior completed. 

A further grant of $10,000 was made in 1860, $5,000 to be expended on the old 
buildinc and in the purchase of philosophical and chemical apparatus, and the 
remainder upon the new building. The repairs and alterations of the state house 
have been completed, and it is now both an elegant and commodious building for 
the purposes of a university. It is built of cream colored limestone, and is 120 
feet lonf by 60 broad, and two stories high, with a basement. The walls are of 
massive cut stone, and the rooms are spacious and lofty. The original cost of the 
buildinf was $160,000. It contains the chapel, library, cabinet, five lecture rooms, 
a rooiji occupied by the State Historical Society, and a spacious entrance hiill, sur- 
mounted by a dome. The other building is of pressed brick, 105 feet by 45, three 
stories high, and when finished will accommodate about 100 students. The build- 
ini's are situated on a ridge of land, the highest in the city, in the middle of a 
pa'rk of ten acres, which contains many fine old oak trees in a very flourishing con- 
dition. The site is beautiful, overlooking the valley of the Iowa River on the west 
and the city on the east, while from the top of the dome may be seen a vast ex- 
tent of rolling country, prairie and woodland, spread out on every side. 

The University has now all the requisites for a first class institution of learning. 
It has a choice library of 1,500 volumes, quite an extensive mineralogical cabinet, 
and a very complete philosophical and chemical apparatus. Provision has been 
made for the increase of the library and cabinet. 



Fort Dodge, the county seat of "Webster county, is beautifully situated on 
a platform of prairie land, on the east side of Des Moines River, on the line 
of the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad. Building was commenced here in 



IOWA. 



403 



the fall of 1855. Several fine brick buildings and business-houses have been 
erected. Bituminous coal and iron ore, of a superior quality, are found in 
great abundance in the immediate vicinity. 

Sioux City, Woodbury county, a new settlement at the confluence of the 
Big Sioux River, about 230 miles above Council Bluflfs, is well situated on 
a high bank, and is the last place of importance on the Missouri. 

Fort Madison, the county seat of Lee county, is a flourishing town. It 
contains the state-prison, and 4000 inhabitants. A fortification was built 
here in 1808, as a defense against the Indians, who obliged the garrison to 
abandon it. In the war of 1812, the fort was twice attacked by the Indians. 
In November, 1813, it was evacuated and the buildings burnt, as the con- 
tractor failed to furnish the garrison with provisions. 

Grinnell is in Powesheik county, 115 miles from Davenport, by the Mis- 
sissippi and Missouri Railroad, is a fine town, and noted as the seat of Iowa 
College. 

There are in the state many small, city-like towns, as : Xeosanqua, in Van 
Buren co.; Lyons, in Clinton ; Cedar Rapids, in Linn ; Oskaloosa, in Ma- 
haska ; Cedar Falls, in Black Hawk, and Mount Pleasant^ in Henry. At 
tl.e last named is the State Insane Asylum and the Wesleyan University 
and about 6000 inhabitants. 

MISCELLANIES. 



UNITED STATES LAND SYSTEM. 

All the lands belonging to the United States, within the new states and territories, 
are surveyed and sol(i under one general sy.stem, which, from its simplicity, has 
been of incalculable benefit in the settlement of the west. This admirable syistem of 
surveys of lands by toivns hips and ranges, was first adopted by Oliver Phelps, an ex- 
tensive landholder in Genesee county, N.Y., who opened aland office at Canandaigua, 
in 1789. His was the model which was adopted for surveying all the new lands in 
the United States. Col. Jared Mansfield, appointed surveyor general of the United 
States for the North-western Territory, by Jefferson, in 1802, applied the system 
the government lands, and crreatly improved it In brief it is this: 

^Meridian lines are established and surveyed in a line due north from some 

given point — generally from some important 
water-course. These are intersected at right 
angles with a hase line. On the meridians, 
the "townships" are numbered north and 
south from the hase lines; and, on the hase 
lines, "ranges" east or west of the meridian. 
Township lines are then run, at a distance of 
six miles, parallel to the meridian and base 
lines. Each township contains an area of 36 
square miles; each square mile is termed a 
section, and contains 640 acres. The sections 
are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the 
north-east corner of the township, as the an- 
nexed diagram illustrates. 

When surveyed, the lands are ofiered for 
sale at public auction, but can not be disposed of at a less price than one dollar 
and twenty-five cents per acre. That portion not sold at public auction is subject to 
private entry at any time, for the above price, payable in cash at the time of entry. 



6 

7 

18 


5 

8 

17 


4 

9 

21 

28 


3 
10 

15 
22 

27 


2 


1 


11 
14 

23 
26 


12 

13 
24 
25 
36 


19 
30 
31 


20 

29 


32 


33 


34. 


35 



404 lOW^' 

Pre-emption rights give the improver or possessor the privilege of purchasing at 
the minimum price." 

By a -wise provision of the law of the United States, every 16th section in each 
township is appropriated for the support of public schools. This is one thirty 
sixth of all the public lands, and in a state of 36,000 square miles would give one 
thousand to this object. 

Previous to the adoption of this system of surveying the public-lands, great con- 
fusion existed for the want of a general, uniform plan, and in consequence titles 
often conflicted with each other, and, in many cases, several grants covered the 
same premises, leading very frequently to litigation most perplexing and almost 
interminable. Now, the precise boundaries of any pieceof land can be given in 
a very few lines ; and, in a moment, found on the maps in the government land 
offices, or, if the land has been sold to individuals, in the recorder's office in the 
county in which it may be situated, and where it is entered for taxation. The 
land itself can be easily found by the permanent corner posts at each corner of 
the sections. 




to abridge such descriptions, thus: "N.E. ^ S. 23, T. 26, 11. 4 W., in White Co., 
Ind., & cont'g 160 A." 



The state institutions and principal educational institutions of Iowa are 
located as follows : the State University, Iowa City, a-nd its Medical De- 
partment at Keokuk ; State Agricultural College, on a farm in Story 
county ; the Blind Asylum, in Vinton, Benton county ; Deaf and Dumb 
Asylum, Iowa City ; Insane Asylum, Mount Pleasant ; the Penitentiary, 
Fort Madison ; State Historical Society, Iowa City ; Iowa Orphan Asylum, 
Farmington, Van Buren county. Among educational institutions are : the 
Iowa College, at Grinnell ; Bishop Lee Female Seminary, at Dubuque; 
Cornell College, at Mount Vernon ; Upper Iowa University at Fayette ; 
Iowa Wesleyan University, at Mount Pleasant; and Indianola Male and 
Female Seminary, at Indianola. 



MISSOURI. 







Missouri was originally included in the limits of Louisiana, purchased 
of the French guvernment in 1803. The first Europeans who visited any 

part of its territory appear to have 
been Marquette and Joliet, the 
French missionaries from Canada, 
who sailed down the Mississippi in 
1G73. This river was more fully ex- 
plored by La Salle, in 1682, who de- 
clared all the region between the Il- 
linois country and the Gulf of Mex- 
ico to be an appendage of France. 
From this period, settlements began 
to be made in the valley of the Mis- 
sissippi, and the territory was pro- 
tected from Spanish invasion by a 
chain of fortifications, extending from 
the lakes to the gulf. Among these 
was Fort Orleans, built in 1719, near 
the mouth of the Osage, not far from 
the site of Jefferson City. 

The settlements in the Mississippi 
valley were made advancing from its 
northern and southern extremities into the interior. Missouri being in the 
central part, its progress was slow. Its lead mines were worked as early as 
1720. St. Genevieve, the oldest town, was founded in 1755; St. Louis in 
1764 : other settlements followed in quick succession. During the progress 
of the contest between France and Great Britain, many of the Canadian 
French emigrated by way of the lakes, and going southward, located them- 
selves in both Upper and Lower Louisiana. These emigrants gave the first 
important impulse to the colonization of Missouri. 

After the conquest of Canada, in 1763, the jurisdiction of the Mississippi 
passed from France to Great Britain and Spain, the Mississippi River being 
the dividing line between the possessions of the two latter powers. The 
whole population of Spanish Louisiana, north and south, at the time of the 
public transfer, in 1769, is stated to have been 18,840 persons, of whom 5,556 
were whites, and the remainder negroes. A river trade had sprung up be- 

405 



AUMS OF MiSSOUEI. 

Motto — ^hm popnli suprema lexe-ito — Let the prop- 
erty of the people, be the supreme law. 



406 MISSOURI. 

tween the northern and southern part of the province, and the exports at 
this period amounted to $250,000 annually. The laws of Spain were now 
extended over this part of Louisiana, and the character of the new govern- 
ment was conciliating. The highest tribunal in Upper Louisiana, which com- 
prised Missouri within its limits, was that of the lieutenant governor, the 
governor having jurisdiction in the lower province. The commandants of 
the various posts in the provinces held inferior tribunals. Lands were 
granted liberally to colonists, and great facilities were given to settlers. 
Many emigrants from Spain now came into the country. 

In 1763, Mr. Laclede, the head of a mercantile company, who had ob- 
tained a monopoly of the Indian and fur trade on the Mississippi and Mis- 
souri Rivers, left New Orleans on an expedition to form establishments, and 
open a commerce with the natives. Having left his stores at Fort Chartres, 
on the Kaskaskias, Laclede proceeded up the river to the bluff, where St. 
Louis now stands. Pleased with the situation, he determined to make it the 
central place of the company's operations. Laclede was accompanied by 
Auguste and Pierre Choteau, two young Creoles of New Orleans, of high 
respectability and intelligence. In 176-1, Auguste, the elder of the two 
brothers, commenced the first buildings in St. Louis. These brothers became 
at this place the heads of numerous families, whose name became a passport 
that commanded safety and hospitality among the Indian nations in the 
United States, north and west. 

xVt the commencement of the American revolution, in 1775, St. Louis, 
originally a depot for the fur trade, had increased to a population of about 
800, and St. Genevieve to about half that number. In 1780, a body of En- 
glish and Indians, 1,540 strong, from Michilliniackinac and the southern ex- 
tremity of Lake Michigan, attacked St. Louis. During the siege, which lasted 
about a week, some sixty persons were killed in the town and vicinity. While 
the fate of the garrison remained in great uncertainty, the timely arrival of 
Gen. Clarke, from Kentucky, turned the tide of fortune against the enemy. 
The general peace of 1783, put an end to hostilities. Spain retained her 
previous possessions, Great Britain resigned East Louisiana, called also the 
"Illinois Country," to the United States, retaining only Canada and other 
possessions at the north. 

On the restoration of peace, the settlers in the western part of the United 
States, to some extent, emigrated and built their cabins on the western or 
Spanish side of the Mississippi. DifScukies, as might have been expected, 
soon arose between Spain and the United States. A dispute relativ* to the 
navigation of the Mississippi occurred in 1795, when, by treaty, Spain 
granted to the United States free navigation of that river. But Spain did 
not act up to the spirit of her agreement, and threw obstacles in the way 
of the Americans navigating that stream. An open warfare seems to have 
been only prevented by the cession of Louisiana to France, in 1801, who 
transferred it to the United States in 1803, being purchased of the French 
government for fifteen millions of dollars. 

The new purchase was immediately divided into the " Territory of Orleans " 
(since the state of Louisiana), and the "District of Louisiana," erected in 
1805 into a territorial government, administered by a governor and judges, 
under the title of "Territory of Louisiana," having four districts, St. Charles*. 
St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, New Madrid and Arkansas. When the present 
state of Louisiana came into the Union, in 1812, the name of this territory 
was changed to "Missouri Territory." The territory extended from latitude 



MISSOURI. 407 

33° to 41° N. The government now became representative, and the first 
governor under the ne\V government was William Clarke. The legislature 
consisted of a council of nine members, appointed by the president, and a 
house of representatives, one member for every 500 free white males, elected 
by the people. 

The limits of the Missouri Territory, on the west, were gradually extended 
by treaties with the Indians. "People from the western states began to move 
in from the time of the purchase, so that in 1810, the population numbered 
20,8-45, of whom all, but about 1,500 belonging to Arkansas, were settled 
witliin the present limits of Missouri. The French settlements were now 
overrun by Americans, from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, etc., and American 
habits, usages, laws, and institutions soon became prevalent. The original 
settlers were quickly merged and almost lost among the later and more active 
population, until at length the whole became a homogeneous people. Immi- 
gration was so rapid, that in 1817, the territory contained 60,000 souls. In 
1817, application was made by the assembly to congress, for authority to 
frame a state constitution, preliminary to admission into the Union. A fierce 
and stormy debate arose at once on the subject in congress. A powerful 
party demanded that the new state should exclude slavery by their constitu- 
tion. The discussion raged for two years, threatening to tear the Union 
asunder; at length, however, the debate was stopped by the passage of the 
compromise resolutions of Mr. Clay, by wliich it was agreed that the institu- 
tion of slavery should be recognized in Missouri, but in no other new state 
north of latitude 36° 30'. The state constitution, somewhat modified since 
its adoption, was framed by a convention of forty delegates, which met at 
St. Louis, on the 12th of June, 1820, and was adopted on the 19th July fol- 
lowing. The new state was found, by a census taken the same year, to c^ .i- 
tain a population of 66,586, of whom 10,222 were slaves."* 

The north-western boundary of the Missouri was enlarged in the session 
of congress of 1836-7, by the addition of a wedge-shaped piece of terri- 
tory, measuring on the east side about 104 miles long, north and south, and 
about 60 miles wide on the north end, and bounded on the west by the Mis- 
souri River. This territory is now comprised in the six counties of Platte, 
Buchanan, Andrew, Atchison, Nodaway, and Holt, and contains over three 
thousand square miles. Although this acquisition was in opposition to the 
terms of the Missouri Compromise, it appears to have been acquiesced in 
with little or no opposition from any source. It had its justification in a 
better and more natural boundary, the Missouri River: and the country being 
of remarkable fertility, became filled with a wealthy and thriving popula- 
tion. 

Since the establishment of the state government, there has been to the 
present time a constant tide of emigration into Missouri, from the southern, 
western and northern states, and, to some extent, from Europe. Agriculture 
and commerce have flourished to a great extent. The manufacturing inter- 
ests are considerable, and its extraordinary mineral wealth, is beginning 
to be appreciated. Many of the Mormons, previous to their location at Nau- 
voo, emigrated to the north-western section of jthe state, where they caused 
much difficulty, in Ray county, in which some were killed and wounded. In 
1838, the governor of the state issued an order, or proclamation, for the ex- 
pulsion of the Mormons. After the repeal of the "Missouri Compromise," 

* Fisher's Gazetteer of the United States. 



408 



MISSOURI. 



in 1854, the western border of the state became the theater of much excite- 
ment and many hostile demonstrations, arising from the contest between tlie 
free state men, who had emigrated into the adjoining Territory of Kansas, 
and the pro-shivery party, principally from the western border of Missouri, 
who were, by their opponents, termed "border ruffians." During the strug- 
gle for ascendency, man,y outrages were committed, and many lives lost on 
"both sides. Of late years, a political contest has sprung up between the 
emancipation and pro-slavery parties in this state, the final result of which 
remains to be seen. 

Missouri is bounded N. by Iowa, E. by the Mississippi Kiver, S. by Ar- 
kansas, and W. by Kansas, Nebraska, and the Indian territory. It is situ- 
ated between 36° and 40° 36' N. Lat., and between 89° and 95° 36' W. 
Long. It is 287 miles long and 230 broad, containing upward of 65,000 
square miles, nearly equaling in extent the six New England states together, 
and more than doubling them all in agricultural capacity. The surface of 
Missouri is quite varied. Alluvial, or bottom lands, are found on the mar- 
gins of the rivers. In the interior, bottoms and barrens, naked hills and 
prairies, heavy forests and streams of water, may be often seen in one view. 
In the south-east part, near the Mississippi and south of Cape Girardeau, is 
an extensive marsh, reaching into Arkansas, and comprising an area nearly 
equal to the entire state of Connecticut. Back of this is a hilly country, 
rich in minerals, which extends to Osage River. One of the richest coal 
fields in the Union occupies the greater part of the state north of the Osage 
Iliver, and extending nearly to the Iowa line. The coal is bituminous and 
much of it cannel. The great cannel coal bed in Calloway county, is the 
larii-est body of cannel coal known: in places it is 75 feet thick. On distil- 
lation, it yields excellent coke, and a gas that, being destitute of sulphur, 
burns with a bright and beautiful flame. The lead region is at an average 
distance of seventy miles from St. Louis, and covers an area of 3,000 square 
miles. While In Wisconsin the lead does not extend 100 feet in depth, the 
lead veins of Missouri extend, in places, more than 1,000 feet. The mineral 
region contains 216 localities of lead ore, 90 of iron, and 25 of copper. The 
state abounds in iron; in fact, no country in the world contains so much of 
this useful ore as Missouri; and her general mineral wealth is enormous, in 
coal, iron, copper, lead, etc. Minerals of the non-metallic kind are also 
abundant, limestone, sandstone, porphyries, gypsum, slenite, porcelain, pipe 
and variegated clays. 

The country north of the Missouri, and that which adjoins Kansas, has 
been termed the garden of the west. In most places it has a beautiful, un- 
dulating surftice, sometimes rising into picturesque hills, then stretching into 
a sea of prairie, interspei'sed with shady groves and streams of water. 

Missouri possesses very great facilities for internal intercourse by water, 
having the navigation of the two greatest rivers in the United States, if not 
in the world. By means of the Mississippi Blver, forming her eastern boun- 
dary, she has commerce with the most northern territory of the Union, with 
the whole valley of the Ohio, some of the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of 
Mexico; by the Missouri, which passes through the central part of the state, 
she can extend her commercial intercourse to the Bocky Mountains. The 
climate is variable, in winter the streams are sometimes frozen so as to admit 
the passage of heavy loaded vehicles ; the summers are very hot, but the air is 
dry and pure, and the climate may be clas.sed among those most favorable to 
health. The soil of the state, speaking generally, is good and of great agri- 



MISSOURI 



409 



cultural capabilities, particularly the bottom lands, borderinsr tlie rivei's. 
The principal agricultural staples are Indian corn and hemp. The southoiii 
highlands are finely adapted to the culture of the grape. In 1810, the pop- 
ulation was less than' 20,000 ; in 1830, in was 140,000; in 1850, 682,244, of 
whom 87,422 were slaves; in 1800, 1173,317, including 114,965 slaves. 




Centrcl pari of the Levee, at St. Lovis. 

The view was taken from Bloody Island, near the Railroad D'^pot, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, 
and shows the steamboats lying at the Levee, in the vicinity of the Custom House, and the Couit House, 
the n[iper jiortion of which is seen in the distance. The river front here, for a long distance, is generally 
crowded with steamers, lying alueast of each other, in tiers of three and four deep, indicating the extra- 
ordinary commerce of the city. 

St. Louis, the commercial capital of Missouri, and of the great central 
valley of the Mississippi, is situated on the W. bank of the Mississippi, 18 
miles below the junction of the Missouri. It is in 38° 37' 28" N. Lat., and 
90° 15' 16" W. Long., about 1,200 miles above New Orleans, 340 from Cin- 
cinnati, 822 from St. Paul, 274 from Louisville, Ky., 180 above Cairo, and 125 
from Jefferson City, the capital of the state. The compact part of the city 
stretches about three miles along the river, and two miles back. The site 
rises from the river into two limestone elevations, the first, twenty, and the 
second forty feet above the ordinary floods of the Mississippi. The ascent 
to the first is rather abrupt, the second rises more gradually, and spreads out 
into an extensive plain. The city is well laid out, the streets being for the 
most part GO feet wide, and, with few exceptions cross each other at right 
angles. Front-street, which extends along the levee, is upward of 100 feet 
broad, built upon the side facing the river with a massive range of stone ware- 
houses, which make an imposing appearance. The population of St. Louia 



410 MISSOURI. 

in 1S40, was 16,469; in 1850, 82,774; and in 1860, 162,179. About one 
third of the inhabitants are natives of Germany or their descendants. 

St. Louis is sometimes fancifully called the ^^Monnd City,'''' from a great 
wound, at the base of which it was first settled, and which is said by the In- 
dians to have been the burial place of their ancestors for centuries. 

The natural advantages which St. Louis enjoys, as a commercial emporium, 
are probably equal to any inland port in the world. Situated midway be- 
tween two oceans, and near the geographical center of the finest agricTiltural 
and mineral region of the globe, almost at the very focus toward which con- 
verge the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Ohio, and the Illinois Rivers, she 
seems destined to be the great receiving and distributing depot for a vast re- 
gion of country. It is now, next to New Orleans, the principal port on the 
Mississippi, and among the western cities is the rival to Cincinnati in popu- 
lation and wealth. "In a circuit of less than 90 miles from the city, iron, 
coal, lead, and probably copper, are sufficiently abundant to supply the Union 
for indefinite ages, and of this region St. Louis is the only outlet. The man- 
ufactures of St. Louis embrace a great variety of products. Among the 
manufacturing establishments may be mentioned, extensive iron works, flour- 
ing mills, sugar refineries, manufactures of hemp, rope and bagging 'factories, 
tobacco factories, oil mills, etc. The city is supplied with water from the 
Mississippi, drawn up by two engines, each of about 350 horse power, and 
forced through a 20 inch pipe to the reservoir, located about one mile west, 
and capable of holding thirty-two millions of gallons. 

Very few cities in the Union have improved more rapidly in the style of 
its public buildings, than St. Louis; among these is the magnificent court 
house, which occupies a square, presenting a front on four streets : it is con- 
structed of limestone, and erected at an expense of upward of one million 
of dollars. The custom house, another noble building, is fire proof, con- 
structed of Missouri marble. The Lindell House is one of the most exten- 
sive and beautiful of hotels. The Mercantile Library building is a fine 
structure, having one of the best halls in the western states, capable of 
seating 2,300 persons. The library connected with the institution consists 
of upward of 14,000 volumes. The Library Association, among the curios- 
ities in their possession, have the original model of John Fitch's steam en- 
gine, made about the year 1795; it is some two feet high, with a copper 
boiler. They also have a marble slab, about seven feet square, from the ruins 
of ancient Ninevah, covered with a figure in bas-relief and interesting cunei- 
form inscriptions. The St. Louis University, under the direction of the Cath- 
olics, has a spacious building in the city, with 18 instructors, and about 300 
students, and some 15,000 volumes in its libraries. This institution was 
founded, in 1829, by members of the Society of Jesus, and was incorporated 
by the legislature in 1832. In the museum connected with the University, 
is the dagger of Cortez, 14 inches long, the blade consisting of two divisions, 
with an apparatus and spring in the hilt for containing and conveying poison. 
The Washington University was founded in 1853. The city contains various 
other excellent literary institutions : among these are several medical colleges. 
There are also hospitals, dispensaries, and other charities, for the medical 
care of the destitute. Among the charitable institutions, the most conspic- 
uous are the Protestant and Catholic Orphan Asylums — the first under the 
direction of Protestant ladies, and the latter of the Sisters of Charity. The 
total value of the taxable property of St. Louis, for 1860, was about 100 
millions of dollars. 



MISSOURI. 



411 



The subjoined sketch of the history of St. Louis, is extracted from the 
London edition of the work of Abbe Domenech,* the original being in 
French : 

St. Louis, the Queen of the West, was French by birth ; her cradle ■wa3 sus- 
pended in the forest watered by the Mississippi ; her childhood was tried by many 
privations; and her adolescence was reached amid the terrors inspired by the In- 
dian's cry. Her youth, thoujih more calm, was scarcely more happy. Abandoned 
by her guardian, the Lion of Castile, she was again claimed by her ancient mother; 
but only to be foi'saken anew. She then passed under the protecting wing of the 
American eagle, and became the metropolis of the Empire of the Deserts. 




Soiith-eastent view of the Court House, Si. Louis. 

M. dAbadie, civil and military director-general, and governor of Louisiana, con- 
ceded, in 1762, to Messrs. Pierre Ligueste, Laclede, Antoine Maxan, and Company, 
the monopoly of the fur trade with the Indians of Mississippi and Missouri. M. 
Laclede, a man of remarkable intelligence, of an enterprising character, and the 
principal chief of the company, immediately prepared an expedition, Avith a view 
of forming a large establishment in the north-west. On the 3d of August, 1763, 
he started from New Orleans, and on the 3d of November following, he reached 
St. Genevieve, situated sixty miles south of where St. Louis is actually built. 

At that epoch the French colony, established sixty years before in Illinois, was 
in a surprising state of prosperity. It had considerably augmented its importance 
since 1732, at which period France was beginning to realize her great conception 
of uniting Canada to Louisiana by an extensive line of military posts, that were 



■•'•"Seven Years Residence in the Great Deserts of North America, by the Abbe Em 
Domenech, Apostolical Missionary, Canon of Montpellier, Member of the Pontiflcial Acad- 
emy Tiberina, and of the Geographical and Ethnographical Societies of France, etc.: " ia 
two volumes. 



412 MISSOURI. 

to have been supported by forts, the strategic positions of which were admirably 
chosen. But when M. Laclede arrived in the country, Louis XV had already signed 
the shameful treaty by which he ceded to Ent^land, in a most blamable and incon- 
siderate manner, one of the finest regions of the gUjbe, the possession of which had 
cost nearly a century of efforts, discoveries, and combats, besides enormous sums 
of money. By that treaty, which will cover with eternal ignominy the memory of 
Louis XV', France yielded up to great Britain the two Canadies, the immense ter- 
ritory of the northern lakes, and the rich states of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, 
Mississippi, and Western Louisiana, as far as the Gulf of Mexico. 

The IJritannic frontiers, north, west, and south, were then surrounded by that 
French race, so antipathetic to the Saxon one. It enveloped them by its power 
and its immense territory, by an uinterrupted chain of fertile countries, which ex- 
tend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, following the interminable and rich val- 
ley of the Mississippi, which winds round the English possessions like the coiling 
serpent whose innumerable folds entwined the Laocoon. Unhappily for France, 
the statesmen of her luxurious court were short-sighted in this matter: they did not 
know the value of our transatlantic dominions, nor forsee what the future might 
do for them. Occupied with miserable palace intrigues, they basely abandoned our 
finest colonies, and merely sought feebly to prolong their agony. Napoleon him- 
self committed a great fault when he ceded Louisiana for fifteen millions. He 
thought that a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush; but what a bush 
he sold for such a sum! Louisiana, that of herself contains, colossal wealth, did 
she not give birth to many powerful states by dismembering herself? Did she not 
draw toward Texas, Kansas, New ^Mexico, and California? When one thinks of 
this great and irreparable loss which Louis XV and Napoleon I caused France to 
suffer, one can not help sighing at the bliudness of that fatal policy, which, for the 
sake of passing difficulties, from pusillanimous fear, or from the want of perfect 
knowledge of the resources and importance of the colonies, forgets the honor and 
interest of the empire it rules. 

It was thus that in the time of M. Laclede, the ^lississippi became the natural 
boundary of the French and English possessions; St. Genevieve was the only 
French settlement on the right bank of the river, all the others, being on the left, 
were made over to the English. After a short sojourn in that village, JM. Laclede 
explored the country, and discovering, sixty miles more to the north, a table-land 
seventy-five feet above the Mississippi, and covered with forests and fertile ground, 
he took possession of it and laid the foundation of a town, which he named St. 
liouis, in the presence of the French officers of the Chartres and of two young 
("reoles, Messrs. Auguste and Pierre Chouteau. We had the satisfaction of seeing 
the latter in iS-tT, during the festival celebrated at St. Louis in honor of Laclede. 

Scarcely was the rising colony established, which was augmented by French, 
Creole, and Illinois emigrants, who would not remain under the English dominion, 
when it was greatly alarmed by the arrival of 400 Indians, who, without being hos- 
tile, were nevertheless very troublesome, on account of their continual demands 
for provisions and the daily robberies they committed. ^I. Laclede made all pos- 
sible haste to rescue his establishment from the peril that menaced it, and imme- 
diately acted in a manner that showed his tact and his profound knowledge of the 
Indian character. The chieftains having appeared in his presence, addressed him 
in these terras : 

" We are deserving of pity, for we are like ducks and geese seeking clear water whereon 
to rest, as also to find an easy existence. AVe know of no better place than where we are. 
We therefore intend to build our wigwams around your village. We shall be your children, 
and you will be our father." 

Laclede put an end to the conversation by promising to give his answer the next 
day, which he did in the following manner: 

" You told me yesterday that you were like ducks and geese that seek a fair country 
wherein to rest and live at ease. You told me that you were worthy of pity ; that j-ou had 
not found a more favorable spot to establish yourselves in than this one; that you would 
build your village around mc, and that we could live together as friends. I shall now an- 
swer you as a kind father: and will tell you that, if you imitate the ducks and geese, you 
follow improvident guides ; for, if they had any forethought, they would not establish 



MISSOURI. ^13 

themselves on clear water where they may be perceived by the eagle that will pounce on 
them. It would not have been so had they chosen a retired spot well shaded with trees. 
You, Missourians, will not be devoured by birds of prey, but by the red men, who have 
fought so long against you, and who have already so seriously reduced your number. At 
this very moment they are not far from us, watching the English to prevent them from tak- 
ing possession of their new territories. If they find you here they will slay your warriors 
and make your wives and children slaves. This is what will happen to you, if, as you say 
you follow the example of the ducks and geese, instead of listening to the counsels of men 
who reflect. Chieftains and warriors, think now, if it is not more prudent for you to go 
away quietly rather than to be crushed by your enemies, superior to you in number, in the 
presence of your massacred sires, of your wives and children torn to pieces and thrown to 
the dogs and vultures. Remember that it is a good father who speaks to you ; meditate on 
what he has said, and return this evening with j'our answer." 

In the evening the entire tribe of the IMissourians presented itself in a body be- 
fore M. Laclede, and announced to him that its intention was to follow his advice; 
the chiefs then begged of him to have pity on the women and children, by givino- 
them some provisicms, and a little powder to the warriors. M. Laclede acceded 
liberally to their request, and sent them ofl' next day well supplied and happy. 

On the 17th of July, 1755, M. de St. Ange de Bellerive resigned the command 
of the frontiers to the English, and came to St. Louis with his troops and the civic 
officers. His arrival fiivored the definitive organization of the colony ; St Louis 
became the capital of Upper Louisiana, and M. de St. Ange was appointed gov- 
ernor of the place. But Louis XV had made, in 1763, another treaty, bv which 
he ceded to Spain the remainder of our possessions in North America. ^J'his treaty, 
kept secret during a year, completed the measure of humiliations and losses that 
France had to endure under such a reign. The OilJcial news of it was only re- 
ceived at New Orleans on the 'Jlst of April, 1764, and the consternation it spread 
throughout Upper and Lower Louisiana was such that the governor, M. d Abadie 
died of grief Serious disturbances were the consequence, and the tragical events 
which took place under the command of Gen. O'Keilly, of sanguinary memory, 
caused the administration of Upper Louisiana to remain in the hands of the P^rench 
for several year.s. It was only on tlie 1 1th of August, 1768, that the Spanish troops 
were able to take possession of St. Louis for tlie first time, and even then they could 
not hold the position above eleven months. At last, peace being restored, the Span- 
iards again became masters of all the country in 1770, five years before the death 
of ]\I. de St. Ange, who expired at St. Louis in 1775. aged seventj^six years. M. 
Laclede died at the Post of the Arkansas on the 20th of Julj^, 1778, leavinf no 
children. 

In 1780, St. Louis Avas unsuccessfully attacked by 1,000 Indians and Enslish- 
men, from Michillimackinac, who had received orders to seize upon the town on 
account of the part the Spaniards had taken in the war of American independ- 
ence. 

Spain never sought to derive any advantage from the resources of Upper Louis- 
iana: it would seem as if she merely considered that mighty region as a barrier 
against the encroachments of her neighbor on her Mexican possessions. Thia 
policy alone can explain her indifference with regard to the government of tliat 
country. When she took possession of all the territory situated to the west of the 
Mississippi, she found there a French population already acclimated, civilized, and 
inured to fatigues, owing to the long wars it sustained against the English and the 
Indians. The prospect of a calm and peaceable existence had assembled this pop- 
ulation on the borders of Arkansas, of the Mississippi, and of the Missouri, where 
it only awaited a protecting government, to enable it to give to industry and aciri- 
culture all possible development. All that Spain had to do was to open markets 
for its produce, and for exchanges with the southern colonies. This extensive em- 
pire, possessing the largest natural advantages, bounded by the Mississippi, the 
Missouri, and the Pacific Ocean, might have, owing to the preponderance that it 
could have acquired (as we witness in our days), changed the course of events 
which have taken place in Europe since that epoch. France could not aspire to 
such power as long as she possessed Canada, but she should have thought of it 
when she abandoned that colony. The immense results obtained by the liberal 
institutions of the United States show clearly, in the present day, that the loss of 



414 



MISSOURI. 



Canada wouiii have turned to our advantage, and that by developing the produce 
of the possessions which we still retained to the west of the Mi^ssissippi, v,e houid 
soon have been amply compensated for the sacrifices made in 1763, after the taking 
of (iueliec. Such was the opinion of the intellijr;ent men of France. Turgot, our 
celebrated statesman, in particular, foresaw the advantages to be derived from such 
a policy, and he even submitted a plan to the king by means of which that vast re- 
gion he called Equinoctial France, was to become densely populated in a short 
time. But, as M. Nicollet observes in his essay on the primitive history of St. 
Louis, he was treated as a visionary. 

What was easy for France was still much more so for Spain ; but instead of adopt- 
ing this simple policy — liberal and grand in its results — Spain contented herself with 
isolating the colonists and the Indians of Missouri and of Mississippi, imposing an 
arbitrary government upon them, checking all communication between the neigh- 
boring populations; establishing restrictions on importation, prohibiting foreign 
competition, restricting emigration, granting exclusive privileges, and making, 
without any conditions, concessions of lands, etc. It is not surprising, then, that 
she complains that her colonies cost her more than she realized by them. No- 
where, either in her laws or in her decrees, is there to be found a plan adopted 
with a view of developing the natural and moral resources of these countries. As 
the government appeared only to occupy itself with the exigencies of each day, in 
like manner the inhabitants did not seem to think of the morrow. The Creoles of 
Upper Louisiana, who were the descendants of a brave and enterprising nation, not 
finding in this state of things any support for their physical and moral faculties, 
penetrlited into the depths of the forests, got amid a multitude of savage tribes 
whom they had not heard of before, began to explore the regions situated between 
the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, and created the fur trade in that exten- 
sive portion of North America. In this way was formed that class of intrepid men 
called voiiayevrs or engages, of whom we have already spoken, and who were as 
necessary m the plains of the west as are the Canadian voyagevrs in the frozen 
countries of the north and north-west. 

Meanv>-hlle America had attained her independence, and France was conimenc- 
ins liev revohition, when, all of a sudden, on the 9th of July, 1803, at seven o'clock 
in the evening, the inhabitants of St. Louis learned that Spain had re-ceded Louis- 
iana to Napoleon, who, in turn had sold it to the United States. We will make no 
remark on the' profound sensation produced by this unexpected news. We will 
merely observe that the colonists could scarcely recover from their astonishment 
on hearing that they had become republicans, and seeing a multitude of judges, 
lawyers, notaries, tkx-gatherers, etc., arriving among them. They were even 
less able to understand that liberty which obliged them to leave their homes to 
vote at elections, or to serve as jurors. They had allowed civilization to advance 
without taking any notice of it. Their existence was so isolated, so simplified, that 
they lost sight of the advantages of social life. They possessed no public schools, 
and the missionaries, being too few in number, were seldom able to visit or in- 
struct them in their religious duties. The object of their material life did not go 
beyond the domestic circle, the virtue and honesty of which were proverbial. 
They knew nothing of notaries, lawyers, or judges; and the prison remained empty 
durinji thirty years. To give an idea of the simplicity of the Creoles, we can not 
do better than relate an incident that took place a few years after the cession of 
Louisiana to the United States. 

A Creole from Missouri was lounging about a sale of negro slaves on the bor- 
ders of the Mississippi, in Lower Louisiana. The merchant, who was from Ken- 
tucky, asked him if he wished to buy anylhivg: "Yes," replied the Missourian, 
" 1 want a negro." Having made his choice, he inquired the price of the one ho 
selected. "Five hundred piastres," replied the merchant; "but, according to cus- 
tom, you have one year to pay." At this proposition the purchaser became em- 
barrassed; the thought of being liable to such a debt during an entire year 
annoyed him greatly. "No, no ! " said he to the merchant, " I prefer payinj^ you 
at once six hundred piastres, and letting the matter be ended." "Very well," said 
the obliging Kentuckian, " I will do anything you please to make the affair con- 
venient to you." And the bargain was concluded. 



MISSOURI. 415 

Tho Spanish troops departed from Louisiana on the 3d of November, 1S,04 
The American governor, W. H. Harrison, who had the chief command of the In 
dian territories of Upper Louisiana, organized the civil and judicial power of that 
country; and on the 2d of July, 1805, Gen. James Wilkinson established there, 
by order of congress, a territorial government, of which St. Louis was the capital. 



Thegreat military event in the annals of St. Louis was the attack upon the 
town by the English and Indians from Mackinaw, in 1780. The citizens 
had intelligence the previous fall of the contemplated expedition, and there- 
upon fortified the town with a rude stockade six feet high, made by two rows 
of upright palisades, a few feet apart, filled in between with earth. The out- 
line of the stockade described a semi-circle around the place, resting its ex- 
tremities upon the river, above and below the town, flanked by a small fort 
at each extremity. Three gates gave opening to the country in the rear, 
each defended by a piece of ordnance, kept well charged. Monette, in his 
History of the Mississippi Valley, gives these particulars : 

The British commandant at Michillimackinac, hearing of the disasters of the British 
arms in Florida, conceived ihe idea of leading an expedition upon his own responsibility 
aga'iist the Spanish settlement of St. Louis. Earlj- in the spring he had assembled one 
hundred and forty regular British troops and Canadian Frenchmen, and fourteen hundred 
Indian warriors lor the campaign. From the southern extremity of Lake Michigan this 
host of savages, under British leaders, marched across to the Mississippi, and encamped 
within a few miles of St. Louis. The town had been fortified for temporary defense, and 
the hostile host made a regular Indian investment of the place. Skirmishes and desultory 
attacks continued for several days, during which many were killed, and others were taken 
captive by the Indians. Much of the stock of cattle and horses belonging to the place 
was killed or carried off. 

The people at length, believing a general attack was contemplated, and having lost con- 
fidence in their commandant's courage, or in his preparations for defense, sent a special re- 
quest to Col. Claik, then commanding at Kaskaskia, to come to their aid with such force 
as he could assemble. Col. Clark immediately made preparation to march to their relief. 
Having assembled nearly five hundred men under his command, he marched to the bank 
of the Mississippi, a short distance below the town of St. Louis. Here he remained en- 
camped for further observations. On the sixth of May the grand Indian attack was made, 
when Col. Clark, crossing the river, marched up to the town to take part in the engage- 
ment. The sight of tlie Americans, or the ^'Long-knims" as they were called, under the 
command of the well-known Col. Clark, caused the savages to abandon the attack and 
seek safety in flight. They refused to particifiate in any further hostilities, and reproached 
the British commandant with duplicity in having assured them that he would march them 
to fight the Spaniards only, wliereas now they were brought against the Spaniards and the 
Americans. They soon afterward abandoned the British standard, and returned to their 
towns, near Lakes Superior and Michigan, 



An old settler, writing for the Missouri Republican, in 1826, and the St. 
Louis Sketch Book, gives these historical items: 

A lapse of twenty years has ensued since I first obtained a residence in this rising 
town. ... It did not, when I first knew it, appear to possess even the germ of the 
materials which have since been so successfully used in making it the mart of commerce 
and the seat of plenty. Then, with some exceptions, it was the residence of the indolent 
trader or trapper, or more desperate adventurers. . . . Twenty years ago there were 
no brick buildings in St. Louis. The houses were generally of wood, built in a fashion 
peculiar to the country, and daubed with mud. There were, however, some of the better 
order, belonging to the first settlers of the town, but whose massive walls of stone were 
calculated to excite the wonder of the modern beholder, giving the idea of an antique 
fortress. What was then called Chouteau's Hill, but which has since lost that distinctive 
appellation, was nothing else than a barren waste, over which the wind whistled in its unob- 
structed course, if we except only an occasional cumbrous fortification, intended for a de- 
fense, and evidencing the poverty of the country in military as in other talent. Then, and 
for a long while after, the streets were intolerably bad, resembling the roads in Ohio, where 



410 



MISSOURI 



it is re^xted of a man that, his hat was taken from his head just as he was disappearing 
forfiver in the regions of mud. 

Twenty Ae;us since, and down to a much hiter period, tlie commerce of the country, on 
the Mississippi, was carried on in Mackinaw batteaux and Iveel boats. A voyiipe performed 
in one of the latter kind was a fearful undertaking; and tlie return trip from New OrleaiiS 
was considered an expeditious one if made in niiuiy days. Wlien an increased commerce 
took pl.ice, our streets were thronged willi voyngeurs, of all ages, countries and complex- 
ions. I'hev were a source of constant trouble to a weak and inefficient police, with whom 
they delighted to kick up a row. Deprived, by the introduction of steamboats, of their 
usual means of living, and like the savage averse to settled life, they have almost entirely 
disapj/eared. At the time of which we write, the traveler wlio made a journey to tlie 
Atlantic states, did not resolve upon it without mature deliberation. . . . It then required 
from thirty to forty days to travel to Philadelphia. . . . The morals or religion of tlie 
people can not be "detiued. They had, it is true, vague notions of such things, but tliey 
were of so quiescent a character as to be easily set aside when in opposition to their pleas- 
m-e or interest. There was but one church, and after a resort to this it was no uneoiumon 
thing to pass the remainder of the Sabbath evening in dancing or whist, for St. Louis then 
contained, at most, but a few hundred people." 

" Previous to the year Ib29," says tlie Sketch Book of St. Louis, " there was no Pro- 
testant cliurch in St. Louis, but in that year the first Presbyterian chui'ch was built, and 
the Rev. .'\rtemas BuUard engaged as the minister. . . . There were jilaces where tlie 
Metliodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Universalists, etc., held divine service, but none of them 
possessed church edifices until this year. 

In 1644, another flood, equaling that wliich took place in the days of Crusat, visited the 
Mississippi. The river rose rapidly ut til the entire American bottom was submerged. 
Steamboats and all descriptions of water craft were to be seen winding their way through 
the woods opposite the city, conveying passengers to and from the coal hills on the Illinois 
shore, a distance of about twelve miles. This flood was very disastrous in its cliaracter, 
almost totally destroying Illinoistown, which had become a village of several thousand 
inhabitants. ' The damage was immense, while not a few lives were lost, thousiuuis of 
hogs, horses, cattle, sheep, fowls, etc., were drowned. ' Many who, before the flood, were 
in afliuent circumstances, found themselves beggared. This was a marked event upon the 
trade of St. Louis, and she had scarcely recovered from the effects, when another calamity 
befel her. Late in the fall of 184«, that dreadful scourge, the cholera, made its appear- 
ance; the approach of cold weather stayed in a gre.it measure the ravages of disease, but 
in the spring it developed itself in full force. . . . The disease now assumed a more bold 
and formida'ble appearance, and instead of stalking through dirty lanes and filthy alleys, 
it boldlv walked the streets. . . . Funeral processions crowded every street. . . The hum 
of trade was hushed. The levee was a desert.' 

When the disease was raging at its fiercest, the city was doomed to another horror — May 
17, 1849, it was burned — fifteen squares were laid in ashes. The fire commenced on the 
steamer White Cloud. At the commencement the wind was blowing stiffly, forcing the 
boat directly into shore, which circumstiince contributed seriously to the marine disaster. 
The wind set into the wharf, and although the cables of all the boats were hauled in, and 
they drifted out into the current, yet ihajlamwg vessel seemed to outstrip them all in the 
speed with .which she traveled down stream. ... In a short time, perhaps thirty minutes, 
twenty-three vessels were burnt. . . . Fifteen blocks of houses were destroyed and in- 
juredi causing a loss of ten millions of dollars. Olive-street was the commencement in 
the city, and with the exception of one building, the entire space down to Marl;et street 
was laid in ruins. The progress of the flames was stayed by blowing up a portion of the 
buildings below Market-street with powder: in doing this, although timely warning was 
given, several persons lost their lives." 

In July, 1817, came the Gen. Pike, the first steamer which arrived at St. Louis. She 
was commanded by Gapt. Jacob Reed, and was built on Bear Grass Creek, near L(.uisville. 
In 1^47, on the anniversary of the city's birth, a miniature representation of the boat was 
exhibited, and became the most curious feature of the celebration, as showing tlie changes 
in steamboat architecture. " This miniature representation was about twenty feet long; 
the hull that of a barge, and the cabin on the lower deck run up on the inside of the run- 
ning board. The wheels were exposed, being without a wheel-house — she was propelled 
by a low pressure engine, with a single chimney and a large walking btam. Tiie ciew 
were supplied with poles, and where the current proved too strong for the steam, they used 
the poles, as on keel Vjoats, to help her along. It was mounted on wheels, and drawn by 
eight white horses. The boat was manned by a crew of steamboat captair.s, who appeared 
in the dress usually worn by the officers and men in their various stations." 



MISSOURI. 



417 



^ Bloody Island, opposite St. Louis, near the Illinois shore of the Missis- 
sippi, is the terminus of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. It received its 
name from the circumstance of its being the dueling ground for this region. 
It is within the limits of Illinois, and at the time of high freshets is par- 
tially covered with water. It has a growth of large forest trees. This spot 
was selected by duelists from its being neutral ground : the island was for 

some time disputed territory between the states 
of Illinois and Missouri. A fatal contest of 
this kind ensued between Thomas Biddle, of 
St. Louis, and one of his friends, in which both 
were killed. The origin of the duel seems to 
have been some jocose remark made by the 
antagonist of Mr. Biddle in regard to his (Mr. 
Biddle's) family affairs. Mrs. Biddle foolishly 
considering herself insulted, gave her husband 
no rest until he had challenged the author of 
the remark to mortal combat. Having passed 
over to Bloody Island, they fought at the dis- 
tance of some three or four paces apart, and 
both .fell mortally wounded. Mrs. Biddle, 
overwhelmed at the fatal consequences of her 
attempt to avenge her injured feelings, devoted 
the remainder of her life to penitence, and her 
fortune to charity. The annexed engraving ia 
a view of a monument erected in memory of 
husband and wife, on the premises of St. Mary's 
Orphan Asylum, on Tenth-street, under the charge of the order of the 
"Daughters of Charity." The monument is about 20 feet high : the follow- 
ing words are aflSxed over the door, "Pray for the souls of Thomas and Anne 
Middle." 

The following inscriptions are from monuments within the city limits : 

In memory'of one whose name needs no eulogy, Joskph M. White, late Delegate in Con- 
gress from the Territory of Florida. Born in Franklin county, Kentucky, 8th of Oct., 1798 
died in St. Louis, at the residence of his brother, Thomas J. White, M.D., the 19th day of 
October, 1839. ' 




Biddle SIonument, St. Louis. 

Over the door are the words, Pray for 
Ihe Bouls of T human and A nne Biddle. 



Thomas Barbour, M.D., son of the Hon. P. P. Barbour, of Virginia. Born Aug. 26, 
1810, and died June 18, 1849. In all the relations of life, he illustrated the strength and 
beauty of Christian principle — ardent affection, generous friendship, and fervent charity 
were the spontaneous emotions of a heart imbued with the holy desire of glorifying God 
•iid doing good to man. As a practitioner of medicine he had attained a distinguished 
eminence. With the Medical Department of the University of Missouri, his name is asso- 
ciated as one of its founders and most able and faithful teachers. With the early history 
of the Central Presbyterian Church, of which he was an Elder, his name is recorded as onft= 
•f its brightest ornaments. 



Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri is situated on the right bank of 
Missouri River, on elevated, uneven and somewhat rocky ground, 125 miles 
W. of St. Louis. It contains the state house, a state penitentiary, the gov- 
pernor's house, several schools, 5 churches, 2 banks, and about 3,500 inhabit- 
»jits, of whom near one half are Germans or of German orgin. The stato. 
house is built of stone, at an expense of $250,000, and presents a magnifi- 
cent appearance as it is approached sailing up the river from the eastward. 

27 



418 



MISSOURI. 



Over tlie door of the main entrance of the capitol is the following inscrip- 
tion : 

" Erected Anno Domini, IS.'SS. L. W. Bo^ss, Governor; P. C. Glover, Sec'y of State; H. 
H. Baber, Ami. Pub. Acct:? ; W. B. Napton, Att'y General; A. McClellan, Treasurer, Com- 
missioners. S. Hills, Architect." 




Eaat view "f Jefferson Cifi/. 

The view annexed presents tlie appparnnce of the Capiti'l and other biiildiiigs, as the citj- is entered 
upon the I'acitic Kailroail. The Mull' shown is 80 f-et liiL!:li, and on its summit is the residence of Gen. J. 
L. Minor, formerly secretary ,<{ tlie state. The Railroad Depot is at the f >ot of the hlufTon the left ; the 
Capitol on Capitol Hill is in the central part, at the base of which is the Ferry and City Lamiing. 

The first white persons who located themselves within the limits of JefTerson City were 
John Wier and a Dr. Brown. Wier. who appears to have been a squatter, built his cabin 
ou the spot where J. T. Rogers' (late mayor) house now stands. Wier's Creek, at tlie foot 
*,t Capitol Hill, was named after Iiini Dr Brown, said to have been from Iieiaud, located 
hiissself on the declivity of Capitol Hill. William Jones, a bricklayer, kept the fii-st ferry 
and house of entertaijinient at this pi. ice: he was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Rocers, the 
ifatWr'of the mayor. Dr. Stephen C, Dorris, father of Dr. A. P. Dorris, was the first reg- 
nlar liiysiclati: he was succeeded by Dr. Bolton, and he in turn by Dr. Mills. Robert A. 
E.wing (afterward judge of the county court), was the fir.<t resident lawyer. Judge Wells 
wasrt-lie next. Roliert Jones was the first merchant: he had his store at the ba-e of the 
Capitol ,11111, near the ferry nnd city wharf. Among his purchases was that of two or three 
barrels of cotfee, which at that time was considered a bold and hazardous specid.ition, as 
it was supposed it would take a long period to sell such an amount. 

'Tlic&rs.t school was taught by Jesse F. Roys, an itinerant teacher from North Carolina; 
he was sueoK^ded by Hirnm H. Baber, Esq., a native of Virginia, and now, with one ex- 
ception, the ohlcst inhabitant of Jeflerson City. The school house was about half way 
between thcifailroad depot and the penitentiary. Jason Harrison, Esc]., the first clerk of 
Cole county, iwas a native of Maryland; he came into Missouri in 1811, and into Jefferson 
City in l!>'3i. The first brick structure erected was a one story building, 16 feet square, 
built tiy Wni. Jojies, and •occupied as the state treasury office: it stood opposite the Metho- 
dist Church. Th« first state"house was built of brick, by Reuben Garnett, and stood in 
a lot adjoining- the governor's house. It was accidentally burnt in Nov., 1837, and all the 
state papers, except those in the auditor's office destroyed. The seat of government was 
located in 1821, h\\d out in 1829, niid the first s;i]e of lots was made in 1823. The first 
trustees of the town were Adam Hope, John C. Gordon, and Josiah Ramsay, jr. The first 
governor resident .in Jefferson City, was John Miller, and a man of great wealth. He died 
while nicmbef of Congress, and was buried at St. Louis. 



MISSOURI. 419 

The first printing press was started here in 1826, by Calvin Gunn, who, it is believed, 
was from Connecticut It was called the "JefFersonian Republican." The first house for 
public worship here was erected by the Methodists and Baptists: this was in 1838. The 
Episcopal church was erected in 1842; the first resident Episcopal clergyman was Rov. 
Wm. L. Hommann. The first Presbyterian church was built about the year 1845, and the 
first resident clergyman was Rev. Hiram S. Goodrich, D.D., from the eastern states, who 
came here about 1843. The Catholics, who are the largest religious body in the city, 
erected their first house of worship in 1847: their present handsome structure was built in 
1857. The state penitentiary was opened about 1835: the first warden was Gen. Lewis 
Bolton, and for about three months he had but one convict under his charge, who was put 
here for horse stealing or some kindred crime. This prisoner was much delighted when 
the next convict arrived, for he was quite weary of solitude. 

The Missouri River is about 1,000 yards wide at this place, its ordinary current three 
and a half miles an hour, and its fall four inches to the mile. The ordinary rise of water 
here is from 10 to 15 feet above low water mark. The highest floods occur annually in 
June, like the annual overflow of the Nile in Egypt. It is caused bv the melting of the 
snow in the Rocky Mountains, nearly 3,000 miles distant. One of the greatest rise of 
waters known was on the 24th of June, 1 844, at which time the water rose thirty feet above 
low water mark. 

In this section the principal fish are the cat, buffalo, and shovel fish: sturgeon are also 
taken. The cat fish ordinarily weigh from 3 to 25 lbs. In some instances they have been 
known to weigh 200 lbs. The method by which they are taken is called "jugging for 
cats.''' A single line about four feet in length, having a hook baited with flesh, is attached 
to the handle of a gallon jug and then thrown into the middle of the current of the river. 
When the bait is swallowed it is known by. the sinking of the jug, which acts like a cork: 
the fisherman thereupon takes up the line and secures the fish. The fisherman's usual 
method is to go up the stream, throw in his jugs, and float down with them, hugging the 
shore with his boat, so as to be in a position to closely watch his jugs, of which he can 
generally oversee some 10 or 12 at a time. 



The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the Jefferson 
City graveyard : 

Erected by the State of Missouri to the memory of Gov. Thomas Reynolds, who died 
Feb. 9, 1814, aged 48 years. He was born in Bracken county, Kentucky, March 12, 1796 : 
in early life he became a citizen of the State of Illinois, and there filled the several offices 
of Clerk of the House of Representatives, Attorney General, Speaker of the House of Rep- 
resentatives, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In 1829, he removed to the State 
of Missouri; and was successively Speaker of the House of Representatives, Judge of the 
Second Judicial Circuit, and died Governor of the State. His life was one of honor, virtue 
and patriotism, and in every situation in which he was placed, he discharged his duty faith- 
fully. 

In memory of Peter G. Glover, born in Buckingham county, Va., Jan. 14, 1792 ; died 
in Osage county, Oct. 27, 1851, and lies buried here. He emigrated to Kentucky in early 
life, then to Missouri, where he filled the important public offices of the Justice of the 
County Court, Representative from Callaway, Senator from Cole, Auditor of Public Ac- 
counts, Superintendent of Common Schools, and Treasurer of the State, to the satisfaction 
of the people. As a father, husband, and friend, he was without reproach. 



Wm. a. Robards, late Attorney General of the State of Missouri, born in Ky., May 3, 
1817; died Sept. 3, 1851. Erected by the State of Missouri, of which he was a worthy cit- 
izen, and its able and faithful officer, having filled several offices of public trust. 



.New- Madrid, the seat of New Madrid county, is on the Mississippi, 1 50 
miles below St. Louis, in the south-eastern corner of the state, and has about 
1,000 inhabitants. This is one of the old towns of Missouri, and the earliest 
American settlement west of the Mississippi River. Through the diplomatic 
talents of Colonel Wilkinson, the Spanish governor of Louisiana was induced 
to adopt a policy of conciliation to the western people, in hopes of attaching 
them to the Spanish government, and so forming a political union with the 



420 



MISSOURI. 



Louisianians, that should terminate in a dismemberment of the east from the 
west, and an incorporation of the latter under the Spanish crown. Says 
Monette : 

The first step toward the a ""omplishment of this desirable object was the plan of form- 
ing American settlements in Upper Louisiana, as well as in the Florida district of Lower 
Louisiana. A large American settlement was to be formed on the west side of the Mis- 
sissippi, between the mouth of the Ohio and the St. Francis River. General Morgan, an 
American citizen, received a large grant of land about seventy miles below the mouth of 
the Ohio, upon which ho was to introduce and settle an American colony. Soon afterward 
and in 1788, General Morgan arrived with his colony, and located it about seventy miles 
below the mouth of the Ohio, upon the ancient alluvions which extend westward to the 
Whitewater Creek, within the present county of New Madrid, in Missouri. Here, upon 
the beautiful rolling plains, he laid off the plan of a magnificent city, which, in honor of 
the Spanish capital, he called " New Madrid." The extent and plan of the new city was 
but little, if any, inferior to the old capital which it was to commemorate. Spacious 
streets, extensive public squares, avenues, and promenades were tastefully laid ofiF to mag- 
nify and adorn the future city. In less than twelve months from its first location, it had 
assumed, according to Major Stoddart, the appearance of a regularly built town, with nu- 
merous temporary houses distributed over a high and beautiful undulatory plain. Its lati- 
tude was determined to bo 36 deg. 30 min. north. In the center of the site, and about one 
mile from the Mississippi, was a beautiful lake, to be inclosed by the future streets of the 
city. 

T'his policy was continued for nearly two years, in hopes of gaining over the western 
people to an adherence to the Spanish interests. Nor was it wholly unsuccessful. In the 
meantime, many individuals in Kentucky, as well as on the Cumberland, had become fa- 
vorably impressed toward a union with Louisiana under the Spanish crown, and a very 
large portion of them had been highly dissatisfied with the policy of the Federal govern- 
ment, because it had failed to secure for them the free navigation of the river, either by 
formal negotiation or by force of arms. But this state of mitigated feeling toward the 
Spanish authorities was of but short duration. 



New Madrid was nearly ruined by the great eartJiquaJces of the winter 
of 1811-12, it being the center of the most violent shocks. The first 
occurred in the night of 15th Dec, 1811, and they were repeated at in- 
tervals for two or three months, being felt from Pittsburg to New Orleans, 
By them the Little Prairie settlement, thirty miles below this place, was en- 
tirely broken up, and Great Prairie nearly ruined. The graveyard at New 
Madrid, with its sleeping tenants, was precipitated into the river, and the 
town dwindled to insignificance and decay. Thousands of acres in this sec- 
tion of the country sunk, and multitudes of ponds and lakes were created in 
their places. "The earth burst in what are called sand blows. Earth, sand, 
coal, and water were thrown up to great bights in the air." The Mississippi 
was dammed up and flowed backward ; birds descended ffom the air, and 
took refuge in the bosoms of people that were passing. The whole country 
was inundated. A great number of boats that were passing on the river 
were sunk, and whole crews perished ; one or two that were fastened to islands 
went down with them. The country being but sparsely settled, and the build- 
ings mostly logs, the loss of life was less than it otherwise would have been. 
Col. John Shaw gives these reminiscences of this event.* 

While lodging about thirty miles north of New Madrid, on the 14th of December, 1811, 
about two o'clock in the morning, occurred a heavy shock of an earthquake. The house 
where I was stopping, was partly of wood and partly of brick structure; the brick portion 
all fell, but I and the family all fortunately escaped unhurt. At another shock, about two 
o'clock in the morning of the 7th of February, 1812, I was in New Madrid, when nearly 
two thousand people, of all ages, fled in terror from their falling dwellings, in that place 

*" Personal Narrative of Col. John Shaw, of Marquette county, Wisconsin," publiahed 
iu the CoUeotioDS of the Uistorioal Society of Wisconsin. 



MISSOURI. 421 

and the surrounding country, and directed their course about thirty miles north to Tywap- 
pety Hill, on the western bank of the Mississippi, about seven miles back from the river 
This was the first high ground above New Madrid, and here the fugitives formed an en- 
campment. It was proposed that all should kneel, and engage in supplicating God's mercy, 
and all simultaneously. Catholics and Protestants, knelt and oflfered solemn prayer to their 
Creator. 

About twelve miles back toward New Madrid, a young woman about seventeen years 
of age, named Betsey Masters, had been left by her parents and family, her leg having 
been broken below the knee by the falling of one of the weight-poles of the roof of the 
cabin; and, though a total stranger, I was the only person who would consent to return and 
see whether she still survived. Receiving a description of the locality of the place, I 
started, and found the poor girl upon a bed, as she had been left, with some water and 
corn bread within her reach. I cooked up some food for her, and made her condition as 
comfortable as circumstances would allow, and returned the same day to the grand en- 
campment. Miss Masters eventually recovered. 

In abandoning their homes, on this emergency, the people only stopped long enough to 
get their teams, and hurry in their families and some provisions. It was a matter of doubt 
among them, whether wnter or fire would be most likely to burst forth, and cover all the 
country. The timber land around New Madrid sunk five or six feet, so that the lakes and 
lagoons, which seemed to have their beds pushed up, discharged their waters over the sunken 
lands. Through the fissures caused by the earthquake, were forced up vast quantities of 
a hard, jet black substance, wliich appeared very smooth, as though worn by friction. It 
seemed a very different substance from either anthracite or bituminous coaL* 

This hegira, with all its attendant appalling circumstances, was a most heart-rending 
scene, and had the effect to constrain the most wicked and profane, earnestly to plead 
to God in prayer for mercy. In less than three months, most of these people returned to 
their homes, and though the earthquakes continued occasially with less destructive effects, 
they became so accustomed to the recurring vibration?, that they paid little or no regard 
to them, not even interrupting or checking their dances, frolics, and vices. 

Father Cartwrigbt, in his autobiography, gives us some facts to show that 
the earthquakes proved an element of strength to the Methodists. He tells 
us: 

In the winter of 1812 we had a very severe earthquake; it seemed to stop the current 
of the Mississippi, broke flatboats loose from their moorings, and opened laro^e cracks or 
fissures in the earth. This earthquake struck terror to thousands of people, and under the 
mighty panic hundreds and thousands crowded to, and joined the different churches. 
There were many very interesting incidents connected with the shaking of the earth at 
this time; two I will name. I had preached in Nashville the night before the second 
dreadful shock came, to a large congregation. Early the next morning I arose and walked 
out on the hill near the house where I had preached, when I saw a negro woman coming 
down the hill to the spring, with an empty pail upon her head. (It is very common for 
negroes to carry water this way without touching the pail with either hand') When she 
got within a few rods of where I stood, the earth began to tremble and jar; chimneys were 
thrown down, scaffolding around many new buildings fell with a loud crash, hundreds of 
the citizens suddenly awoke, and sprang into the streets; loud screaming followed, for 
many thought the day of judgment was come. The young mistresses of the above-named 
negro woman came running after her, and begging her to pray for them. She raised the 
shout and said to theih, " My Jesus is coming in the clouds of heaven, and I can't wait to 
pray for you now; I must go and meet him. I told you so, that he would come, and you 
would not believe me. Farewell. Hallelujah! Jesus is coming, and I am ready. Halle- 
lujah! Amen.'" And on she went, shouting and clapping her hands, with the empty pail 
on her head. 

Near Russellville, Logan county, Kentucky, lived old Brother Valentine Cook, of very 
precious memory, with his wife Tabitha. Brother Cook was a graduate at Cokesbury Col- 
lege at an early day in the history of Methodism in these United States. He was a very 
pious, successful pioneer preacher, but, for the want of a sufficient support for a rising and 
rapidly increasing family, he had located, and was teaching school at the time of the above 

*The late Hon. Lewis F. Linn, a resident of St. Genevieve, and for many years a mem- 
ber of the United States senate from Missouri, and a man of science, addressed a letter, in 
1836, to the chairman of the committee on commerce, in which he speaks of the New Mad- 
rid earthquakes, and distinctly mentiong water, sand, and coal issuing from the vast chasriiB 
ftpened by the convulsions. 



422 



MISSOURI. 



named earthquake. He and his wife were in bed when the earth began to shake and trem- 
ble. He .spniiifj out of bed, threw open the door, and began to shout, and started, with 
nothing on but his night-clothes. He steered his course east, shouting every step, saying, 
" JMy Jesus is coming." His wife took after him, and at the top of her voice cried out, 
"O Mr. Conk, don't leave me.'' 

"0 Tabby," said he, " my Jesus is coming, and I can not wait for you ;" and on he 
■went, shouting at every jump, "My Jesus is coming; I can't icait for you. Tabby." 

The years of the excitement by these earthquakes hundreds joined the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, and though many vvere sincere, and stood firm, yet there were hundreds that 
no doubt had joined them from mere fright. 

The earthquake gave Tecuniseh, the Shawnee chieftain, the reputation of 
a prophet among the Indians of Alabama. A few months previous to this 
event, he was on his mission to the southern Indians, to unite all the tribes 
of the south with those of the north in his grand scheme of exterminating 
the whole white race from the wide extent of the Mississippi valley — from 
the lakes of the north to the Gulf of Mexico. Drake, in his memoir of Te- 
cumseh, gives this anecdote: 

On his return from Florida, Tecumseh went among the Creeks in Alabama, urging them 
to unite with the Seminoles. Arriving at Tuckhabatchee, a Creek town on the Tallapoosa 
River, he made his way to the lodge of the chief, called the Big Warrior. He explained 
his object, delivered his war talk, presented a bundle of slicks, gave a peace of wampum 
and a hatchet; all which the Big Warrior took. When Tecumseh, reading the intentions 
and spirit of the Big Warwor, looked him in the eye, and pointing his finger toward his 
face, said: " Your blood is white; you have taken my talk, and the sticks, and the wam- 
pum, and the hatchet, but you do not mean to fight; I know the reasoji; you do not be- 
lieve the Great Spirit has sent me; you shall know; I leave Tuckhabatchee directly, and 
shall go straight to Detroit; when I arrive there, I will stamp on the ground with my foot, 
and siiake down every house in Tuckhabatchee." So saying, he turned and left the Big 
Warrior in utter amazement, at both his manner and his threat, and pursued his journey. 
The Indians were struck no less with his conduct than was the Big Warrior, and began to 
dread the arrival of the day when the threatened calamity would bel'all them. They met 
often and talked over this matter, and counted the days carei'ully, to know tlie time when 
Tecumseh would reach Detroit. The morning they had fixed upon, as the period of his 
arrival, at last came. A mighty rumbling was heard — the Indians all ran out of their 
houses — the earth began to shake; when at last, sure enough, every house in Tuckhabat- 
chee was shaken down I The exclamation was in every mouth, " Tecumseh has got to 
Detroit! " The effect was electrical. The message he had delivered to the Big Warrior 
was believed, and many of the Indians took their rifles and prepared for the war. The 
reader will not be surprised to learn that an earthquake had produced all this; but he will 
be, doubtless, that it sliould happen on the very day on which Tecumseh arrived at Detroit; 
and, in exact fulfillment of his threat. It was the famous earthquake of New Madrid. 



Lexington, the county seat of Fayette, is situated for the most part on 
high grounds, on the south bank of the Missouri. The bluiFs at the landing 
being about 200 feet above the river, the city is but partially seen from the 
decks of passing steamers. It is 125 miles above Jefferson City, and 250 
from St. Louis. It contains the county buildings, 8 churches, the Masonic 
College, a flourishing institution, under the patronage of the Masonic fra- 
ternity of the state, and about 5,000 inhabitants. 

Fayette, the county in which Lexington is situated, ranks the second in 
wealth in Missouri. Hemp is the most important production. Inexhausti- 
ble beds of bituminous coal are found in almost every part of the county, 
and the soil is rich and fertile. The Messrs. McGrew's establishment for the 
manufacture of bale rope, at Lexington landing, is admirably constructed. 
The hemp is unloaded at the upper story, and passes through the various 
stages of its manufacture, till it comes out bales of rope, ready for transpor- 
tation to market, in the warehouse below. The machinery is moved by 



MISSOURI. 



423 



steam, the coal to produce whicli is dug- out of tlia earth a few feet only from 
the building. Eight tuns of rope can be manufactured daily. 




View of Lex i II ff to II Landbig. 

Til" engraving shows (he aiipearance of the steamboat hipdlng as it appears from the point on the 
opposite side of Missonri River. Tlie Jli-.'^srs. ^M'Uiew's Hemp Factory, Flouring Blill, etc., are seen in 
the central part; the roiul to the city back froui tliu blufls j'.ppears ou the left; the places fiom whence 
coal is taken on the riglit. 

Lexington was oiigirially laid out ahnnt a mile hack from tlie river, whicli, at tli:',t period, 
was hardly cousideretl fit foi- navigation, goods being prineip;>lly transported by land. The 
present city, being an e.'ctension of the old town, was commenced in 18-J9. At that time, 
the site on w'lich the present com t house stands was a cornfield, owned by James Aull, 
brother to Robert Aid', (he piesident of the Bank of Lexington, both of whom were na- 
tives of New Castle, Del. The first court house was erected in the ancient part of Lex- 
ington, and is nt»w occupied as a Female Seminary, a flonrishing institution under the 
patronage of the Baptists. Tlie first hon.-e of worship in Lexington, was erected about 
iS.'i] f;r I8li9, l)y the Curnljerlatid and the Old School Presbyterians. It was a small frame 
building, v.liicli stood a few v -iXa west Oi' the old court house. Rev. John L. Yantis, now 
president of the Theological College at Riclimond, was one of the first preachers. The 
inhabitants previously attended pu'jlic worship in the country, back from the river. The 
Baptist and Metliodist churches were erecied in 184-:>. Tlie Episcopal church is a recent 
structure; the first minister who officiated was Rev. St. Michael Fackler, now a missionary 
in Oregon. The Dutch Reformed Chinch bought their meeting house of the Christians 
or Cain'ibellite Baptists- in IfeTiG. 

The titst regular public house in the modern part of Lexington, was the house next the 
resideme of Roljert .\u]l, tlse [)resident of the bank, on the summit of the bluff. This 
spot commands an extensive "|)ros]iect up and down the river, showing Wellington, 8 miles 
distant, also Camden, in Ray county, some 8 o'* 10 miles distant in a direct line, but 18 by 
the river. Tlie first regidar ierrymaii v>as Willitim Jack, a Methodist class leader and ex- 
horter, a man much esteenu^d for his Christian life and conversation. In 1827, C. R. More- 
head, ca.shier of the Farme:-'s Bank, built and loaded the first flatboat, in which he trans- 
ported the first tobacco raised for export in the county. This cargo, which consisted of 
forty-six hogsheads, with a 'quantity of bees-wax and peltries, was sent to New Orleans. 
The first goods brought by steamboats came in 1828, by the steamer William Duncan. 

In 1838, at the period of the Mormon war, as it was called, Lexington contained some 500 
inhabitants. The Mormons first located themselves in Jackson county, about 3.') miles 
west. They afterward effected !i more permanent settlement in Caldwell county. At first 
they were enabled to live peaneably with their neighbors. In 1838, difficulties arising, the 
governor of fllissouri gave orders for their expulsion. A conflict took place in Ray county, 
in which Patten, a Mormon leader and elder was killed, and a number wounded. During 
this period it was quite a time of alarm in this section, and the inhabitants of Lexington 
fled to Richmond ibr safety. 

Wm. Downing is believed to have been the first innkeeper in the ancient part of Lexing- 
ton. Wm. Todd was the first judge of the circuit court; the present judge, Russcl Hicks, 



424 



MISSOURI. 



who first came into the county about the year 1825, hired himself out to a farmer for about 
tea dollars a month. He afterward became a school teacher, and while studying law, he 
supported himself by this occupation. 



The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the graveyard in 
this place: 

In memory of Rev. Finis Ewing, born in Bedford county, Va., July 10, 1773, died in 
Lexington, Mo., July 4,1841. He was a Minister of the Gospel for forty-five years; was 
one of the fathers and founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 



In memory of Reverend Jessk Greene, born Nov. 29, A.D. 1791, died April 18, A.D. 
1847. A pure Christian, a wise Counsellor, a faithful Minister, a Pioneer of Methodism in 
Missouri, part in the Council and Itinerant labors of his Church, and fell at his post. " I 
heard a voice from heaven, saying write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; Yea, 
saith the Spirit, their works do follow them." Rev. xiv, 13. The members of the Saint 
Louis Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South have erected this mon- 
ument over his remains, A.D. 1850. 

L. A. Gkiswold, Hebe of Prudence Constellation, No. 34, A. A. R., surrendered her crown 
on Earth to be crowned with immortal glory in Ileaven. In memory of Lockie A. Gris- 
woUi, wife of Sylvanus A. Griswold, completed her errand of Mercy here, and was per- 
mitted to behold the Light of the Seraphic world, which ever inspired her with fraternal 
excellence, at 10 o'clock, P.M., Sept. 27, 1856. 




North-eastern view of Kansas City. 

Showing the appearance of Kansas City, at the Landing, as seen from the opposite bank of the Missouri. 
The forest shown in the distance, beyond tlie point of tlie l)lufTon the right, is within the territorial limits 
of Kansas. The Ferry Landing and the old Jail or Calaboose appear on the left. 

Kansas City is situated near the mouth of Kansas River, at the western 
boundary line between the state of Missouri and Kansas, 282 miles westward 
of Jefferson City, 45G from St. Louis, and 109 southerly from St. Joseph, on 
the Missouri. It is the western terminus of the line of the Pacific Railroad. 
A bluff, about 120 feet above high water mark, extends along the river for 
about a mile within the city limits. The principal part of the town is situ- 
ated immediately back of the bluff, through which roads are being cut to the 
Icvce iu front. This city is the great depot for the Santa Fe trade, and it is 



MISSOURI. 425 

estimated ttat one fourth of all the shipments up the Missouri River, from 
its mouth to the Rocky Mountains, are received here. Kansas City was in- 
corporated in 1853. Population about 8,000. 

As far back as the days of Lewis and Clarke, or the first expeditions of the vari- 
ous trappina; companies of the French and the old pioneers of the west, the site 
of Kansas City lias been a prominent point for the business of the old trappers and 
traders, who have had many a business transaction around their camp fires under 
the bluffs of the ^^ Kawsmouth," as this spot was formerly called. 

The principal portion of the land inclosed by the old city limits was entered by 
Gabriel Prudhomme, an old mountain trader. , The selection, survey, and first sale 
of the lots was made in 1838. The survey was but a partial one, and owing to 
some disagreement, nothing was done by the stockholders except the erection of a 
few cabins. In 184(5, the town was re-surveyed by J. C. McCoy, Esq., and the 
growth of the city may be dated as commencing from that year. Within eighteen 
months after the first sale of lots, there was a population of about 700. The pro- 
prietors of the town were J. C. jMcCoy, Wm. Gilliss, Robert Campbell, H. Jobe, 
W. B. Evans, Jacob Ilagan, and Fry P. McGee. 

The first house erected in Kansas City was a log cabin, which stood on the site 
of the building in which the Western Journal of Commerce is issued. This cabin 
was erected in 1839, by Thomas A. Smart, as a trading house. The second build- 
ing was erected by Anthony Richers, a native of Germany, who was educated for 
the Catholic ministry. Father Bernard Donnelly, a native of Ireland and a Cath- 
olic, is believed to have been the first clergyman who officiated in public worship ; 
he preached in a log building, now used as a school house, near Broadway, about 
half a mile back from the steamboat landing. The first physician was Dr. Benoist 
Troost, of Holland, ftft-merly a surgeon under Napoleon. The first postmaster was 
William Chick, who for a time kept the office in the top of his hat. "O/ie eyed 
Ellis," as he was familiarly called, appears to have been the first lawyer, who, it 
is stated, employed his leisure time in "picking up stray horses." Wm. B. Evans 
kept the first tavern, at the corner of Main and Levee streets. The first newspapers 
were the "Kansas Ledger," first issued in 1852, and the "Western Journal of 
Commerce," first issued in Aug., 1854, under the name of the "Kansas City En- 
terprise." 

A great portion of the early trade of the city was with the Indians, mountain 
and Mackinaw traders, boatmen, etc. Poneys, pelts, furs, etc., were received in 
excliange for powder, lead, tobacco, coffee, etc. The first and principal warehouses 
in town were erected in 1847. Col. E. C. McCarty, in company with Mr. Russell, 
started the first train from Kansas City to New Mexico; old Mr. McDowell took 
the charge of it, and was the first man that ever crossed the American Desert in 
a wagon. The following is extracted from the Annals of the City of Kansas, pub- 
lished in 1858: 

The New Mexico, or, as it is generally known, the Santa Fe trade, is said to have first 
began at Boonville, or Old Franklin, as early as the year 1824. Mr. Monroe, Philip 
Thompson, the Subletts of St. Louis and Jackson counties, Nat. Sernes, and others, were 
among the first men ever engaged in the trade. The idea of taking or sending goods to New 
Mexico, was first suggested to these gentlemen by the richness and thick settlements of this 
valley of the Rio Grande Del Norte. When returned to the states, they commenced mak- 
ing preparations to forward goods to this valley. How to get their merchandise therci 
without being at an'almost ruinous expense, was the most important subject of considera- 
tion. Finally, having resolved to go — to make the experiment at all hazards, they started, 
taking out their freight as best they could, some in one horse wagons, some in carts, some 
on pack mules, and, on dit, with packs on their backs. They were successful — a better 
trade was found than they anticipated — more goods were sent out, with better carriage fa- 
cilities, and in a few years large fortunes were realized. In 1845, Messrs. Bent and St, 
Vrain landed the first cargo of goods at Kansas City, that was ever shipped from this 
point to New Mexico in wagons that went out in a train. This train consisted of eighteen 
w.igons, with five yoke of cattle to the wagon, and about 5,000 lbs. of freight to each 
team. A great excitement was extant. Mexican commerce had given new life to border 
trade. Gradually the business with New Mexico became concentrated at points on the river. 
From 1832 to 1848, or 1850, our neighbor city, Independence, had the whole command of 



426 



MISSOURI. 



this great trade. Her merchants amasseJ fortunes, and the business generated by this 
pru-;['erous intercourse, built up Independence into one of the most tluu tailing and boauti- 
iul towns ill the west. 

Dining these years, from 16:J2 to 1S48, some few mountain and Mexican goods were 
hmded among the cottonwoods below our city. Messrs. Bent & St. Vrain are amor g the 
o!de-!t treighters engaged in transporting goods over the Great Plains; in 1834, they landed 
a small shipment of mountain goods at Mr. Francois Choute lu's log warehouse, near the 
island just east of the city. In 1846 our citizens then had what they thought to be quite 
a large and respectable trade with New Mexico, and the next year, 1847, it is conceded 
that Kansas City fairly divided this great trade with the city of Independence; and since 
iS.'v), Kansas City has had the exclusive benefit of all the shipping, commission, storage, 
rei)airing and outfitting business of the mountains and New Me.\ico, save, perhajis, a few 
jvagons that have been loaded and outfitted at Independence by her own merchants. 




A Train crossing the Great Plains. 

From the most reliable information we can obtain, it is estimated that there are at least 
three hundred merchants and freighters now engaged in the New Mexico and mountain 
commerce. Properly, in this connection, may be inserted a few remarks concerning our 
mountain traffic and importations. 

Some of our leading merchants for years have had trading houses established in th« 
mountains, where they constantly keep a large stock of goods to trade with the Indians, 
who pay for these goods with their annuity money, with buffalo robes, with furs, pelts, 
hides, and Indian ornamental fabrics. 

This trade done in the mountains, creates large importations of the above mountain 
products to our city. In 1857, the following importations were made: RoI)es, furs, etc., 
$267,25:1 52; Mexican wool, $129,600; goat skins, $25,000; dressed buckskins, $02,500; 
dry hides, .$. 37, 500; peltries, $36,000. Like the transport of Mexican goods, these imports 
come to us as the cargoes of the great mountain trains or caravans. 

Train is only another word for caravan. These caravans, then, consist of from forty to 
eighty large canvas covered wagons, with from fifty to sixty-five hundred pounds of 
freight to each wagon — also, six yoke of oxen or five span of mules for every wagon — 
two men as drivers for every team, besides supercargoes, wagon masters, etc., who gener- 
ally ride on horseback. When under way, these wagons are about one hundred feet apart, 
and as each wagon and team occupies a space of about ninety or one hundred feet, a train 
of eighty wagons would stretch out over the prairie for a distance of a trifle over three 
miles. In 1857, 9,884 wagons left Kansas City for New Mexico. Now, if these wagons 
■were all in one train, they would make a caravan 223 miles long, with 98,840 mules and 
oxen, and freighting an amount of merchandise equal to 59,.304,000 lbs. 



A recent visitor at Kansas City gives some valuable items : 

Just below the mouth of the Kansas, and between it and the highlands on which Kansas 



MISSOURI. . 427 

C"\7 is located, is an extent of level bottom land, embracing some fifty acres, and covered 
gpsirsely with trees. This is the camping ground of the immense caravans of Russell, 
il-.jors & Co. We found several acres covered with the enormous wagons that are used 
ic ihe prairie trade. Here is also an immense stable for the horses, mules, etc., and a 
■place of deposit for feed for the thousands of oxen. It was to me something of a sight to 
see such a number of land ships. They will carry from seven to ten thousand pounds, and 
are drawn by from three to six yokes of oxen. They are covered when loaded, so as to 
protect the goods from the rains. 1 examined them, and found them made many hundreds 
of miles to the east. I saw a large number which came from Michigan. They are strong, 
heavily^ironed and massive wagons. 

The commercial business of the town is mostly transacted on the levee. The solid 
blocks of warehouses receive the goods from the steamers, and from them they are loaded 
into the immense wagons and taken to tlieir final destination. Here is the landing and 
the starting place for the vast trade to Santa Fe and New Mexico. One of the singular 
features in the^treets is the large number of Mexicans, or as every body here calls them, 
"greasers," with their trains of mules, loading for their far distant homes. Kansas City 
has been the starting place for this trade for thirty years. Many of the citizens have be- 
come wealthy by it, and the evidences of prosperity and thrift around us are traceable to 
the eftects of this Santa Fe trade. I do not see any cause that can disturb this in the fu- 
ture. Heavy loads of goods and merchandise of all kinds are brought from St. Louis and 
the east, on steamers, to this, the last and the nearest point to the Territory of New Mex- 
ico, and as this business must increase with the settlement of the country to the west and 
60ut,h-west, the permanence of the prosperity of this city seems to be fixed. 

These "greasers" are a hard looking set of men. They are a sort of compromise be- 
tween the Indian and negro, with now and then a touch of Spanish blood. They are gen- 
erally sliort and small, quite dark, very black straight hair, geneially hanging about their 
faces. Their national hat is a low crowned slouch looking concern. They wear girdles, 
with knives, etc., convenient for use. Altogether they look like an ignorant, sensual, 
treacherous, thieving and blood-thirsty set, which is very much the character they bear 
among the people of this city. 

Kansas City, being in Missouri, has a few slaves, but they are fast disappearing. Some 
forty were shipped off in one gang this spring for the southern market. The original set- 
tlers were Southerners and slaveholders, but the northern element has been pouring in 
upon them till a large proportion of the business men are now frorn the free states. There 
is now no talk about slavery, all are engaged in a more sensible business — building up 
the city. 



St. Joseph, the most populous and flourishing place in north-western 
Missouri, is situated on the E. bank of the Missouri, 565 miles N.W. from 
St. Louis, 391 from Jefferson City, and 206, by the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad, from the Mississippi. The city is for the most part on broken and 
uneven ground, called the Black Snake Hills, and is surrounded by a rich 
and fertile country. There are 7 churches, 2 female seminaries, 2 daily and 3 
weekly papers published hei-e. There are several steam sawing and grist mills 
and other extensive manufacturing establishments. The Catholic Female 
Seminary of this place stands on a commanding elevation back from the city, 
and is seen from down the river at a great distance. The completion of the 
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad makes this, at present, the most western 
point in the United States reached by the great chain of railroads, and has 
opened a new era in its prosperity. It is now the central point for all west- 
ern travel. The Great Salt Lake mail; the Pike's Peak express, and the 
Pony express, taking dispatches to San Francisco in eight days, all start from 
this place. Population about 10,000. 

The city of St. Joseph was founded by Joseph Robidoux, a native of St. 
Louis, and of French descent. Mr. Robidoux first visited this place in 1803, 
as an Indian trader, being in connection at that time with the American Fur 
Company. He was forty days in sailing up the Missouri from St. Louis, and 
camped out every night on shore with his boatmen, about a dozen in number. 
The Indians lived on the city grounds till they removed to the opposite bank 



428 



MISSOURI. 



of the river, about 25 miles above. He erected his first trading house L\ 
1831, about two miles below the city. In 1833, he built a second tradin.t 
house on the spot now occupied by the City Hotel: and in 1838 pre-emptoi 
the site of the city. 




South view of St. Joseph. 

The view showe the appearance of the city, as it is approached from the south liy the Missouri Kiver. 
The CViurt House, in the central part, st.ands on an elevation of about 20(1 feet ; the Railroad from HanLi- 
hal enters tlie city on tlie rich bottom lands on the right. The sand bank seen in the view ou the left, is 
within the limits of Kansas. 

The town was laid off in 1843. The first resident clergyman in the place 
was a Catholic, Rev. Thomas Scanlan, and the first public worship was held 
in the house of Mr. Julius C. Robidoux, the first postmaster in the place. 
Mr. R.'s first oflice was west of the Black Snake Creek, and he was the first 
regular merchant in St. Joseph. Rev. T. S. Reeve, the next minister, first 
preached in a log house on the corner of Third and Francis-streets. The 
first settlers were principally from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Among 
the first settlers were Col. Samuel Hall, Capt. Wm. II. Hanson and William 
Ewing, from Kentucky ; Capt. John Whitehead and James Cargill, from 
Virginia; Frederick W. Smith, from St. Louis; and Michael Rogers, from 
Ireland. Daniel Gr. Keedy, from Maryland, was the first physician. Jona- 
than M. Bassett, James B. Gardenhire, and Willard P. Hall, were among the 
first lawyers. Mrs. Stone, a widow lady, opened the first school. The fij-st 
tavern was kept by David St. Clair, from Indiana, who came here in 1843. 
Jeremiah Lewis, from Kentucky, was the first ferryman. 

]r«".s/o», a flourishing commercial town, on the Missouri River, about 4.' 
miles above Fort Leavenworth, is the river port for Platte county, about 225 
miles W.N.W., by the road, from Jefferson City, and upward of 5U0 by 
water from St. Louis. Its frontier position renders it a favorable position 
for emigrants starting for California and other points west. It was first settled 
in 1838. The great emigration westward of late years, has much increased 
the activity of trade at this point. Two newspapers are published here. 
Population about 3,500. 



MISSOURI. 



429 



Independence, the county seat of Jackson, is important as one of the start- 
ing points in the trade to New Mexico, and other places westward. It is 
about five miles back from the Missouri River, and lt)5 miles W. by N. from 
Jefferson City. It was laid out in 1828, and is surrounded by a most beau- 
tiful and fertile country, abundantly supplied with pure water. Population 
about 3,500. 




Hannibal. 

Hannibal, Marion county, on the western bank of the Mississippi, is 15 
miles below Quincy, 111., and 153 above St. Louis. It is a flourishing town 
and the shipping port of a large quantity of hemp, tobacco, pork, etc., 
raised in the vicinity. Stone coal, and excellent limestone for building pur- 
poses, are abundant. Its importance, however, is principally derived from 
its being the eastern terminus of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, a 
Hue extending directly across the northern part of the state, and which, at 
this point, connects this great western railroad with the system of railroads 
eastward of the Mississippi. Hannibal was laid out in 1819, and incorpor- 
ated in 1S39. It is one of the most thriving towns on the Mississippi, has 
numerous manufacturing establishments, an increasing commerce, and about 
8,000 people. 



Col. John Shaw, in his personal narrative, relates some incidents that 
occurred in this section of Missouri in the war of 1812. He acted as a 
scout on this frontier. We here quote from him: 

The Upper Mississippi Indians, of all tribes, commenced depredations on the 
frontiers of Missouri and Illinois, in 1811, and early in 1812. Several persons 
wore killed in different quarters. About thirty miles above the mouth of Salt 
River, and fully a hundred above the mouth of the Missouri, was Gilbert's Lick, 
on the western bank of the Mississippi, a place of noted resort for animals and 
cattle to lick the brackish water ; and where a man named Samuel Gilbert, from 
Virginia, had settled two or three years prior to the spring of 1812. In that region, 
and particularly below him, were a number of other settlers. About the latter 
part of May, 1812, a party of from twelve to eighteen Upper Mississippi Indians 
descended the river in canoes, and fell upon the scattered cabins of this upper set- 
tlement in the night, and killed a dozen or more people. 

This massacre in the Gilbert's Lick settlement, caused great consternation along 
the Missouri frontier, and the people, as a matter of precaution, commenced fort- 
lEg. Some seven or eight forts or stockades were erected, to which a portion of 
the inhabitants resorted, while many others held themselves in readiness to flee 
tbere for safety, in case it might be thought necessary. I remember the naii4« of 



430 MISSOURI. 

Stout's Fort, Wood's Fort, a smnll stockade at what is now Clarksville, Fort Hot- 
ard, and a Ibrt at Howell's settlement — the latter nearest to Col. Daniel Boone; b'jfc 
the people bordering immediately on the Missouri River, being less exposed to dan- 
ger, did not so early re>ort to the erection of stockades. 

About this time,' probably a little after, while I was engaged with eighteen or 
twenty men in buildinii a temporary stockade where Clarksville now stands, on the 
western hank of the Mississippi, a party of Indians came and killed the entire 
familv of one O'Neil, al)out three miles above Clarksville, while O'Xeil himself was 
einploved with his neiiilibors in erecting the stockade. In company with O'Neil 
and otiiers, 1 hastened to tlie scene of murder, and found all killed, scalped and 
horriblv mangled. One of the children, about a year and a half old, was found 
literally baked in a large pot metal bake kettle or Dutch oven, with a cover on ; and 
as there were no marks of the knife or tomahawk on the body, the child must have 
been put in alive to suffer this horrible deach; the oil or fat in the bottom of the 
kettle was nearly two inches deep. 

I went to St. iiouis, in coinjiany with Ira Cottle, to see Gov. Clark, and ascertain 
whether war had been actually declared. 'I'his must liave been sometime in June, 
but the news of the declaration of war against Great Britain had not yet reached 
there. On our return, I was strongly urged by the people to act as a spy or scout 
on the frontier, as I was possessed of great bodily activity, and it was well known 
that I had seen much wocids experience. I consented to act in this capacity on 
the frontiers of St. Charles county, never thinking or troubling myself aliout any 
pecuniary recompense, and was only anxious to render the distressed people a use- 
ful service. 1 immediately entered alone upon this duty, sometimes mounted, and 
sometimes on foot, and carefully watching the river above the settlements, to dis- 
cover whether any Indians had landed, and sometimes to follow their trails, learn 
their destination, and report to the settlements. 

Upon my advice, several of the weaker stockades were abandoned, for twenty or 
thirty miles around, and concentrated at a place near the mouth of Cuivre or Cop- 
per iliver, at or near the present village of Monroe; and there a large number of 
us, perhaps some sixty or seventy persons, were some two or three weeks employed 
in the erection of a fort. We named it in honor of the patriotic governor, Benja- 
min Howard, and between twenty and thirty families were soon safely lodged in 
Fi'i-t Howard. The fort was an oblong square, north and south, and embraced 
about half an acre, with block houses at all the corners except the south-east one. 
As the war had now fairly commenced, an act of congress authorized the rais- 
ing of six companies of IJangers; three to be raised on the Missouri side of the 
■Mis.sissippi, and the other three on the Illinois side. The Missouri companies were 
commanded by Daniel ]\I. Boone, Nathan Boone, and David Musick. The commis- 
sion of Nathan Boone was dated in June, 1812, to serve a year, as were doubtless 
the others. 

The Indians, supplied by their British employers with new rifles, seemed bent 
on exterminating tlie Americans — always, however, excepting the French and 
Spaniards, who, from their Indian intermarriages, were regarded as friends and 
connections. Their constant attacks and murders, led to offensive measures. 

Of the famous S/hA; /io?e battle, fought on the 24th of May, 1814, near Fort How- 
ard, I shall be able to give a full account, as I was present and participated in it. 
Capt. Peter Craig commanded at Fort Howard ; he resided with his father-in-law, 
Andrew Ramsey, at Cape Girardeau, and did not exceed thirty years of age. 
Drakeford Gray was first lieutenant. Wilson Able, the second, and Edward Spears, 
third lieutenant. 

AViout noon, five of the men went out of the fort to Byrne's deserted house on 
the bluff, about a quarter of a mile below the fort, to bring in a grindstone. In 
consequence of backwater from the Mississippi, they went in a canoe; and on 
their return were fired on by a party supposed to be fifty Indians, who were under 
shelter of some brush that grew along at the foot of the bluff, near Byrne's house, 
and about fifteen rods distant from the canoe at the time. Three of the whites 
were killed, and one mortally wounded; and as the back water, where the canoo 
t was, was only about kpee deep, the Indians ran out and tomahawked their vic- 
tims. 



MISSOURI. 431 

The people in the fort ran out as quick as possible, and fired across tlie back 
water at the Indians, but as they were nearly a quarter of a mile off, it M-as of 
course without effect. Capt. Craig with a party of some twenty-five men hastened 
in pursuit of the Indians, and ran across a point of the back water, a few inclics 
deep; while another party, of whom 1 was one, of about twenty-five, ran to the 
rijxht of the water, with a view of intercepting the Indians, who seemed to he mak- 
ing toward the blufi'orhigh plain west and north-west of the fort. The party with 
which 1 had started, and Capt. Craig's soon united. 

Immediately on the bluff was the cultivated field and deserted residence of Ben 
jamia Allen, the field about forty rods across, beyond which was pretty thick tim- 
ber. Here the Indiana made a stand, and here the fight commenced, fioth parties 
treed, and as the firing waxed warm, the Indians slowly retired as the whites ad- 
vanced. After this fighting had been going on perhaps some ten minutes, the wjjitcs 
were reinforced by Capt. David Musick, of Cape au Gris, with about twenty men. 
Capt, Musick had been on a scout toward the head of Cuivre Kiver, and had re- 
turned, though unknown at Fort Howard, to the Crossing of Cuivre River, about a 
mile from the fort, and about a mile and a half fi'om the scene of conflict; and had 
stopped with his men to graze their horses, when hearing the firing, they instantly 
remounted and dashed toward the place of battle, and dismounting in the edge of 
the timber on the bluff, and hitching their horses, they rushed through a part of 
the Inilian line, and shortly after the enemy fled, a part bearing to the right of the 
Sink Hole toward l>ob's Creek, but the most of them taking refuge inthe Sink 
Hole, which was close by where the main fighting had taken place. About the 
time the Indians Avere retreating. Capt. Craig exposed himself about four feet be- 
yond his tree, and was shot through the body, and fell dead; James Putney was 
killed before Capt. Craig, and perhaps one or two others. Before the Indians re- 
tired to the Sink Hole, the fighting had become animated, the loading was .done 
quick, and shots rapidly exchanged, and when one of our party was killed or 
wounded, it was announced aloud. 

This Sink Hole was about sixty feet in length, and about twelve to fifteen feet 
wide, and ten or twelve feet deep. Xear the bottom on the south-east side, was a 
shelving rock, under which perhaps some fifty or sixty persons might have shel- 
tered themselves. At the north-east end of the Sink Hole, the descent was quite 
gradual, the other end much more^brupt, and the south-east side was nearly per- 
pendicular, and the other side about like the steep roof of a house. On the south- 
east side, the Indians, as a further protection in case- the whites should rush up, 
dug under the shelving rock with their knives. On the sides and in the bottom of 
the Sink Hole were some bushes, which also served as something of a screen for 
the Indians. 

Capt. Musick and his men took post on the north-east side of the Sink Hole, and 
the others occupied other positions surrounding the enemy. As the trees ap- 
proached close to the Sink Hole, these served in part to protect our party. Fin-d- 
ing we could not get a good opportunity to dislodge the enemy, as they were best 
protected, those of our men who had families at the fort, gradually went there, not 
knowing but a large body of Indians might seize the favorable occasion to attack 
the fort, while the men were mostly away, engaged in the exciting contest. 

The Indians in the Sink Hole had a drum, made of a skin stretched over a sec- 
tion of hollow tree, on which they beat quite constantly; and some Indian would 
shako a rattle, called she-shii-qvi. probably a dried bladder with pebbles within ; 
and even, for a moment, would venture to thrust his head in view, with his hand 
elevated shaking his rattle, and calling out peash! peash! which was understood to 
be a sort of defiance, or as Black Hawk, who was one of the party, says in his ac- 
count of that affair, a kind of bravado to come and fight them in the Sink Hole. 
When the Indians would creep up and shoot over the rim of the Sink Hole, they 
would instantly disappear, and while they sometimes fired effectual shots, they in 
turn became occasionally the victims of our rifles. From about one to four o'clock 
in the afternoon, the firing was inconstant, our men generally reserving their fire 
till an Indian would show his head, and all of us were studying how he could more 
effectually attack and dislodge the enemy. 

At length Lieut. Spears suggested that a pair of cart wheels, axle and tongue. 



432' MISSOURI. 

•which were seen at Allen's place, near at hand, be obtained, and a moving battery 
constructed. This idea was entertained favorably, and an hour or more consumed 
in its construction. Some oak floor puncheons, from seven to eifjht feet in length, 
were made fast to the axle in an upright position, and port-holes made through 
them. Finally, the battery was ready for trial, and was sufBciently large to pro- 
tect some half a dozen or more men. It was moved forward slowly, and seemed 
to attract the particular attention of the Indians, who had evidently heard the 
knocking and pounding connected with its manufacture, and who now frequently 
popped up their heads to make momentary discoveries; and it was at length moved 
up (o within less than ten paces of the brink of the Sink Hole, on the south-east 
side. The upright plank did not reach the ground within some eighteen inches, 
our men calculating to shoot beneath the lower end of the plank at the Indians; 
but the latter, from their position, had the decided advantage of this neglected 
aperture, for the Indians shooting beneath the battery at an up-ward angle, Avould 
get shots at the whites before the latter could see them. The Indians also watched 
the port-holes, and directed some of their shots to them. Lieut. Spears was shot 
dead, through the forehead, and his death was much lamented, as he had proved 
himself the most active and intrepid officer engaged. John Patterson was wounded 
in the thigh, and some others wounded behind the battery. Having failed in the 
object for which it was designed, the battery was abandoned after sundown. 

Our hope all along had been, that the Indians would emerge from their covert, 
and attempt to retreat to where we supposed their canoes were left, some three or 
four miles distant, in which case we were firmly determined to rush upon them, 
and endeavor to cut them totally off. The men generally evinced the greatest 
bravery during the whole engagement. Night now coming on, and having heard 
the reports of half a dozen or so of guns in the direction of the fort, by a few In- 
dians who rushed out from the woods skirting Bob's Creek, not more than forty 
rods from the north end of the fort. This movement on the part of the few Indians 
who had escaped when the others took refuge in the Sink Hole, was evidently de- 
signed to divert the attention of the whites, and alarm them for the safety of the 
fort, and thus effectually relieve the Indians in the Sink Hole. This was the result, 
for Capt. Musick and men retired to the fort, carrying the dead and wounded, and 
made every preparation to repel a night attack. As the Mississippi was quite high, 
with much back water over the low grounds, tht approach of the enemy was thus 
facilitated, and it was feared a large Indian force was at hand. The people were 
always more apprehensive of danger at a time when the river was swollen, than 
when at its ordinary stage. 

The men in the fort were mostly up all night, ready for resistance, if necessary. 
Tliere was no physician at the fort, and much effort was made to set some broken 
bones. There was a well in the fort, and provisions and ammunition sufficient to 
sustain a pretty formidable attack. The women were greatly alarmed, pressing 
their infants to their bosoms, fearing they might not be permitted to behold another 
morning's light; but the night passed away without seeing or hearing an Indian. 
The next morning a party went to the Sink Hole, and found the Indiana gone, who 
had carried off all their dead and wounded, except five dead bodies left on the 
north-west bank of the Sink Hole ; and by the signs of blood within the Sink Hole, 
it was judged that well nigh thirty of the enemy must have been killed and 
wounded. Lieut. Drakeford Gray's report of the affair, made eight of our party 
killed, one missing, and five wounded — making a total of fourteen ; I had thought 
the number was nearer twenty. Our dead were buried near the fort, when Capt. 
Musick and his men went over to Cape au Gris, where they belonged, and of whicb 
garrison Capt. Musick had the command. We that day sent out scouts, while I 
proceeded to St. Charles to procure medical and surgical assistance, and sent for- 
ward Drs. Hubbard and Wilson. 



St. Charles, the capital of St. Charles county, is on the northern bank of 
the Missouri lliver, 18 miles from its mouth, and about 20 by land from St. 
I^ouis. The first settlement of St. Charles dates back to tlie year 1764, 



MISSOURI. 433 

when it was settled by the French, and for a long time was regarded as the 
rival of St. Louis. The opening of the North Missouri Railroad has added 
much to its prosperity. It is handsomely situated on the first elevation on 
the river from its mouth. The rocky bluffs in the vicinity present beautiful 
views of both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Quarries of limestone, 
sandstone, and stone coal have been opened near the town. The village is 
upward of a mile long, and has several streets parallel with the river. It 
contains the usual county buildings, several steam mills, etc., a Catholic con- 
vent, a female academy, and St. Charles College, founded in 1837, under the 
patronage of the Methodists. Population about 3,000. 

Boonville, a flourishing town, the county seat of Cooper county, is on the 
S. bank of Missouri River, 48 miles N.W. from Jefferson City. It has im- 
portant commercial advantages, which have drawn to it the principal trade 
of S.W. Missouri, of a portion of Arkansas, and the Cherokee Nation. It 
has a healthy situation, and is surrounded by a rich farming region. Grapes 
are cultivated here to some extent. Iron, lead, stone coal, marble and lime- 
stone are abundant in the vicinity. The New Mexico or Santa Fe trade is 
said to have first begun at Boonville, or Old Franklin, as early as 1824. 
Population about 4,000. 

Ironion, the county seat of Iron county, is on the line of the Iron Moun- 
tain Railroad, 87 miles from St. Louis. The county abounds in mineral 
wealth, iron, marble, copper, and lead, and the town, containing some few 
hundred inhabitants, is becoming quite a summer resort from its excellent 
medicinal springs. ^ 

Potod is one of the oldest towns in the state, having been settled in 1763, 
by Messrs. Renault and Moses. It is near the line of the Iron Mountain 
Railroad, 54 miles from St. Louis. It is the county seat of Washington, and 
has been long noted as the seat of the richest of lead mines. The town has 
about 700 inhabitants. 

The famous Mine a Burton, at this place, was the most important and 
principal discovery made in Missouri under Spanish authority. It took its 
name from M. Burton, a Frenchman, who, while hunting in this quarter, 
found the ore lying on the surface of the ground. This was about the year 
1780. Hon. Thos. H. Benton gives this account of Mr. Burton from per- 
gonal knowledge, and published it in the St. Louis Enquirer of October 16, 
1818: 

He is a Frenchman from the north of France. In the forepart of the last cen- 
tury, he served in the low countries under the orders of Marshal Saxe. He was 
at the siege of Ber gen-op zoom, and assisted in the assault of that place when it 
was assailed by a division of Marshal Saxe's army, under the command of Count 
Lowendahl. He has also seen service upon the continent. He was at the building 
of Fort Chartres, on the American bottom, afterward went to Fort Du Quesne (now 
Pittsburg), and was present at Braddock's defeat. From the life of a soldier, Bur- 
ton passed to that of a hunter, and in that character, about half a century ago, 
while pursuing a bear to the west of the Mississippi, he discovered the rich lead 
mines which have borne his name ever since. His present age can not be ascer- 
tained. He was certainly an old soldier at Fort Chartres, when some of the peo- 
ple of the present day were little children at that place. The most moderate com- 
putation vrill make him one hundred and six. He now lives in the family of Mr. 
Micheaux, at the Little Rock ferry, three miles above Ste. Genevieve, and walks to 
that village almost every Sunday to attend Mass. He is what we call a square built 
man, of five feet eight inches high, full chest and forehead; his sense of seeing 
and hearing mm< ,vhat impaired, but free from disease, and apparently able to hold 
out against time for many years to come. 

28 



43'4 * MISSOURI. 

In 1797, Moses Austin, a native of Connecticut, who afterward became 
identified with the history of Texas, explored the country about Mine a Bur- 
ton, and obtained a grant of a league square from the Spanish government, 
in consideration of erecting a reverberating furnace and other works, for the 
purpose of prosecuting the mining business at these mines. 

"Associated with Mr. Austin, was his son Stephen F. Austin, who, in 1798, com- 
menced operations, erected a suitable furnace for smelting the " ashes of lead," 
and sunk the first regular shaft for raising ore. These improvements revived the 
mininir; business, and drew to the country many American families, who settled iu 
the neighborhood of the mines. The next year a shot-tower was built on the pin- 
nacle of the cliff near Herculaneum, under the superintendence of Mr. Elias 
Bates, and patent shot were made. A manufactory of sheet lead was completed 
the same year, and the Spanish arsenals at New Orleans and Havana, received a 
considerable part of their supplies for the Spanish navy from these mines." 

Hermann^ capital of Gasconade county, is on the line of the Pacific Rail- 
road, 81 miles from St. Louis. It was first settled in 1837, by the German 
Settlement Society, of Philadelphia. The place and vicinitv are noted for 
the culture of the grape, being second only to Cincinnati. A good year's 
growth of the grape will yield over 100,000 gallons of wine, worth from 
$1 25 to $2 per gallon. 

There are in the state a large number of towns of from 1,000 to 3,000 in- 
habitants, beside those described. These are among them: Canton, in Lewis 
county, 175 miles N.E. from Jefferson City. CarondoJet, on the Iron Moun- 
tain Railroad, 6 miles from St. Louis. This is an old town, settled half a 
century since, and nam^d from one of its early settlers. Baron De Carondo- 
let. ChiUicothe, the county seat of Livingston, is 129 miles west of Hanni- 
bal, on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Cohimhia, the county seat 
of Boone, 33 miles N.N.W. from Jefferson City, and is the seat of the State 
University and of two colleges. Fulton, county seat of Callaway, is 24 miles 
N.E. from Jefferson City. Here is located Westminster College and the 
State Lunatic and Deaf and Dumb Asylums. Glasgow is in Howard county, 
on the left bank of the Missouri, 60 miles N.W. of Jefferson City. La 
■ Grange is on the Mississippi, in Lewis county, 104 N.N.E. of Jefferson City. 
I/oi(isiana is on the left bank of the Mississippi, 82 miles N.E. of Jefferson 
City. Palmi/ra, the county seat of Marion, on the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad, 14 miles from Hannibal, has two colleges and two academies, and 
is considered the most beautiful town of northern Missouri. St. Genevieve, 
the capital of St. Genevieve county, is situated on the W. bank of the Mis- 
sissippi, 72 miles below St. Louis, and 117 S.E. from Jefferson City. St. 
Genevieve exports large quantities of copper, lead, limestone, marble, and 
white sand; the latter article is of superior quality, being used in the glass 
works of Boston and Pittsburg. It is noted as the oldest town in Missouri, 
having been settled by a few French families in 1751. Tipton is in Moniteau 
county, 38 miles from Jefferson City. Washington is in Franklin county, op 
the line of the Pacific Railroad, 54 miles from St. Louis. ITuntsviUe, county 
seat of Randolph, is on the North Missouri Railroad, 160 miles N.W. from 
St. Louis: near it is Mount Pleasant College. Moiind City, or Hudson, is 
at the junction of the North Missouri and Hannibal and St. Joseph Rail- 
roads, 168 miles from St. Louis. Mexico, the county seat of Audrian, is on 
the North Missouri Railroad, 50 miles N.E. from Jefferson City. 



MISSOURI. 435 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC. 

Gen. William Clark was born in Virginia in Aug., 1770, and in 1784 removed 
with his father's family, to the Falls of the Ohio, now the site of Louisville, where 
his brother, the distinguished (len. George Rogers Clark, had a short time previ- 
ously established a fort. In 1793, he was appointed by Washington lieutenant of 
riflemen. " In 1803 he was tendered by Mr. JeflFerson the appointment of captain 
of engineers, to assume joint command with Captain Merriwether Lewis, of 
the North-western Expedition to the Pacific Ocean. This was accepted, and the 
party left St. Louis in March, 1804, for the vast and then unexplored regions be- 
tween the Mississippi River and the ocean, under the joint command of himself 
and Lewis, they being, by a special regulation to that effect, equal in rank. On 
this perilous expedition, he was the principal military director, while Lewis, assisted 
by himself, was the scientific manager. Gen. Clark then kept and wrote the Jour- 
nal, which has since been published, and assisted Lewis in all his celestial obser- 
vations, when they were together. On their return to St. Louis from the Pacific 
Ocean, in the fall of 1806, Capt. Lewis was appointed governor of the territory 
then designated as Upper Louisiana, and the place of lieutenant-colonel of infantry 
was offei-ed to Gen. (then Capt.) Clark: but he preferred the place of Indian agent 
at St. Louis, having become, by his intercourse with the various tribes on the Mis- 
souri, well acquainted with the proper course to be pursued toward them ; and he 
remained in this office until he was made brigadier general for the Territory of 
Upper Louisiana, under the laws of congress. During the late war with Great 
Britain he was applied to by the war department to revise the plan of the campaign 
then going on under Gen. llull, and was offered the appointment of brigadier gen- 
eral in the United States army, and the command then held by Hull ; these, how- 
ever, he refused, being convinced that the operations of this officer were too far 
advanced to be successfully remedied. lu 1813, President Madison appointed him, 
in place of Gov. Howard, resigned, governor of the territory and superintendent 
of Indian affairs, after he had twice refused to be nominated to the first office. He 
held both these offices until Missouri was admitted into the Union as a state in 
1820. Upon her admission, he was nominated against his consent as a candidate 
for governor, but was not elected, being in Virginia at the time of election. He 
then remained in private life until 1822, when he was appointed by President Mon- 
roe, superintendent of Indian affairs. As commissioner and superintendent of In- 
dian affairs for a long series of years, he made treaties with almost every tribe of 
Indians, and exhibited to all of them the feelings of a philanthropist, as well as a 
becoming zeal for the rights of the government of his country. He was applied 
to, to accept the office of United States senator from Missouri, but declined, 'be- 
lieving that he could more efficiently serve his country, and the cause of humanity, 
in the Indian department than in the national halls of legislation. He was the 
youngest of six brothers, the four oldest of whom were distinguished officers in 
the Revolutionary war. One of them fell in the struggle ; another was killed by 
the Indians upon the Wabash, and his brother. Gen. George Rogers Clark, is well 
known to the people of the west. The early history of Kentucky is identified with 
his, and as long as that noble and proud state maintains her lofty eminence, she 
will cherish his name. Gen. Clark was a resident of St. Louis for more than thirty 
years, and died there in September, 1838, aged 68 years." — Blake s Biog. Diet. 

Gov. Benjamin Howard was born in Virginia. From 1807 to 1810, he was a 
representative in Congress from Kentucky, when he was appointed governor of 
Missouri Territory. In 1813, he resigned the latter office being appointed brigadier 
general in the U. S. service. This was the period of the war with Great Britain, 
and he was in command of the 8th military department, then embracing all the 
territory from the interior of Indiana to the Mexican frontier. He died after two 
days illness, at St. Louis, in Sept., 1814. He was a brave and patriotic man, and 
his loss was sincerely felt. Several forts in the west have been named from him. 

Hon. Leivis F. Linn was born near Louisville, Ky., in 1795, and was educated 
to medicine, which he practiced after his removal to Missouri. From 1833 to 1843, 
he was a senator in congress from Missouri, and died Oct. 3d, in the last named year 



436 



MISSOURI. 



at his residence in St. Genevieve. His congressional career was eminently distin- 
guished for ability, and for his identification with the interests of the Mississippi 
Valley. His virtues were eulogized by many of the best men in the country. 

JI077. Tliomas Hart Benton "was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina, March 
14, 1782, and educated at Chapel Hill College. He left that institution without re- 
ceiving a degree, and forthwith commenced the study of law in William and Mary 
College, Virginia, under Mr. St. George Tucker. In 1810, he entered the United 
States army, but soon resigned his commission of lieutenant-colonel, and in 1811 
was at Nashville, Tenn., where he commenced the practice of the law. He soon 
afterward emigrated to St. Louis, Mo., where he connected himself with the press 
as the editor of a newspaper, the Missouri Argus. In 1820, he was elected a mem- 
ber of the United States senate, serving as chairman of many important com- 
mittees, and remained in that body till the session of 1851, at which time he failed 
of re-election. As Missouri was not admitted into the Union till August 10, 1821, 
more than a year of Mr. Benton's first term of service expired before he took his 
seat. He occupied himself during this interval before taking his seat in congress 
in acquiring a knowledge of the language and literature of Spain. Immediately 
after he appeared in the senate he took a prominent part in the deliberations of 
that body, and rapidly rose to eminence and distinction. Few public measures 
were discussed between the years 1821 and 1851 that he did not participate in 
largely, and the influence he wielded was always felt and confessed by the coun- 
try. He was one of the chief props and supporters of the administrations of 
Presidents Jackson and Van Buren. The people of Missouri long clung to him as 
their apostle and leader; and it required persevering efl'ort to defeat him. But he 
had served them during the entire period of thirty years without interruption, and 
others, who aspired to honors he enjoyed, became impatient for an opportunity to 
supplant him. His defeat was the consequence. Col. Benton was distinguished 
for his learning, iron will, practical mind, and strong memory. As a public speaker 
he was not interesting or calculated to produce an efi'ect on the passions of an 
audience, but his speeches were read with avidity, always producing a decided in- 
fluence. He was elected a representative in the thirty-third congress for the dis- 
trict of St. Louis, and on his retirement from public life devoted himself to the 
Iireparation of a valuable register of the debates in congress, upon which he 
abored until his death, which occurred in Washington on the 10th of April, 1858, 
of cancer in the stomach." — Lanman's Diet, of Congress, 



EXPULSION OF THE MORMONS FROM MISSOURI. 

[From Perkins' Annals of the West.] 

From the time of Rigdon's conversion, in October, 1830, the progress of Mor- 
monism was wonderfully rapid, he being a man of more than common capacity 
and cunning. Kirtland, Ohio, became the chief city for the time being, while 
large numbers went to Missouri in consequence of revelations to that eflfect. In 
July, 1833, the number of Mormons in Jackson county, Missouri, was over 1,200. 
Their increase having produced some anxiety among the neighboring settlers, a 
meeting was held in the month just named, from whence emanated resolutions for- 
bidding all Mormons thenceforth to settle in that county, and intimating that all 
who did not soon remove of their own will would be forced to do so. Among the 
resolutions was one requiring the Mormon newspaper to be stopped, but as this 
was not at once complied with the office of the paper was destroyed. Another 
large meeting of the citizens being held, the Mormons became alarmed and con- 
tracted to remove. Before this contract, however, could be complied with, violent 
ftroceedings were again resorted to; houses were destroyed, men whipped, and at 
ength some of both parties were killed. The result was a removal of the Mor- 
mons across the Missouri into Clay county. 

These outrages being communicated to the Prophet at Kirtland, he took steps 
to bring about a great gathering of his disciples, with which, marshaled as an 
army, in May, 1834, he started for Missouri, which in due time he reached, but 



MISSOURI. 437 

■with no other result than the transfer of a certain portion of his followers as per- 
manent settlers to a reg.ion already too full of them. At fii'st the citizens of Clay 
county were friendly to the persecuted; but ere long trouble grew up, and the 
wanderers were once more forced to seek a new home, in order to prevent outrages. 
Tliis home they found in Caldwell county, where, by permission of the neighbors 
and state legislature, they organized a county government, the country having been 
previously unsettled. 8oon after this removal, numbers of Mormons flocking in, 
settlements were also formed in Davis and Carroll: — the three towns of the new 
sect being Far West in Caldwell; Adam-on-di-ah-mond, called Diahraond or Diah- 
man, in Davis; and Dewit, in Carroll. Thus far the Mormon writers and their 
enemies pretty well agree in their narratives of the Missouri troubles; but thence- 
forth all is contradiction and uncertainty. These contradictions we can not recon- 
cile, and we have not room to give both relations; referring our readers, therefore, 
to Hunt and Greene, we will, in a few words, state our own impressions of the 
causes of the quarrel and the catastrophe. 

The Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, held two views which they were fond of 
dwelling upon, and which were calculated to alarm and excite the people of the 
frontier. One was, that the west was tt) be tlieir inheritance, and thtit the uncon- 
verted dwellers upon the lands about them were to be destroyed, and the saints to 
succeed to their property. The destruction spoken of was to be, as Smith taught, 
by the hand of God; but those who were threatened naturally enough concluded 
that the Mormons might think themselves instruments in His hand to work the 
change they foretold and desired. They believed also, with or without reason, that 
the saints, anticipating, like many other heirs, the income of their inheritance, 
helped themselves to what they needed of food and clothing; or, as the world 
called it, were arrant thieves. 

The other offensive view was, the descent of the Indians from the Hebrews, 
taught by the Book of ilormon, and their ultimate restoration to their share in the 
inheritance of the faithful: from this view, the neighbors were easily led to infer 
a union of the saints and savages to desolate the frontier. Looking with suspicion 
upon the new sect, and believing them to be already rogues and thieves, the in- 
habitants of Carroll and Davis counties were of course opposed to their possession 
of the chief political influence, such as they already possessed in Caldwell, and 
from the fear that they would acquire more, arose the first open quarrel. This took 
place in August, 1838, at an election in Davis county, where their right of suffrage 
was disputed. The affray which ensued being exaggerated, and some severe cuts 
and bruises being converted into mortal wounds by the voice of rumor, a number 
of the Mormons of Caldwell county went to Diahmond, and after learning the facts, 
by force or persuasion induced a magistrate of Davis, known to be a leading oppo- 
iient of theirs, to sign a promise not to molest them any more by word or deed. 
For this Joe Smith and Lyman Wight were arrested and held to trial. By this 
time the prejudices and fears of both parties were fully aroused; each anticipated 
violence from the other, and to prevent it each proceeded to violence. The Mor- 
mons of Caldwell, legally organized, turned out to preserve the peace; and the 
Anti-Mormons of Davis, Carroll and Livingston, acting upon the sacred principle 
of self-defense, armed and embodied themselves for the same commendable pur- 
pose. Unhappily, in this case, as in many similar ones, the preservation of peace 
was ill confided to men moved by mingled fear and hatred ; and instead of it, the 
opposing forces produced plunderings, burnings, and bloodshed, which did not 
terminate until Governor Boggs, on the 27th of October, authorized (ien. Clark, 
with the full military power of the state, to exterminate or drive from Missouri, if 
he thought necessary, the unhappy followers of Joe Smith. Against the army, 
3,500 strong, thus brought to annihilate them, and which was evidently not a mob, 
the 1,400 Mormons made no resistance; 300 fled, and the remainder surrendered. 
The leaders were examined and held to trial, bail being refused; while the mass 
of "the unhappy people were stripped of their property to pay the expenses of the 
war, and driven, men, women, and children, in mid winter, from the state, naked 
and starving. Multitudes of them were forced to encamp without tents, and with 
scarce any clothes or food, on the bank of the Mississippi, which was too full of 
iee for them to cross. The people of Illinois, however, received the fugitives when 



438 



MISSOURI. 



they reached tlie eastern shore, with open arms, and the saints entered upon a 
new and yet more surprising series of adventures than those they had already 
passed through. The Mormons found their way from Missouri into the neighbor- 
ing state through the course of the year 1839, and missionaries were sent abroad 
to paint their suBerings, and ask relief for those who were persecuted because of 
their religious views; although their ?-e//^«o?<s views appear to have had little or 
nothing to do with the opposition experienced by them in Missouri. 




Cue of tlie Iron Monntains, and rising to the bight of 
five hundred and eighty-one feet. 



THE IRON MINES OF MKSOtJRI. 

No country on the globe, of the same extent, equals Missouri in the qnantity of 
iron. "'J'lie metaliiferoas region of Missouri covers an area of at least 20,000 

square miles, or about 12,800,000 
acres, and the same formation ex- 
tends southward into Arkansas and 
westward into the territories. In 
this great region is a uniformity of 
mineral character as unusal as the 
great extent of the deposits. The 
whole country is composed of lower 
magnesian limestone, and bears 
lead throughout its entire extent, 
and in numerous localities, iron 
mines of great value exist. The 
ore is massive, generally found on 
or near the surface, and of remark- 
able purity. Among the most re- 
markable of these iron formations 
is the celebrated Iro7t Mouniaut, in 
at. Francis county, nearPotosi, and 
about 80 miles south from St. Louis 
by the Iron Mountain Railroad, 
ami 30 Avest of the Mississippi 
River. On account of the difficulty of transportation, and the prevailing impres- 
sion that the ore fron; the iron Mountain could not be smelted, it remained un- 
productive till the formation of the Iron .Mountain Company, in 1845. It now 
furnishes' the chief material for tlie St. Louis rolling-mill, and is the principal sup 
port of the iron manufactures of Missouri. 

Tlie mountain is the south-western termination of a ridge of porphyritic rocks. 
It is of a conical shape, flattened at the top, and slopes toward the west. It is 
made up exclusively of specular oxide of iron, the most abundant and valuable 
ore in the state, in its purest form, containing no perceptible quantity of other 
mineral substances except a little less than one per cent, of silica, which, accord- 
ing to Dr. Ditton, who made an analysis of the ore four or live years ago, rather 
improves than injures its quality. The quantity of the ore is inexhaustible, and, 
for most purposes, its quality requires no improvement. 

The area of the Iron Mountain covers an extent of some five hundred acres. 
It rises to the hight of two hundred and sixty feet above the general level of the 
surrounding country. Its whole top is a solid mass of iron, and one can see noth- 
ing but iron lumps as far as the eye can reach. The ore of this mountain is 
known as the specular oxide, and usually yields some sixty-eight or seventy per 
cent, of pure iron, and so free from injurious substances as to present no obstacle 
to working it directly into blooms. The metal is so excellent that much of it is 
now used by the manufacturers on the Ohio River, for mixing with the ore found 
there. There are in operation at the mountain three blast furnaces, producing 
from seven thousand to seven thousand five hundred tuns of metal annually. Be- 
sides this immense deposit of ore above the surface, a shaft sunk at the base of 
the mountain gives fifteen feet of clay and ore, thirty feet of white sandstone, 
thirty-three feet of blue [)orphyry, and fifty three feet of pure iron ore. This bed 
af mineral would be immensely valuable if there was none above the surface. 



MISSOURI. 439 

$ 

"About six miles south and a little east of the Iron Mountain are deposits of ore 
no less rich, and scarcely less extensive. These are chiefly in Pilot Knob and 
Shepherd Mountain. The Pilot Knob ore is different from all other ore of the 
neighborhood, both in appearance and in composition. It is of finer grain, and 
more compact, and breaks with a gray, steel-like fracture. It contains from ten to 
twenty per cent, of silica, which renders it more readily fusible, and better fitted 
for some purposes. The Knob is a very striking feature in the landscape. Rising 
almost perpendicularly five hundred and eighty-one feet on a base of three hun- 
dred and sixty acres, and almost wholly isolated, it has long served as a land-mark 
to the pioneers of Missouri. Hence its name. A very large portion of the moun- 
tain is pure iron. It is somewhat difficult to estimate the quantity of the ore, on 
account of its being interstratified with slate. The rocks about the base of the 
mountain are dark gray, silicious and slaty. At a hight of three hundred feet 
they show more traces of iron. At a hight of four hundred and forty-one feet 
there is a stratum of pure ore, from nineteen to twenty-four feet thick. Beneath 
and above this are beds of ore mixed with the silicious rocks. It is estimated that 
the amount of ore above the surface is not less than 13,872,773 tuns, and probably 
much more. Its igneous origin is not certain, but probable ; and hence it is proba- 
ble that it extends downward to an indefinite extent, according to the well-founded 
theory of geologists. 

Shepherd Mountain, which is a little more than a mile south-west of Pilot Knob, 
rises to a hight of 660 feet on a base of 800 acres. It is penetrated with veins or 
dykes of ore, running in diflerent directions, but mostly vertical, and of indefinite 
extent. • 

From the mine, which is worked at about 500 feet from the top of Pilot Knob, 
the ore is carried in cars on a railway running down the side of the mountain, on 
a fearfully steep inclined plane. Upon this plane we climbed laboriously to the 
mine and then ascended to the flagstaff, firmly fastened among the rocks, on the 
topmost peak, which are so well worn by the feet of strangers that they present 
the appearance of pure wrought iron, which is hardly remarkable in view of the 
fact that horse-shoes and knives have been repeatedly made from the crude ore, 
merely by hammering. 

When we state, on the authority of Prof Swallow, that there is enough ore, of 
the very best quality, within a few miles of Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain, above 
the surface of the valleys, not reckoning the vast deposits that lie beneath, to fur- 
nish one million tuns per annum of manufactured iron for two hundred years, 
some estimate may be formed of the vast advantages that must accrue to Missouri 
from the possession of so rich a store of that indispensable metal, which, greater 
in its power even than gold, has always stood pre-eminent in its influence on the 
prosperity of nations, seeming, as it were, to communicate to those who own and 
manufacture it some of its own hardy and sterling qualities." 

The mines of Elba, Sweden, and Norway, all together do not equal these peaks. 
The substantial wealth of England and Belgium is drawn from their mines, but 
neither of them possess the mineral wealth, the iron, lead, coal, tin and copper of 
this single state. 



Gen. James WilMnsou'was born in Maryland about the year 1757, was educated 
to medicine, entered the army of the Revolution, and was breveted brigadier gen- 
eral. After the war he settled in Kentucky in commercial business. Again en- 
tering the army, he had command of the United States forces in the Mississippi 
valley. In the war of 1812, he served on the northern frontier. He died in 1825, 
aged 68. He published "Memoirs of My Own Times," 3 vols. 8vo., 1816. 

Major Amos Stoddard, the first American governor of Upper Louisiana, was 
born in Woodbury, Conn., and was a soldier of the Revolution. He was subse- 
quently clerk of the supreme court in Boston, also practiced law at Hallowell, 
Maine. In 1799, he entered the army as captain of artillery. About the year 
1804, he was appointed first military commandant and civil governor of Upper 
Louisiana, his headquarters being St. Louis. He died of lockjaw in 1813, from a 
wound received at the siege of Fort Meigs. He was a man of talent, and was the 
author of Sketches of Louisiana, a valuable work. 



KANSAS. 




Kansas, prior to 1854, was included within the limits of the "Indian 
Territory," lying west of Missouri, and the adjoining states. It was thus 

called from the circumstance of its 
being the territory on which several 
tribes of Indians, mainly from east 
of the Mississippi, were located un- 
der the direction of the general gov- 
ernment. The principal tribes thus 
placed within the present limits of 
Kansas, were the Delawares, who 
were estimated at upward of 800 in 
number; the Kickapoos, at about 
900, the Shawnees, at about 1,300: 
the Kansas, one of the original 
tribes of this region, were located 
on the Kansas River, farther west- 
ward, and were supposed to number 
about 2,000, 

The first white man who traversed 
the soil of Kansas seems to have 
been M. Dutisne, a French officer, 
sent in 1719, by Bienville, the gov- 
ernor of Louisiana, to explore the territory west of the Mississippi. He 
passed up Osage River, a southern tributary of the Missouri, and visited 
several Indian villages within the present limits of Kansas. 

In 1804, Lewis and Clark, on their celebrated Rocky Mountain expedi- 
tion, passed up the Missouri River, on the eastern boundary of Kansas. 
The oldest fort on this river is Fort Leavenworth, which was established 
in 1827. This, with the missionary establishments among the Indians, were 
the first places occupied by the whites. 

In 1832, the small pox reduced the Pawnee Indians, in Kansas, one 
half. Thus, enfeebled, they entered into a treaty with the United States, 
disposing of their Kansas possessions, and agreed to reside wholly north of 
the Nebraska River, and west of Missouri. Here, under the patronage of 
government, they erected dwellings, shops, etc., and commenced agricultural 
improvements. Their young men, however, formed war parties, and com- 
mitted depredations upon the tribes around them. They were severely 

441 



Arms of Kansas. 

Motto. — Ad Aalra per Atp«ra.'-To Prosperity 

through Adversity. 



442 KANSAS. 

chastised by the Coraanchcs and Osages; and the Utahs, from their mountain 
fastnesses, avenged themselves of former cruelties. To crown the misery of 
the I'awnees, the Ulackfeet and Sioux Indians, in the north and west, rav- 
aged their fields, hurned their houses, and drove away their horses and .^attle. 
Disheartened, they migrated south, and settled near the Ottoes and Omahas, 
where the remnant now exist. 

"The whole Indian population of Kansas," says Mr. Greene, in his His- 
tory of the Kansas region, 1856, "is probably 25,000. The immigrant tribes are 
the Kiokapoos, W^'^andots, Sacs and Foxes, Munsees, Weas and Plankeshaws, 
Peorias and Kaskaskias, Ottawas, Pottowatamies, Chippewas. Delawares, and 
Shawnees; embracing in all a population of about 5,000, and including within 
their reservations, prior to the treaties of 1853 and '54, almost ten millions 
of acres. A million of acres were ceded by the Delawares, Weas and Kick- 
apoos, in May, 1853, to be sold at auction. The Shawnee Reserve embraces 
thirty miles west of the Missouri line and fifteen south of Kansas Iliver. 
The Wyandots have thirty sections in the angle formed by the confluence of 
the Kansas and Missouri. The Delawares retain a tract ten miles wide and 
forty long, extending east from the mouth of Grasshopper Creek. The Pot- 
tawatomies own tliirty miles square, cut through the middle by Kansas River. 
The Kickapoos have a small reserve at the head of the Grasshopper. North 
of the river and below Pottawatomie, the Kansas still hold a tract twouty- 
two miles long and one wide." 

In 1820, on the admission of Missouri into the Union, the congress of 
the United States pas.?ed the "Missouri Compromise" act, prohibiting slavery 
in all territory of the United States north of 36° 30'. Kansas being north 
of this line was included within the limits of the prohibition. In 1854, on 
the organization of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska, congress, after 
an exciting discussion, passed the "Kansas and Nebraska bill,"' which in 
effect rendered nugatory the Compromise Act of 1820. This at once opened 
up a contest between slave-holders and free-soil men for possession. The 
richest part of Missouri, that most densely filled with a slave population, lay 
adjacent to the soil of Kansas. Were Kansas to become free territory the 
people feared that there would be no security in western Missouri for slavery. 
Th'^y determined, therefore, to introduce and fasten the institution in 
Kansas. 

The passage of the Kansas Nebraska bill had agitated the whole country, 
and widely spread the information of the fine climate and rich soil of Kan- 
sas: this excited the desire of multitudes of the citizens of the free states 
to emigrate thither, introduce their institutions, open farms on its virgin soil, 
and found new homes for themselves and their children in the beautiful 
prairie land. The conflict which ensued between the pro-slavery and the 
free-soil parties was inevitable. 

Soon as the tidings of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill reached 
western Missouri, some thousands of the people crossed over the borders and 
selected farms, and for a while they had the control of the political move- 
ments in the territory, ere the van of the free state emigrants could reach it. 

Many of the latter came hither in bodies, neighbors joining together for 
that purpose, and in Massachusetts, an Emigrant Aid Society was created, 
for (it was alleged) pecuniary gain, by the means of organized capital in 
forming centers for settlers.* To counteract this, "Blue Lodges" were 

* The Emigrant Aid Society wi/s originally formed in Massachusetts, May 4, 1854, just 
before the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. In the succeeding February a new char- 



KANSAS. 443 

established in western Missouri to assist pro-slavery emigration. Soon all 
emigrants came armed, for events showed that only by a struggle and blood- 
shed the question of ascendency would be settled. 

A. H. Keeder, the first governor of the territory, and appointed by Presi- 
dent Pierce, arrived at Fort Leavenworth, Oct. G, 1854, and soon after visited 
Lawrence, where he was met by the citizens, and was welcomed in an address 
by Gen. Pomeroy. The governor stated in his reply that, as far as possible, 
he should maintain law and order, and preserve the freedom of speech. The 
first election of a delegate to congress took place Nov. 29, 1854. The ter- 
ritory was divided into nineteen districts. Gov. Reeder, who resided at 
Fort Leavenworth, appointed election judges, and gave instructions to have 
the vote properly taken. It appears, however, that an organized body of 
Missourians, in some instances, took forcible possession of the polls, and 
elected Gen. "Whitfield as a delegate. In the election for the territorial leg- 
islature, on 3Iarch 30, 1855, large organized bodies from Missouri controlled 
the polls, appointing their own judges, where those previously appointed 
would not conform to their wishes. In consequence of this, every district 
'^with one exception) returned pro-slavery men to the prospective legislature. 

The legislature met on the 2d of July, at Pawnee, according to the pro- 
clamation of the governor, and was organized by the election of D. S. String- 
fellow as speaker. In the course of the first week they passed an act re- 
moving the seat of government from Pawnee to the Shawnee Manual Labor 
School, to take efi'ect from and after its passage: they also passed an act 
adopting the laws generally of Missouri as the laws of Kansas. On the 6th 
of July, the governor vetoed the act removing the seat of government. It 
was, however, passed over his veto by a two thirds vote, and the two legis- 
lative house.s met at the Shawnee Mission on the 16th of July. On July 
25, in a joint session, they elected the various county ofiicers for a term of 
six years. Various other extraordinary and unusual acts were passed.* A 
resolution was carried declaring the incompetency of the governor, and a 
memorial was dispatched to Washington praying for his removal. 

Gov. Reeder and Judge Elmer, of the supreme court, having been removed by 
the general government, Wilson Shannon, an ex-governor of Ohio, was appointed 
governor, and Judge Moore, of Alabama, succeeded Judge Elmer. On Sept. 5, 
1855, a free state convention met at Big Springs, which resolved to repudiate 
all the acts passed by the legislature held at the Shawnee Mission. On the 

ter was obtained, in which the objects of the society were declared to be " For the purposes 
of directing emigration westward, and aiding in providing accommodations for the emi- 
grants after arriving at their places of destination." The total capital was about $100,000. 
The plan was to give fixed centers for emigrants, with mills, schools, and churches, and 
thus to benefit the stockholders by the opportunities which the application of associated 
capital would give in the rapid rise of the real estate around these centers. Emigrants 
under it provided their own expenses; but by going in companies had the advantages of 
traveling at reduced rates. The great bulk of emigration was not, however, from distant 
New England, but from the hardy population of the north-west, familiar with pioneer life 
and inured to its hardships. 

* "Among their labors were an act to fix the seat of government at Lecompton ; acts mak- 
ing it a ciipital offense to assist slaves in escaping either into the territory or out of it, and 
felony, punishable with imprisonment at hard labor from two to five years, to conceal or 
aid escaping slaves, to circulate anti-slavery publications, or to deny the right to hold slaves 
In the territory ; an act giving the right to vote to all persons who had paid a poll tax of 
one dollar, whether residents or not; an act requiring all voters, ofiicers, and attorneys, to 
take an oath to support the fugitive slave law and the acts of this legislature ; and an act 
giving the selection of jurors to the sheriff. They also adopted the Missouri laws in a 
heap." 



444 



KANSAS. 



19th of September, a convention assembled at Topeka, in which it was re- 
solved to take measures to form a state constitution. On the 9th of Octo- 
ber, the free state men held their election, allowing no nonresident to vote; 
2,400 votes were cast, nearly all of which were for Gov. Reeder as delegate 
to congress. They also elected delegates to assemble at Topeka, on the 
fourth Tuesday of the same month, to form a state constitution. This con- 
vention met, and chose Col. James Lane its president: a constitution was 
formed in which slavery was prohibited. Immediately after the adjourn- 
ment of this convention, the pro-slavery party called a "Law and Order con- 
vention," over which Gov. Shannon and Judges Lecompte and Elmer pre- 
sided, in which the Topeka convention was denounced as a treasonable 
assemblage. 

In Nov., one Coleman, in a quarrel about a land claim, killed a Mr. Dow, 
a free state settler, at Hickory Point, about 12 miles from Lawrence. Cole- 
man then proceeded to Lecompton, to Gov. Shannon, and swore a complaint 
against Branson, at whose house Dow had lodged, that Branson had threat- 
ened his (Coleman's) life. Branson was thereupon arrested by Sheriff Jones, 
but was rescued by his neighbors, and took refuge in Lawrence. These 
transactions caused great excitement. The people of Lawi-ence armed as 
an attack was threatened. Gov. Shannon issued his proclamation, stat- 
ing an open rebellion had commenced, and calling for assistance to carry out 
the laws: this was circulated through the border counties of Missouri, vol- 
unteer companies were raised, and nearly 1,800 men crossed over from Mis- 
souri, having with them seven pieces of cannon, obtained from the U. S. 
arsenal near Liberty, Mo. This formidable array encamped at Wakerusa, over 
against Lawrence, which was now threatened with destruction. Gov. Shan- 
non, Chief Justice Lecompte and David R. Atchison accompanied the troops. 
For more than a week the invading force continued encamped, and a deadly 
conflict seemed imminent. Fortunately for the peace of the country, a direct 
conflict was avoided by an amicable arrangement. The invading army re- 
tired from Lawrence, Dec. 9, 1855. 

In Dec, 1855, the Topeka constitution was adopted by a vote of the peo- 
ple, and state ofiicers were appointed. On Jan. 4, 1856, in a message, Gov. 
Shannon indorsed the pro-slavery legislature and code, and represented the 
formation of the Topeka constitution as equivalent to an act of rebellion 
This was followed by a proclamation, on Feb. 4th, directed against the frep 
state men, and on the strength of it, indictments for treason were foun<l 
against Charles Robinson, Geo. W. Brown, ex-Gov. Reeder, Gen. Lane, Geo. 
W. Deitzler, and others, connected with the formation of the free state gov- 
ernment. Robinson, Brown, Deitzler, and many others, were arrested and 
imprisoned at Lecompton during the entire summer, guarded by the United 
States' dragoons. 

In March, 1856, the house of representatives, at Washington, having un- 
der consideration the conflicting claims of Gov. Reeder and Gov. Whitfield 
to represent Kansas in congress, appointed a commission to investigate the 
fact. This committee consisted of Howard, of Michigan, Sherman, of Ohio, 
and Oliver, of Missouri, who, being directed to proceed to Kansas, arrived 
at liawrence on the 17th of April. While in Kansas this "congressional 
committee of investigation" collected a large mass of testimony which went 
to prove that frauds had been perpetrated by the pro-slavery party at the 
ballot box, also that many outrages had been committed, in which the free 
state settlers were principally the sufferers. 



KANSAS. 445 

Early in April, 1856, two or three hundred pro-slavery men, from Georgia 
and the Carolinas, arrived in the territory, under tlie command of Maj. Bu- 
ford, of Georgia. On the 24th of April, Sheriff Jones entered Lawrence 
and arrested several free state men. On the 8th of May, Gov. Robinson, 
while descending the Missouri on his way east, was seized and detained at 
Lexington, Mo., and afterward sent back to Kansas on the charge of treason. 
Gov. Reeder and Gen. Lane, being indicted on the same charge, succeeded 
in making their escape out of the territory. On the 21st of May, Sheriff 
Jones, with a posse of some four or five hundred men, proceeded to Lawrence, 
ostensibly for the purpose of executing the process of the courts. Several 
pieces of artillery and about 200 of Sharp's rifles were taken, two printing 
presses, with a large quantity of material, were destroyed, and the Free 
State Hotel and Dr. Robinson's mansion were burnt as nuisances. On the 
26th, a skirmish occurred at Ossawatomie, in which three free state and five 
pro-slavery men were killed. The free state men now began to make a con- 
certed and armed resistance to the pro-slavery bands which were spread over 
the country. Parties of free state emigrants coming up the Missouri, were 
turned back, and forbid entering the territory, so that their only ingress into 
Kansas was overland through Iowa. For months civil war prevailed, and 
the settlers were distressed by robberies, murders, house burnings, the de- 
struction of crops, and other atrocities. 

The free state legislature, according to the time fixed, met at Topeka, July 
4, 1856. As they were about organizing for business. Col. Sumner (who 
was accompanied by a body of U. S. dragoons), went into the hall, and claijn- 
ing to act under the authority of the president of the United States, dispersed 
the assemblage. On the 5th of Aug., a body of men from Lawrence marched 
against a post, near Ossawatomie, occupied by a company of marauders, said 
to be Georgians. After a conflict of three hours, the post, a large block- 
house, was carried with a loss of one or two killed, and several wounded on 
both sides. Other conflicts took place in other places, attended with loss of 
life. Gov. Shannon was removed early in August, and acting Gov. Wood- 
son, on the 25th of that month, issued a proclamation declaring the territory 
in a state of rebellion. 

Gov. Geary, the successor of Gov. Shannon, arrived in the territory about 
the 1st of Sept., and by proclamation ordered all the volunteer militia to be 
discharged, and all bodies of men acting without the authority of govern- 
ment, instantly to disband or quit the territory. After this the outrages and 
skirmishes rapidly diminished, and order was gradually restored. 

The next season, the pro-slavery party, at a convention held at Lecomp- 
ton, formed a state constitution, familiarly known as the Lecompton Constitu- 
tion, and in the session of 1857-8, applied to congress for admission into the 
Union. Great opposition was made to it on the ground that the convention 
which formed it was fraudulently elected, and did not represent the will of 
the people, as it was favorable to slavery. After a long and memorable 
struggle, the instrument was referred to the people of Kansas, on the 4th of 
Aug., 1858. They rejected it by a vote of more than six to one — 11,300 
against to 1,788 votes in favor. 

To this jieriod the party lines in Kansas had been divided between the 
pro-slavery and the free state men. Soon after, these distinctions gave place 
to the Democratic and Republican parties. The next territorial legislature 
met in Jan., 1859, and the Republicans, having the majority, took measures 
by which a convention met at Wyandot, in the succeeding July, and formed 



446 



KANSAS 



a stiite constitution, known as the Wi/andot C»nsfifittion, which prol;il)ited 
slavery. This constitution, on reference to the people, was adopted by a 
larj;e majority. The lower house of conj^ress, in the succeeding session, 
1859-(i0, passed the bill, but the senate failed to act upon it. so it was lost. 
Kansas, therefore, remained in a territorial condition until January MOth, 
1861, when it was admitted as a free state of the Union. The severe 
contest in regard to the institutions of Kansas was thus closed, only, how- 
ever, to give place to a more terrible struggle, involving the whole nation. 
^ Kansas is bounded N. by Nebraska, E. by Missouri, 8. by the Indian Ter- 
ritory, and W. by Colorado Territory. It extends between the parallels of 
37° 30' and 40° N. Lat., and 94° 30' and 102° W. Long. 




WmM^M'- '[ 



South view of Fort Leavetiicorlh. 

The view is taken from a point near the residence of the Chaplain. The block -honse, whicn appears 
near the central part, is the oldest building standing in Kansas. It is pierced for mnsketry and cannon ; 
the lower part is constructed of brick, the upper of logs, etc. The barrack buildings appear beyond ; the 
Quartermaster's building is seen on the right. 

The eastern part of Kansas is one of the most beautiful and fertile sections 
of country found in the United States. It consists, for the most part, of 
I'olling prairies, having a deep, rich and fertile soil. The smooth and grace- 
ful hills, covered with dense vegetation, extend westward from the Missouri 
about 200 miles, having, in many places, the appearance of a vast sea of 
grass and flowers. The timber is principally in the vicinity of the rivers and 
streams, hut a remarkable provision exists in the abundance of limestone 
found on the crest of all the elevations, just cropping out from the surface, 
hardly interfering with vegetation. This is admirably adapted for buildings 
and I'ences. Numerous coal beds are said to abound. 

The Kansas or Kaw is the only stream of importance passing into the in- 
terior. The climate is healthy, the air being pure and dry. The winters are 
usually mild and open, with little snow. Kansas possesses very superior ad- 
vantages for the raising of cattle. Almost all kinds of grain and fruits can 
be produced in great abundance. In March, 1855, the population was esti- 
mated, in round numbers, at 8,000; a year later it was estimated at 60,000; 
in 18G0, it was 107,110. 



Fort Leavenworth, formerly the most important military post in the 
United States, is situated on the west side of the Missouri River, 31 milea 



KANSAS. 



447 



above the mouth of Kansas River, and 4 miles below Weston, Mo. This is 
the oldest fort on the Missouri, having been established in 1827 : it re- 
ceived its name from Col. Leavenworth, an ofiScer of distinction in the 
Niaoara campaign. It is the great frontier depot for other military posts on 
the Santa Fe, Utah and Oregon routes, and the general rendezvous for troops 
proceeding to the western forts. The fort stands on an elevation of about 
150 feet, and about 150 yards back from the steamboat landing. Several 
thousand acres of fine land in the vicinity are reserved for the use of the force 
at this point. 




Soxith-eastern view of Leavenworth City. 

The view shows the aiii>'?arance of tlio city as swn from the Missouri side of the river. Tlie Market 
House and Theater building, surmounted Ijy a Hag, is sliown on tlie left ; and the Planters' House, the 
Steamboat and Steam Ferry Landings on the riglit. 

On some occasions, as many as 1,000 laborers and artisans have been em- 
ployed here in the government service at one time. The buildings consist 
of the barracks, magazines, the officers' houses, hospital, the quartermaster's 
building, and others. General Persifer F. Smith, the commander of the 
Utah expedition, died here on Sunday evening. May 16, 1858: his remains 
were taken east for burial. The government has a small chapel here, in 
which the Rev. Leander Ker, of Scotch descent, officiates as chaplain of the 
post. Mr. Ker likewise has the charge of a school of 30 or 40 children, the 
books, stationery, etc., being furnished by the government. 

During the difficulties with Utah, in 1858, the transportation establish- 
ment of the army, under Russell & Waddell, the contractors, between the 
fort and the city, was the great feature of this vicinity, with its acres of 
wagons, herds of oxen, and regiments of drivers and other employees. This 
firm had millions of dollars invested in the business, employed six thousand 
teamsters, and worked forty-jive thousand oxen. 



Leavenworth City, on the W. bank of Missouri River, the largest town 
and commercial metropolis of Kansas, is 3 miles below the fort, 37 N.E 
from Lawrence. 70 S. from St. Joseph, Mo., and by the Missouri River 495 



448 KANSAS. 

from St. l.ouls. Several daily and weekly newspapers are published here. 
Leavenworth city was founded in the autumn of 1854. Previous to this it 
was covered with a heavy growth of forest trees, the hunting ground for the 
officers of Fort Leavenworth, traversed by wolves, wildcats, wild turkeys, 
and deer. The first building was a frame shanty, erected in 1834, near 
which is an elm tree, under which the first number of the " Kansas Weekly 
TIerald " was printed, in September, 1854. The first printer was General 
Lucius Eastin, of Kentucky. The first public house was the Leavenworth 
Hotel : the Planters' ilous^e was erected in 1856. Rev. Mr. Martin, O. S. 
Presbyterian, was among the first clergymen who preached in the place. 
Population about 15,000. 

Wyandot is situated on the west bank of the Missouri, at the mouth of 
Kansas River, 37 miles below Leavenworth City, and 35 miles east of Law- 
rence. It is a new, beautiful and flourishing place, regularly laid out on 
ground rising gracefully from the water. Being built on the curve of the 
river, it is in full view of Kansas City, in Missouri, from which by water it 
is about a mile distant, and two miles by land ; a steam ferry-boat plies be- 
tween the two places. It is a busy town, and the outlet between southern 
Kansas and the Missouri River. At Wyandot commences the great Pa- 
cific Railroad. Population about 3,000. 

Atchison, 46 miles above Leavenworth, on the Missouri River, is, next to 
Leavenworth, the largest town in Kansas, with a population estimated in 
1865 at 8,000. Here daily start the overland stages for the Rocky jMoun- 
tains. A railroad has been commenced, leading hence to connect with the 
South Pacific on the Republican Fork. AVhen the grass starts up in the 
spring, the place is so thronged with the teams of overland emigrants one 
can scarcely cross the streets. 



Lawrence, the county seat of Douglas county, is beautifully situated on 
the right bank of Kansas River. 45 miles W. from Kansas City, Mo., and 12 
from Lecompton. The Eldridge House, 100 by 117 feet, is at this time by 
far the finest building in Kansas. Mount Oread is about half a mile S.W. 
of the Eldridge House. On this elevation it is in contemplation to build a 
college: the view from this location, embracing a space of from 50 to 70 
miles in circumference, is exceedingly beautiful. Population about 5,000. 

Lawrence received its name from Amos A. Lawrence, of Boston, Mass. 
In July, 1854, a company of 24 persons, principally from New England, 
came up the Missouri River to Kansas City, and from thence traveling by 
land, located themselves on the site of Lawrence, the spot having been selected 
by Chas. H. Branscomb, agent of the Massachusetts Aid Society. In Sep- 
tember following, a second company of about 70 persons arrived. These 
two companies of pioneers held their first regular meeting Sept. 10, 1854, 
being called to order by Dr. Robinson. A. H. Mallory was chosen presi- 
dent, C. S. Pratt, secretary, and a committee of six to manage the affairs of 
the company, viz : J. Doy, J. F. Morgan, A. H. Mallory, J. N. Nace, G. L. Os- 
borne and L. P. Lincoln. On Sept. 20, 1854, at a meeting of the "Law- 
rence Association," the following persons were chosen officers, viz: Dr. Chas. 
Robinson, president; Ferd. Fuller, vice president; Caleb S. Pratt, secretary; 
Levi Gates, jr., treasurer; Erastus D. Ladd, register; A. D. Searl, surveyor; 
John Mailley. Owen Taylor, John Bruce, jr., arbitrators; and Joel Grover, 
marshal. 



KANSAS. 



449 



Very soon after tlieir arrival, the settlers were visited by a body of 150 
'Missouri borderers, ordered to strike tbeir tents, and leave the territory to 
return no more. But this the people declining, the borderers left, and com- 
menced the organization of "Blue Lodges," to foster pro-slavery emigration. 




?i^'il':'^''"'''4"'"#V 



Northern view of Lawrence. 



Tlie vi.'W shdws the ajipeariince of Lawrence as seen from the opposite bank of Kansas River, liaviiig 
the eye slightly elevated. The Eldriilgo Hott"!, on Massachusetts-street, is seen on the right. A log 
cabin, the first structure in Lawrence, is shown near the bank. The passage down the bank to the ftjrry, 
with the Whitney and Waverly Houses above, ai)pear on the left. 

Lawrence and Leavenworth were the first towns located in Kansas. So-aae 
time in the summer of 1854, Clark Stearns, of Missouri, squatted at this 
place and erected a log cabin, the first structure built here (still standing at 
the head of Massachusetts-street). It is stated that the Lawrence Con>pany 
intended to have passed on to the Big Blue Biver, at Manhattan, some 60 
miles above. Having arrived near this spot, some of the company rode 
their liorses to the summit of Mount Oread, to find a suitable place to en- 
camp during the night. Discovering Stearns' cabin, and being charmed with 
tlie appearance of the country, they determined to stop here, and accord- 
ingly encamped on the present site of the Eldridge Hotel. 

The first meeting for public worship was held in a building constructed 
ef long poles united at the top, intertwined with sticks, twigs, hay, etc., and 
then sodded over. This was on the first Sunday after the arrival of the com- 
pany. Erastus D. Ladd, of New England origin, read a sermon on the 
occasion. The first school was kept by Edward P. Fitch, of Massachusetts. 
Thc'first framed building was erected by Bev. S. Y. Lum, of New Jersey, 
tlie first regular preacher and agent of the Home Missionary Society. The 
Free State Hotel (afterward burnt), the first in the place, was built by the 

29 



450 



KANSAS. 



Emigrant Aid Society, and was kept by Col. Eldridge. The first newspaper, 
"?'/ie Herald of Freedom,'" was issued in the fall of 1854, by Gr. W. Brown,, 
from Pennsylvania. The first merchants' shops were opened by C. L. Pratt 
and Norman Allen, on Massachusetts street. The first ferryman was Wm. 
N. Baldwin. 

Lawrence will ever be a memorable spot as having; been the head-quarters 
of the free state settlers during the "Kansas War:" it was particularly ob- 
noxious to the contrary party, on account of the free soil sentiments of the 
inhabitants. On the 11th of May, 1856, Marshal Donaldson, in order to 
arrest several obnoxious free state men, summoned a posse, took the Georgia 
emigrants, under Maj. Buford, under pay, together with several hundred 
others. Having proceeded to Lawrence, he announced* his determination to 
make arrests. The citizens, in a public meeting, denied the charge of hav- 
ing resisted the authorities of the territory. On the morning of the 21st of 
May, a body of about 500 men -came from the camp, near Lecompton, and 
halted on Mount Oread, in Lawrence, near the residence of Gov. Robinson. 
They were headed by the U. S. Marshal Donaldson, who claimed the assem- 
bled force as his posse, they having responded to his late proclamation. They 
formed in line facing the north-east, and planted two cannon in range with 
the Free State Hotel and other large buildings in Massachusetts-street. 
About noon, the marshal, with a posse of ten men, arrested G. W. Deitzler, 
Col. Jenkins, Judge Smith, and some others, taking them as prisoners to 
their camp. About 3 o'clock, P. M., Sherifi" Jones, accompanied by about 
twenty-five armed horsemen, rode up to the door of the Free State Hotel and 
stopped. Gen. Pomeroy, and several others, went out to meet him. The 
sheriff demanded that all the arms be given up to him, and said he would 
give them one hour for this purpose. Pomeroy then, after some consultation 
with the committee, delivered up several pieces of artillery. The U. S. Mar- 
shal Donaldson having dismissed his posse, they moved their two field pieces 
into Massachusetts-street, and were immediately summoned to the spot to act 
as the sherifi"'s posse. The sherifi" then gave information that the Free State 
Hotel had been presented by the grand jury of Douglas county as a nuisance, 
together with the two newspapers, the Herald of Freedom and Free State, 
and that Judge Lecompte wished them removed. A lone star flag having 
for a motto '■'■Southern Rights," was thereupon raised over these offices, the 
presses destroyed, and the type thrown into the river. An attempt was next 
made to batter down the hotel by cannon shot, but not succeeding, it was set 
on fire and reduced to ashes. After this, several private houses were robbed, 
and money, clothing, and other articles were pillaged. During the night fol- 
lowing, the house of Gov. Robinson, on Mount Oread, having a valuable 
library, was set on fire and consumed. The total damage to property in 
Lawrence was estimated at $150,000. 

During the summer, until late in the fall, civil war raged in the territory, 
many murders and other atrocities being committed. On the 14th of Sept., 
an army of 2,500 Missourians, arranged in three regiments, with five pieces 
of artillery, appeared before Lawrence, with threats of destruction to the 
town. The people threw up breastworks, and made hasty preparations for 
defense, but they must have been overwhelmed in case of attack. This was 
averted by the interference of Gov. Geary, with a body of U. S.' dragoons, 
who threw himself between the conflicting parties, and prevailed upon the 
Missourians to retire to their homes. 



KANSAS. 



451 



Lecompton is a village of about 600 inhabitants: it has a Methodist 
church and several land offices, and is some twelve miles westward of Law- 
rence, and 35 from Leavenworth. The capital was located here in August, 
1855, by the territorial legislature. A fine capitol building has been com- 
menced, the foundations laid and part of the first story reared, but owing to 
the ftvilure of obtaining the necessary appropriations, the building has been 
suspended. 




Northern view at Lecompton. 

The long building seen in the central part of the view is the Masonic Hall, in thn upper story of which 
the noted Lecompton Constitution was formed. The lower story, and most of the oth r buildings repre- 
Bonted, are used for land offices. 

The site of this place was taken up by Thomas Simmons and his son "Wil- 
liam, in the fall of 1854; in the spring of 1855, it was purchased of them 
by a company, consisting of Judge Lecompte, of Maryland, Daniel Wood- 
son, secretary, from Virginia, C. B. Donaldson, from Illinois, John A. Haider- 
man, from Kentucky," private secretary of Gov. Reeder, Samuel J. Jones, 
sheriff, from Virginia, and Dr. Aristedes Rodrique, from Pennsylvania. The 
town was then laid out, on the grounds rising from the river, covered with 
forest trees, many of which still remain. 

The first structure erected here was Simmons' log cabin, still standing 
about one fourth of a mile back from the river; the next was a log cabin 
built on the river bank, under the direction of Sheriff Jones. The first 
framed house here was put up by Samuel J. Cramer, from Virginia. Rev. 
Mr. Prichard, of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, delivered the first 
sermon in this place, over a grocery store, while, it is said, a company were 
playing cards below. Dr. Rodrique was the first physician. The first house 
of entertainment was kept on the bank of the river by a Mrs. Sipes. Part 
of the building now fitted up as a hotel, by Maj. Barnes, was used as a place 
of confinement for the free state prisoners arrested after the battle of Hick- 
ory Point, in the fall of 1856, by the United States dragoons. One hundred 
and one of these were confined here nearly three months, guarded by two 
companies of militia, under Col. Titus, being occasionally relieved by the U. 



452 



KANSAS. 



S. troops. Of these prisoners, 33 were from states east of Ohio; from 
Missouri ; and 77 from the free states of the north-west. Twenty of them 
were convicted, in Judge Lecompte's court, of manslaughter. They were 
subsequently removed to Tecumseh, and after a tedious confinement in prison 
liberated. 

The first legislative assembly, in accordance with the proclamation of Gov. 
Keeder, met at Pawnee, near Fort Riley, but having to camp out, they ad- 
journed to the Shawnee Mission. This act was vetoed by the governor, but 
the assembly passed it over his head. The next legislative assembly met in 
the Masonic Hall, in Lecompton, and it was in this building that the cele- 
brated Lecompton Constitution, the subject of so much political discussion, 
was formed. The council sat in the building later occupied by Gov. Denver, 
on the opposite side of the street. 



ToPEKA, for a time the free state capital of Kansas, is on the S. side of 
Kansas River, 25 miles westward from Lawrence, and 55 in a direct line 
from Leavenworth City. It contains two or three churches, the Constitu- 
tional Hall, etc., and about 1,000 inhabitants. A bridge was built, at an ex- 
pense of about $15,000, over the Kansas River, at this place, and finished in 
May, 1858. It was, however, soon after swept down by the great freshet of 
that year. 

"Topeka" is an Indian word, signifying '■^ wild j^ofafo," or "potato bottom," 
the place where they grow. This root, which is about as large as a man's 
thumb, is found along the bottom lands of Kansas River, and is used by the 
Indians as food. The foundation of Topeka was laid Dec. 4, 1854, by a num- 
ber of settlers, who came here from Lawrence. The company consisted of 
C. K. Halliday, from Pennsylvania; M. C. Dickey, New Hampshire; Enoch 
Chase, Jacob B. Chase and Geo. Davis, from Massachusetts; L. G. Cleve- 
land, from Iowa; Frye W. Giles, from Illinois; D. H. Home and S. A. 
Clark. Having formed themselves into the "Topeka Association," C. K. 
Halliday was chosen president. 

The first building raised here was a log cabin now standing near the ferry 
or bridge, 13 by 11 feet inside. The earth inside was covered by prairie 
grass or hay, when twenty-four persons lodged within, lying on the ground: 
while the twenty-fifth man stretched himself on a load of hay on the 
outside. The first building was burnt on the first evening of its occu- 
pancy. The company, during the winter of 1854-5, slept in their clothes, 
boots, etc. Their food was principally mush, on which they were kept in a 
healthy condition. Rev. S. Y. Lum, a congregationalist minister, preached 
the first sermon in Topeka, in the log cabin. The second place of public 
worship was in a small building constructed of clapboards, now standing on 
the premises of Col. Halliday. The first school was under Miss Harlan, now 
Mrs. J. F. Cummings, in a "shake" building, a few yards from Col. Halli- 
day 's house. The first regular house of entertainment was kept by Mrs. A. 
W. Moore, near the first log cabin. In Nov., 1855, W. W. Ross, of Ohio, 
established the first newspaper here, called the "Kansas Tribune," some 30 
numbers of which had been previously issued in Lawrence. 

On the 4th of July, 185G, the state assembly, under the Topeka constitu- 
tion, consisting of representatives from all parts of the territory, met at the 
Constitutional Hall, in Topeka. Free state men, to the number of some 
1,000 or 1,500, assembled here at the time, and were encamped about the 



KANSAS. 



453 



town. Some 600 or 800 were considered as regular railitia volunteers, and 
were under the command of Col. C. K. Halliday. At this period, such was 
the state of the times, that most of the settlers went armed, even about 
their daily avocations. The U. S. force at this time, under the command 
of Colonel Sumner, consisted of some seven hundred • dragoons and flying 
artillery, from Forts Leavenworth and Riley. In addition to this, it is stated 
that about 2,000 armed men, ostensibly gathered in various places to cele- 
brate the 4th of July, were ready to march and '■'•iclpe out" Topeka, should 
there be any resistance made to the United S'ates authorities. 




Northern view of the Bridge, etc.^ at Topeka. 

The view was tak^n a short time after the completion of the bridge, the first erer built over Kansas River. 
Tart of the village of Topeka is seen in the dist-auce on the riglit. The log cabin near the bridge is the 
first building erected in the place. 

The state assembly met at 12 o'clock at noon, at the Constitutional Hall, 
the lower story of which was occupied by the house of representatives, the 
upper by the senate. Col. Sumner, with a body of about 200 dragoons and 
a company of artillery, now came into the place, and having planted two 
cannon at the head of the avenue, with lighted matches in hand, rode up to 
the hall, arranging his troops in a semi-circular line in front. At this time 
a company of free state volunteers were assembled, and were in the act of 
receiving a silk banner from a collection of young ladies, one of whom was 
then standing at the door of the Constitutional Hal!, making the presenta- 
tion address. The dragoons having rather overridden the volunteers, the 
assemblage was broken up.-i* Col. Sumner, dismounting, entering the repre- 
sentative hall, accompanied by Marshal Donaldson. At this time, the speaker 
being temporarily absent, S. F. Tappan, the clerk, was calling the roll. Col. 
Sumner advanced, took possession of the speaker's chair, and stated that he 
was obliged to perform the most painful duty of his life, that he had rather 
spend the whole of it in opposing the enemies of his country, than to per- 
form that single act, which was, " by authority vested in him by the presi- 



-CoL S. afterward made an apology to the company assembled on the occasion. 



454 KANSAS. 

dent of the United States, now to command the body here assembled, calling 
itself the legislature of Kansas, to disperse." Judge Schuyler, addressing 
the colonel, asked, "Are we to understand that we are to be driven out at 
the poitif of (he hai/oiiet?" "I give you to understand," replied Sumner, 
" that all the force under my command will be put under requisition to carry 
out my orders; I agabi command you to disperse." The house then dispersed. 
As Sumner was passing out, he was informed that the senate was in session 
in the chamber above. Just as he entered, the chair was taken by Thomas 
Gr. Thornton, president jsro tem., with the view of calling the senate to order. 
Col. S. then informed them of what he had done below, and that he wished 
to know their intentions. Mr. Thornton replied that the senate not being 
organized, he could give no answer, but if he would wait until they were so, 
one would be given. Col. S. rejoined, that his object was to prevent an or- 
ganization. After some desultory conversation, the assemblage dispersed. 



Ossawatomie is on the Osage, at its confluence with Pottawatomie Creek, 
42 miles S.E. from Lawrence, and 28 from the Missouri line. The most 
severe conflict in the Kansas War took place here, on^'the 31st of August, 
1856. About 300 pro-slavery men, under Capt. Reid, of Missouri, marched 
with a field piece upon the town, their line extending, in battle order, from 
river to river, across the prairie westward of the place. The inhabitants 
mustered about 40 men in defense, under Capt. John Brown, who took to 
the timber, and fighting Indian fashion, from the shelter of the trees, kept 
their enemy on the open plain for some time at bay, until their ammunition 
failing, most of them effected their retreat across the river. Their women 
and children escaped to the woods on the south. Their village, consisting 
of about 30 houses, was plundered and then laid in ashes, being the second 
time it had been thus destroyed by the pro-slavery forces. "Old Brown," 
the free soil leader, sometimes called "Ossawatomie Brown," lost one of his 
sons on this occasion. Becoming fanatical on the subject of slavery, he after 
this engaged in running off" slaves from Missouri to Canada, and finally be- 
came a historical character by a conviction for treason, and a termination of 
his career on the gallows, at Harpers Ferry. 

Grasshopper Falls is about 30 miles N.W. of Lawrence. It has several 
mills an J the best water power north of Kansas River. Fort Riley is a mil- 
itary post at the junction of the two main branches of the Kansas, which, in 
high water, is navigable for small steamers to this point. Manhattan and 
Wauhonsee are two thriving towns in that vicinity. The latter was colonized 
from New Haven, Conn.; and by the identical party to whom Sharp's rijles 
were subscribed at a meeting in a church. One of them was a deacon in 
the church, and among the donors were clergymen, professors of science, 
lady principals of female seminaries, and others of quiet callings and anti- 
pugnacious tendencies. 

St. 3Iarys, on Kansas River, 51 miles below Fort Riley, is an important 
and flourishing Catholic missionary establishment among the Pottawatomies, 
and the mission buildings, the trading houses, with the Indian improvements, 
give it quite the appearance of a town. 

The Catholic Osage Mission., on the Neosho River, 45 miles from Fort 
Scott, is one of the largest missions and schools in Kansas. It was com- 



KANSAS. 



455 



menced in 1847 ; Eev. John Schoenmaker was the first superior of this mis- 
sion. Sermons are preached in Osage and English. Attached to this mis- 
sion is a manual labor school for boys, under the direction of the fathers. 
There are ten missionary stations at as many Indian villages, within sixty 
miles, attended mostly from this mission. In 1853, the Quapaw school, by 
the direction of the IT. S. government, was transferred to this mission. 

The Shawnee Mission, under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church South, is about 8 miles from the mouth of Kansas River, and 3 from 
Westport, Mo. It has very superior buildings, and a manual labor school. 
The Friends' Shawnee Labor School is 3 miles W. from the Methodist mis- 
sion. It has been in operation more than fifty years, including the period 
before their arrival. The Baptist Shawnee Mission is 2 miles N.W. from the 
Methodist School. The Kichapoo Mission is on Missouri River, 4 miles 
above Fort Leavenworth; the Iowa and Sac Mission School is just south of 
the northern line of Kansas, about 26 miles N.W. of St. Joseph. It is said 
to have been established as early as 1837. 

Council Grove is a noted stopping place on the Santa Fe road, S. from Fort 
Riley, containing several trading houses and shops, and a missionary estab- 
lishment and school. 

Council City, a tract nine miles square, recently laid out on a branch of 
the Osage, is in a S.W. course from Lawrence. 



MISCELLANIES. 

The following narrative of a visit to the Kansas Indians, is from the work 

of P. J. De 
Smet, a Catho- 
lic missionary, 
who was sent 
by the bishop 
of St. Louis, in 
1840, on an ex- 
ploring expedi- 
tion to the 
Rocky Moun- 
tains, to ascer- 
tain the spirit- 
u a 1 condition 
of the Indians, 
etc.: 

Engraved from a view in De Smet's Sketches. ^ 6 Started 

From Westport 
on the 10th of May, and after having passed by the lands of the Shawnees and 
Delawares, where we saw nothing remarkable but the college of the Methodists, 
built, it is easy to divine for what, where the soil is richest; we arrived after five 
days' march on the banks of the Kansas River, where we found those of our com- 
panions, who had traveled by water, with a part of our baggage. Two of the rela- 
tives of the grand chief had come twenty miles from that place to meet us, one of 
whom helped our horses to pass the river in safety, by swimming before them, and 
the other announced our arrival to the principal men of the tribe who waited for 
us on the opposite bank. Our baggage, wagons and men crossed in a pirogue, 
which, at a distance, looked like one of those gondolas that glide through the 




Kansas Village. 



456 KANSAS 

streets of Venice. As soon as the Kansas unrlerstond that we were snin£r to en- 
camp on tlie banks of the Soldier's River, -\vliich is only six miles from tiie village, 
tliey ixalloped rapidly away from our caravan, disappearing in a cloud of dust, so 
that we had scarcely pitched our tents when the great cliief presented himself, 
with six of his bravest warriors, to bid us welcome. After having made mo sit 
down on a mat spread on the ground, he, with much solemnitv, took from his pocket 
a portfolio containing the honorable titles that gave him a right to our friendship, 
and placed tliom in my hands. I read them, and having, with the tact of a man 
accustomed to the etiquette of savage life, furnished him with the means of smok- 
ing the calumet, he made us accept for our guard the two braves who had come 
to meet us. Hoth were armed like warriors, one carrying a lance and a buckler, 
and the other a bow and arrows, with a naked sword and a collar made of the 
claws of four bears which he had killed with his own hand. Those two brav.^s re- 
mained faithful at their post during the three days and three nights that we had to 
wiiit the coming up of the stragglers of the caravan. A small present, which wo 
made them at our departure, secured us their friendship. 

On the 19th we continued our journey to the nuiuljer of seventy souls, fifty of 
wliom were capable of managing the rifle — a force more than sufficient to under- 
take witli prudence the long march we had to make. Whilst the i-est of our com- 
pany inclined to the west, Father Point, a young Englishman and myself turned 
to tiie left, to visit the neai-est village of our hosts. At the first sight of tlinir wig- 
waiii'j, we were struck at the resemblance they bore to the large stacks of wheat 
which cover our fields in harvest time. There were of these in all no more than 
about twenty, grouped togetlier Avithctut order, but each covering a space of about 
one hundred and twenty feet in circumference, and sufficient to shelter from thirty 
to forty persons. The entire village appeared to us to consist of from seven to 
eight hundred souls — an approximation which is justified by the fact that the total 
population of the tribe is confined to two villages, together numbering 1,'.M!0 in- 
hai)itants. These cabins, however humble they may a[ipear, are solidly built, and 
convenient. From the top of tho wall, which is about six feet in hight, rise in- 
clined poles, which terminate round an opening above, serving at once for chimney 
and wimlow. The door of the edifice consists of an undressed hide on the most 
sheltered side, the hearth occupies the center and is in the midst of four upright 
posts destined to support the rotxnda; the beds are i-anged around the wall and the 
sp.ice between the beds and the hearth is occupied by the members of the family, 
smne standing, others sitting or lying on skins, or j^ellow colored mats. It would 
seem that this last named articde is regarded as an extra piece of finery, for the 
lodge assigned to us had one of them. 

As for dress, manners, religion, modes of making war, etc., the Kansas are like 
the savages of their neighborhood, with Avhom they have preserved peaceful and 
friendly relations from time immemorial. In stature, they are generally tall and 
well made. Their physioguomy is manlv, their language is guttural, and remarka- 
ble for the length and strong accentation of the final syllables. Their style of 
singing is monotonous, whence it may be inferred that the enchanting music heard 
on the rivers of Paraguay, never cheers the voyager on the otherwise beautiful 
streams of the country of tiie Kansas. 

The Kansas, like all the Indian tribes, never speak upon the subject of religion 
■without becoming solemnity. The more they are observed, the more evident does 
it become that the religious sentiment is deeply implanted in their souls, and is, of 
all others, tliat which is most frequently expressed by their words and actions. 
Thus, for instance, they never take the calumet without first rendering some homage 
to tiie (Jreat Spirit. In the midst of their most infuriate passions they address- 
him certain prayers, and even in assassinating a defenseless child, or a woman, 
they invoke the Master of Life. To be enabled to take many a scalp from their 
enemies, or to rob them of many horses, becomes tho object of their most fervid 
prayers, to which they sometimes add fiists, macerations and sacrifices. What did 
thev not do last spring, to render the heavens propitious? And for Avhat? To ob- 
tain the power, in the absence of their warriors, to massacre all the women and 
children of the Pawnees ! And in effect they carried off the scalps of ninety vic- 
tims, and made prisoners of all whom they did not think proper to kill. In their 



KANSAS. 



457 



eyes, revenge, far from being a horrible vice, is the first of virtues, the distinctive 
mark of great souls, and a complete vindication of the most atrocious cruelty. It; 
would be time lost to attempt to persuade them that there can be neither merit, nor 
glory, in the murder of a disarmed and helpless foe. There is but one exception 
to this barbarous code; it is when an enemy voluntarily seeks a refuge in one of 
their villages. As long as he remains in it, his asylum is inviolable — his life ig 
more safe than it would be in his own wigwam. But wo to him if he attempt to 
fl_y — scarcely has he taken a single step, before he restores to his hosts all the im- 
aginary rights which the spirit of vengeance had given them to his life! However 
cruel they may be to their foes, the Kansas are no strangers to the tenderest sen- 
timents of piety, friendship and compassion. They are often inconsolable for the 
death of their relations, and leave nothing undone to give proof of their sorrow. 
Then only do they suffer their hair to grow — long hair being a sign of long mourn- 
ing. The principal chief apologized for the length of his hair, informing us, of 
what Ave could have divined from the sadness of his countenance, that he had lost 
his son. 1 wish I could represent to you the respect, astonishment and compas- 
sion, expressed on the countenances of three others, when they visited our little 
chapel for the first time. When we showed them an " Ecce Homo " and a statue 
of our Lady of the seven Dolours, and the interpreter explained to them that that 
head crowned with tliorns, and that countenance defiled with insults, were the true 
and real image of a God who had died for the love of us, and that the heart they 
saw pierced with seven swords, was the heart of his mother, we beheld an affecting 
illustration of the beautiful thought of Tertullian, that the soul of man is naturally 
Christian ! On such occasions, it is surely not difficult, after a short instruction on 
true fiith and the love of God, to excite feelings of pity for their fellow creatures 
in the most ferocious bosoms. 

THE SHAWNEES IN KANSAS. 

Henry Haiwey, late superintendent of the Friends JMission among the Shawnees, 
in Kansas, gives, in his work on the history of that tribe, an account of their con- 
dition in Kansas, at the time of the passege of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. Origin- 
ally the Shawnees resided in the Ohio country: the tribe was one of the most pow- 
erful there, and has numbered among its chiefs, Tecumseh, Cornstalk, and other 
men of extraordinary talent and nobility of soul. Mr. Harvey says: 

''The Shawnees, in the year 1854, numbered about nine hundred souls, includ- 
ing the white men who have intermarried into the nation, and are thereby adopted as 
Indians. This number is perhaps not more than twenty. 

This tribe owns about one million six hundred thousand acres of land, or, about 
1,700 acres each. Many of them have good dwelling-houses, well provided with 
useful and respectable furniture, which is kept in good order by the females, and 
they live in the same manner as the whites do, and live well too. They have 
smoke-houses, stables, corn-cribs, and other outbuildings. Thej' have a good sup- 
ply of horses, cattle, hogs, and some sheep. They have many farm wagons and 
work oxen — some carriages and buggies, and are generally well supplied Avith farm- 
ing implements, and know how to use them. They raise abundance of corn and 
oats, and some wheat. Their houses are generally very neat; built of hewn logs, 
with shingled roofs, stone chimneys, and the inside work very well finished off, and 
mostly done by themselves, as there are a number of very good mechanics amftng 
the younger class. Their fencing is very good, and, taken altogether, their settle- 
ments make a very respectable appearance, and would lose no credit by a compari- 
son with those of their white neighbors in the state adjoining them, leaving out 
now and then, a farm where slaves do the labor, and thus carry on farming on a 
large scale. 

The Shawnees have a large and commodious meeting-house, where they hold a 
religious meeting on the first day of each week. They have also a graveyard at- 
tached to the meeting-house lot. They hold religious meetings often at their own 
houses during the week, generally at night. They hold their camp-meetings and 
their other large meetings, in their meeting-house, as well as their public councils, 
and also their temperance meetings; for they, in imitation of their white brethren, 



458 KANSAS. 

and as a means of arrestint; the worst evil which ever overtook the Indians, organ- 
ized a society on this sul)ject, and have their own lecturers, in which they aro 
assisted by some of the missionaries. Tlie j'-ounger chvss of them arj most inter- 
ested in this work, which is doing much good among them. Many of them have 
united theinsoI\'es to reHgious societies, and appear to be very zealous observers of 
the forms and ceremonies of religion, and notwithstanding many of them, like too 
many of their white brethren, appear to have the form of godliness but not the 
power, yet it is apparent, that there are those among them who are endeavoring to 
walk in the just man's path, which, to one who has been acquainted with them for 
a number of years, even when in their wild and savage state, affords great satisfac- 
tion. 

As regards the settlements of the Shawnees in their present situation, they are 
all located on about thirty miles of the east end of their tract; their settlements 
of course, reaching a little short of one third of the distance back from the Mis- 
souri state line. 

In passing along the California and Santa Fe roads, which run on the divide be- 
tween the streams of the Blue and Osage Rivers, and the Kansas River — in cast- 
ing the eye on either side, a handsome view is presented on both hands, of good 
dwellings, handsome farms, bordering on the forest, and fine herds of cattle and 
horses grazing in the rich prairies, as we pass, and beautiful fields of grain sown, 
planted and cultivated by the Indians themselves; and should the weary traveler 
see proper to call, and spend a night with these people, and manifest that interest 
for them, which he will be very sure to do, in viewing them in their present con- 
dition, and comparing it Avith what it once was, he will be well cared for. The 
Shawnees generally sow a large amount of grain, and often spare a large surplu3 
after supplying their own wants. 

There are now in the Shawnee nation four Missions, one under the care of the 
Methodist Church South, one under the care of the Northern Methodist Church, 
one under the care of the Baptist Church, and the other under the care of the So- 
cietv of Friends. They are all conducted on the manual labor system; about or.8 
hundred and forty children are generally in attendance at those schools. At the 
firc^t named mission there are large and commodious buildings of brick, and other 
out-buildings, and five or six hundred acres under cultivation; at the other Metho- 
dist ^Mission, a farm of about one hundred acres is under cultivation, and comfort- 
able log buildings are erected. At the Baptist Mission are good comforta1)le build- 
ings, and, I suppose, near one hundred acres adjoining to, and at some distance 
from, the farm, where the school is kept; and at the Friends' Mission are a large 
frame house and barn, and other out-buildings, and about two hundred acres under 
cultivation." 



CALIFOENIA. 




California is said, by some writers, to signify in English, hot furnace, 
and to be derived from two Spanish words, caliente fornalla, or homo: but 

this is doubtful. If true, however, 
it is properly applied, as the sun 
pours down into the valleys through 
a dry atmosphere with great power. 
Under the Mexicans, California was 
in two divisions. Lower California 
was, as now, the peninsula. Upper 
or New California comprised all of 
Mexico north of that point and the 
Gila River, and east of the Rocky 
Mountains, containing nearly 400,000 
square miles. The greater part of 
New Mexico, and of Utah, and all of 
the state of California, comprised the 
original Upper California. 

" California was discovered in 1548, 
by Cabrillo, a Spanish navigator. In 
1758, Sir Francis Drake visited its 
northern coast, and named the coun- 
try New Albion. The original settlements in California were mission estab- 
lishments, founded by Catholic priests for the conversion of the natives. In 
1769, the mission of San Diego was founded by Padre Junipero Serra. 

The mission establishments were made of adobe, or sun burnt bricks, and 
contained commodious habitations for the priests, store houses, offices, me- 
chanic shops, granaries, horse and cattle pens, and apartments for the instruc- 
tion of Indian youth. Around and attached to each, were, varying in dif- 
ferent missions, from a few hundred to several thousand Indians, who gen- 
erally resided in conical-shaped huts in the vicinity, their place of dwelling 
being generally called the randieria. Attached to each mission were a few 
soldiers, for protection against hostilities from the Indians. 

The missions extended their possessions from one extreme of the territory 
to that of the other, and bounded the limits of one' mission by that of the 
next, and so on. Though they did not require so much land for agriculture, 

459 



Abhs of California. 
Motto — Eureka — ^I have found it. 



460 



CALIFORNIA. 



and the maintenance of their stock, they appropriated the whole ; always 
strongly opposing any individual who might wish to settle on any land be- 
tween them. 

All the missions were under the charcfe of the priests of the order of San Fran- 
cisco. Each mission was under one of the fathers, wlio had despotic authority. 
The ijeneral products of the missions were large cattle, sheep, horses, Indian cqrn, 
beans and peas. Those in the southern part of California, produced also the grape 
and olive in abundance. The most lucrative product was the large cattle, their 
hides and tallow affording an active commerce Avith foreign vessels, and being, in- 
deed, the main support of the inhabitants of the territory. 

From 1800 to 1830, the missions were in the hight of their prosperity. Then, 
each mission was a little pi-incipality, with its hundred thousand acres and its 
twenty thousand head of cattle. All the Indian population, except the " Gentiles " 
of the mountains, were the subjects of the padres, cultivating for them their broad 
lands, and reverencing them Avith devout faith. 

The wealth and power in possession of the missions, excited the jealousy of the 
Mexican authorities. In 1833, the government commenced a series of decrees, 
which eventually ruined them. In 184.5, the obliteration of the missions was com- 
pleted by their sale at auction, and otherwise. 

Aside from the missions, in California, the inhabitants were nearly all gathered 
in the 2)resid;os, or forts, and in the villages, called 'Los Pueblos.' The presidios, 
or fortresses, were occupied by ii few trf)ops under the command of a military pre- 
fect or ffovernor. The Padre President, or Bishop, was the supreme civil, military 
and religious ruler of the province. There were four presidios in California, each 
of Avhich bad under its protection several missions. They were respectively, San 
Diego, Santa I'arliara, Monterey, and San Francisco. 

AVitliin four or five leagues of the presidios, Avere certain farms, called rancJiios, 
which Avere assigned for the use of the garrisons, and as depositories ot' the cattle 
and grain which AA^ere furnished as taxes from the missions. 

Los Pueblos, or towns, grew up near the missions. Their first inhabitants con- 
sisted of retired soldiers and attaches of the army, many of Avhom married Indian 
women. Of the villa;;es of this description, there Avere but three, viz : Los Ange- 
los, San .Jose, and F>ranciforte. In later times, the American emigrants established 
one on the Bay of San Francisco, called Yerba Buena, i. e. good herb, which be- 
came the nucleus of the flourishing city of San Francisco. Another was estab- 
lished by Capt. Sutter, on the Sacramento, called New Helvetia. The larger pue- 
blos Avere under the government of an alcalde, or judge, in connection Avith other 
municipal officers. 

The policy of the Catholic priests, Avho held absolute SAvay in California, until 
1833, was to discourage emigration. Hence, up to about the year 1840, the villages 
named comprised all in California, independent of those at the missions; and at 
that time, the free whites and half-breed inhabitants in California numbered less 
than six thousand souls. The emigration from the United States first commenced 
in 1838; this had so increased from year to year, that, in 1846, Col. Fremont had 
but little difficulty in calling to his aid some five hundred fighting men. Some few 
resided in the toAvns, but a majority were upon the Sacramento, where they had 
immense droves of cattle and horses, and fine farms, in the working of which they 
were aided by the Indians. They Avere eminently an enterprising and courai;;eous 
body of people, as none other at that time Avould braA'e the perils of an overland 
journey across the mountains. In the ensuing hostilities they rendered important 
services. 

At that period, the trade carried on at the difi'erent toAvns was quite extensiA-e, 
and all kinds of dry goods, groceries and hardware, OAving to the heaA'y duties, 
ranged about fiA-e hundred per cent, above the prices in the United States, Me- 
chanics and ordinary hands received from tAvo to five dollars per day. The com- 
merce AA'as quite extensive, fifteen or tAventy A'cssels not unfrequently being seen 
in the various ports at the same time. Most of the merchant A-essels Avere from 
the United States, which arrived in the spring, and engaged in the coasting trade 
until about the beginning of winter, when they departed with cargoes of hides, 



CALIFORNIA. 4g1 

tallow or fnrs, which had been collected during the previous year. Whale ships 
also touched at the ports for supplies and to trade, and vessels from various parts 
of Europe, the Sandwich Islands, the Russian settlements, asd China." 

From 1S26 to 1846, tlie date of the conquest of CiJifornia by the United States, 
ihere had been numerous civil revolutions in California; but Mexican authority 
was generally paramount. Of its conquest we give a brief account. 

In July, 1846, at the beginning of the Mexican war, an American naval force, 
under Commodore Sloat, took Monterey and San Francisco. Sloat then dispatelied 
a party to the mission of St. John, who there found that the American flag had 
been raised by Fremont. This officer, on his third exploring expedition, had arrived 
near ^lonterey in the preceding January, some months prior to the commencement 
of the war. Learning that Gen. De Castro, the military commandant at that place, 
intended to drive him from the country, he took a strong position in the mountains 
vnth his small party of 62 men, raised the American flag, and prepared for resist- 
ance. De Castro relinquished his design, but later prepared an expedition for So- 
noma, to expel all the American settlers from the country. Fremont, on learning 
this, took Sonoma on the 15th of June by surprise, captured Gen. Vallejo and other 
officers, 9 cannon, 250 mu.^ikets, and a quantity of military stores. On the 4th of 
July, Freujont assembled the American settlers at Sonoma, and by liis advice they 
■.raised the revoJiitiniiary flaij, and prepared to fight for their independence. A few 
days later they learned, through the operations of Commodore Sloat, of the exist- 
ence of Avar, and the star spangled banner was substituted for the standard of 
revolt. 

Soon after, Fremont united his force of 160 men to the marines of Commodore 
Stockton, and they sailed to San Diego. From thence they marched up and took 
Los Angelos, the seat of government. Stockton esta])lished a civ'il government, 
and proclaimed himself governor. In September, Los Angelos being left with a 
small garrison, under Capt. (iillespie, was taken by a superior Mexican force led by 
Gens. Flores and Pico. 

In Novemljer, the army of Gen. Kearney, having conquered New Mexico, arrived 
in their overland march across the continent, on the southern borders of Califor- 
nia. On the Gth of December, an advance party of 12 dragoons ami 30 volunteers 
had a battle with 160 mounted Mexicans near San Pasqual. The Americans were 
victorious. Gen. Kearney was twice wounded, Capts. Johnson and Moore, liieut. 
Hammond and most of the other officers, together with nineteen of the men, were 
either killed or wounded. 

On the 29th of December, Kearney took command of five hundred marines, with the 
land forces, and moved towMrd Angelos, to co-operate with Col. Fremont in quellinjj the 
revolt, now backed by a Mexican army of six hundred men, under Gens. Flores and Pico. 
These forces he met and defeated at San Gabriel on the 8th of January. The next day, 
he again fought and routed them at Mesa. The Mexicans then marched twelve miles 
past Angelos to Cowenga, where they capitulated to Col. Fremont, who had, after a 
tedious, wintry march from the north, of four hundred miles, arrived at that place. 

On the Kith of January, Com. Stockton commissioned Fremont as governor, the duties 
of which he had discharged about six weeljs, when Gen. Kearney, accordino; to orders re- 
ceived from government, assumed the office and title of governor of California. Com. 
Shubrick, who was now the naval commander, co-operated with Kearney, whose forces 
were augmented about the last of January, by the arrival of Col. Cooke with the Mor- 
mon battalion, which had marched from Council I'duffs to Santa Fe. 

Gen. Kearney, by direction of government, placing Col. Mason in the office of governor, 
on the 16th of June took his way homeward across the northern part of California, and 
from thence crossed the Rocky IMouutains throu2;h the South Pass. 

Before the news of peace was received in California, a new era commenced in the dis- 
covery of the gold mines. The peculiar state of affairs brought about by this, with the 
great rush of population, was such that the people were in a measure compelled to form a 
constitution of state government. The convention, for this purpose, met at Monterey in 
1849, and on the 12th of October, formed the constitution, which was adopted by the peo- 
ple. After much delay, California was admitted into the Union by action of congress, in 
September, 18.50. 

i'he first officers elected under the state constitution were, Peter H. Burnett, governor; 
John .McDousal, lieut. governor; John C. Fremont, Wm. iVI. Gwin, U. S. senators; Geo. 
W", Wright, Edward Gilbert, U. S. representatives: Wm. Van Vorhies, secretary of state; 



462 CALIFORNIA. 

Richard Roman, treasurer; J. S. Houston, comptroller; Ed. J. C. Kewen, attorney gen- 
eral; Clias. J. Whiting, surveyor general; S. C. Hastings, chief justice; and J.A.Lyon 
and Nathaniel Bennett, associates. 



California, one of the Pacific states, is about 750 miles long, with an 
average breadth of about 200 miles, giving an area of 150,000 square 
miles. Its southern boundary approximates in latitude to that of Clwirles- 
ton, South Carolina: its northern to that of Boston, Massachusetts. This, 
with its variation of surface, gives it a diversity of climate, and consequently 
of productions. Geographically, its position is one of the best in the world, 
lying on the Pacific fronting Asia. 

" California is a country of mountains and valleys. The principal mountains are 
the Sierra Nevada, ?". e. snowy mountains. This sierra is part of the great moun- 
tain range, which, under dififerent names, extends from the peninsula of California 
to Ilussian America. Rising singly, like pyramids, from heavily timbered plateaux, 
to the hight of fourteen and seventeen thousand feet above the ocean, these snowy 
peaks constitute the characterizing feature of the range, and distinguish it fi-om 
the Rocky ^[ountains and all others on our part of the continent. The Sierra Ne- 
vada is the grandest feature of the scenery of California, and must be well under- 
stood before the structure of the country and the character of its different divis- 
ions can be comprehended. Stretching along the coast, and at the general dis- 
tance of one hundred and fifty miles from it, this great mountain wall receives the 
warm winds, charged with vapor, which sweep across the Pacific Ocean, precipi- 
tates their accumulated moisture in fertilizing rains and snows upon its western 
flank, and leaves cold and dry winds to pass on to the east. The region east of the 
sieri-a is comparatively barren and cold, and the climates are distinct. Thus, while 
in December the eastern side is winter, the ground being covered with snow and 
the rivers frozen, on the west it is spring, the air being soft, and the grass fresh 
and green. West of the Sierra Nevada is the inhabitable part of California. 
North and south, this region extends about ten degrees of latitude, from Oregon to 
the peninsula of California. East and west it averages, in the middle part, one 
hundred and fifty, and in the northern part, two hundred miles, giving an area of 
about 100,000 square miles. Looking w^estward from the summit, the main featui'e 
presented is the long, low, broad valley of the Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers — 
the two valleys forming one, five hundred miles long and fifty broad, lying along 
the base of the sierra, and bounded on the west by the low coast range of 
mountains, which separates it from the sea. Side ranges, parallel to the sierra 
and the coast, make the structure of the remainder of California, and break it 
into a surface of valleys and mountains — the valleys a few hundred, and the moun- 
tains two or three thousand feet above the sea. These form great masses, and at 
the north become more elevated, where some peaks, as the Shaste — which rises 
fourteen thousand feet, nearly to the hight of Mont Blanc — enter the region of 
perpetual snow. The two rivers, San Joaquin and Sacramento, rising at opposite 
ends of the same great valley, receive their numerous streams, many of them bold 
rivers, unite half way, and enter the Bay of San Francisco together." 

Greeley, in his letters written in 1859, gives a clear view of the resources 
of California. We here copy from them in an abridged form. The first 
quoted from was written at San Jose. 

The state of California may be roughly characterized as two ranges of moun- 
tains — a large and a small one — with a great valley between them, and a narrow, 
irregular counterpart separating the smaller from the Pacific Ocean. If we add 
to these a small strip of arid, but fertile coast, and a broad sandy desert behind it, 
lying south-west of California proper, and likely one day to be politically severed 
from it, we have a sufficiently accurate outline of the topography of the Golden 
State. 

Such a region, stretching from N. lat. 32 deg. 30 min. up to lat. 42 deg, and 
rising from the Pacific Ocean up to perpetually snow-covered peaks 15,000 feet 



CALIFORNIA. 



46? 



high, can hardly be said to have a climate. Aside from the Alpine crests of the 
sierra, and the sultry deserts below the Mohave and Santa Barbara, California em- 
bodies almost every gradation of climate, from the semi-arctic to the semi-tropical. 
There are green, fertile fields in the sierra which only begin to be well grassed 
when the herbage of the great valley is drying up, and from which the cattle are 
driven by snows as early as the 1st of October — long before grass begins to start 
afresh on the banks of the Sacramento. There are other valleys upon and near 
the sea-coast, wherein frost and snow are strangers, rarely seen, and vanishing with 
the night that gave them being. Generally, however, we may say of the state that 
it has a mild, dry, breezy, healthy climate, better than that of Italy, in that the sultry, 
scorching blasts from African deserts have here no counterpart. Save in the 
higher mountains, or in the extreme north-east, snow never lies, the earth never 
freezes, and Avinter is but a milder, gi'eener, longer spring, throughout which cattle 
pick up their own living far more easily and safely than in summer. 

The climate of the valleys may be said to be created, as that of the mountains 
is modified, by the influence of the Pacific Ocean. Sea breezes from the south- 
west in winter, from the north-west in summer, maintain an equilibrium of tem- 
perature amazing to New Englanders. San Fi-ancisco — situated on the great bay 
formed by the passage of the blended waters of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin 
— the former draining the western slope of the Sierra Nevada from the north, as 
the latter does from the south — is thus, as it were, in the throat of the bellows 
through which the damp gale's from the Pacific are constantly rushing to cool the 
parched slopes or warm the snow-clad bights of the interior. I presume there was 
never a day Avithout a breeze at San Francisco — generally a pretty stiff" one. This 
sea breeze is always damp, often chilly, and rolls up clouds which hide the sun for 
a part, at least, of most days. Though ice seldom forms, and snow never lies in 
her streets. San Francisco must be regarded as a cold place by most of her visiters 
and unacclimated summer denizens. I presume a hot day was never known there, 
and no night in which a pair of good woolen blankets were not esteemed a shelter 
and a comfort by all but extremely hot-blooded people. Thick flannels and warm 
woolen outer garments are worn throughout the year by all who have or can get 
them. In short, San Francisco is in climate what London would be with her sum- 
mer rains transformed into stiff and almost constant breezes. 

The soil of California is almost uniformly good. The valleys and ravines re- 
joice in a generous depth of dark vegetable mold, usually mingled with or resting 
on clay ; while the less precipitous hill sides are covered with a light reddish clayey 
loam of good quality, asking only adequate moisture to render it amply productive. 
Bring a stream of water almost anywhere, save on the naked granite, and you in- 
cite a luxuriant vegetation. 

Yet the traveler who first looks down on the valleys and lower hill-sides of Cali- 
fornia in midsummer is generally disappointed by the all but universal deadness. 
Some hardy weeds, a little sour, coarse grass along the few still living water courses 
some small, far-between gardens and orchards rendered green and thrifty by irri- 
gation, form striking exceptions to the general paralysis of all annual manifesta- 
tions of vegetable life. 

.... These slopes, these vales, now so dead and cheerless, are but resting from 
their annual and ever successful efforts to contribute bountifully to the sustenance 
and comfort of man. Summer is their season of torpor, as winter is ours. Dead 
as these wheat fields now appear, the stubble is thick and stout, and its indications 
are more than justified by the harvest they have this year yielded. 

Cattle growing was the chief employment of the Californians of other days, and 
cattle-growing, next after mining, is the chief business of the Californians of 1859. 
There are comparatively few farms yet established, while ranches abound on every 
side. A corral, into which to drive his wild herd when use or security is in ques- 
tion, and a field or two in which to pasture his milch cows and working cattle, are 
often all of the ranchei\\?it is inclosed; the herd is simply branded with the owner's 
mark and turned out to range where they will, being looked after occasionally by 
a mounted ranchero, whose horse is trained to dexterity in running among or 
around them. 

Fruit, however, is destined to be the ultimate glory of California Nowhere else 



464 CALIFORNIA. 

on earth is it produced so readily or so l)Ountifiilly. Such pears, peaches, apricots, 
ni'Ctariiies, etc., as load tlie trees of nearly every valley in the state which has had 
anv cli:ince to produce them, would statrger the iaith of nine tenths of nt; readers. 
I'oach trees only six years set, which have borne four large burdens of fruit while 
growing luxuriantly each year, are quite common. Apple trees, but thi-ee years 
set, yet showing at least a bushel of large, fair fruit, are abundant. I have seen 
peach trees four or five years from the states which have all the fruit they can 
stagger under, yet have grown three feet of new wood over this load during the 
current season. Dwarf ))ears, just stuck into the black loam, and nowise fertilized 
or cultivated, but covered with fruit the year after they were set, and thencefor- 
ward bearing larger and larger yields with each succeeding summer, are seen in 
almost every tolerably cared-for fruit patch. I can not discover an instance in 
which any A-uit-tree, having borne largely one 3'ear, consults its dignity or its ease 
by staniiing still or growing wood onl}' the next year, as is common our way. ] 
have seen green gages and other plum-trees so thickly set with fruit that 1 am sum 
the plums would far outweigh the trees, leaves and all. And not one borer, curcu- 
lio, caterpillar, apple worm, or other nuisance of that large and undelightful family, 
appears to ])e known in all this region. Under a hundred fruit-trees, you will not 
see one bull) which has prematurely Allien — a victim to this destructive brood. 

That California is the richest of all the American states in timber, as well as in 
minerals, I consider certain, though the forests of Oregon are doulitless stately and 
vast. Even the Coast liange between Sau Jose valley and Santa Cruz on tlie south- 
west, is covered by magnificent redwood — some of the trees sixteen feet through, 
and fifty in circumference. In soil, 1 can not consider her equal to Illinois, Iowa, 
Kansas, or Minnesota, though the ready markets afforded by her mines to her farms 
proljably render this one of the most inviting states to the enterprising, energetic 
husbandman. But it must be considered that -not half the soil of California can 
ever be deemed arable; the larger area 4jeing covered by mountains, ravines, 
deserts, etc. 

The persistent summer drouth is not an unmixed evil. It is a guaranty against 
many insects, and against rust, even in the heaviest grain. Grain and hay are got 
in at far less cost and in much better avernge condition here than they can be 
where the summers are not cloudless nor rainless. Weeds are far less persistent 
and pestilent here than at the east; while the air is so uniformly dry and bracing, 
and the days so generally tempered by a fresh breeze, that the human frame main- 
tains its elasticity in spite of severe and continued exertion. 1 was never before 
in a region where so much could be accomplished to the hand in summer as just 
here. 

Irrigation is exceptional, even here. All the grains are grown here without irri- 
gation; but the small grains are hurried up quite sharply by drouth, and in some 
instances blighted by it, and at best are doubtless much lighter than they would 
be with a good, soaking rain early in June; while Indian corn and most roots and 
vegetables can only in favored localities be grown to perfection without artificial 
watering. I estimate that, if all the arable land in the state, fertile as it undoubt- 
edly is, were seasonably planted to corn and fairly cultivated, without irrigation, 
the average yield would fall below ten bushels per acre. Hence every garden 
throughout the state, save a part of those near the coast and within the immediate 
influence of the damp sea breeze, must have its stream of water or it comes to 
nothing, and various devices are employed to procure the needful fluid. Of these 
1 like Artesian wells far best; and they are already numerous, especially in this 
valley. I5ut ordinary wells, surmounted by windmills which press every casual 
breeze into the service and are often pumping up a good stream of water while the 
owner and all hands are asleep, are much more common, and are found to answer 
very well; while some keep their little gardens in fair condition by simply draw- 
ing water, bucket after bucket, in the old, hard way. 

In a subsequent letter, written from Mar3'svi]le, the chief town of north- 
ern California, at the junction of the Yuha and Feather Ilivers, Mr. Gree- 
ley gives a description of what he saw of the agricultural riches of that 
fertile region. We again r^uote : 



CALIFORNIA. 465 

The edifice erectttd by the public spirit of Marysville fca* the fairs which are to 
be held here annually, and at which all northern California is invited to compete 
for very liberal premiums, is quite spacious and admirably adapted to its purpose ; 
and herein is collected the finest show of fruits and vegetables 1 ever saw at any- 
thing but a state fair. Indian corn not less than twenty feet high; squashes like 
brass kettles and water-melons of the size of buckets, are but average samples of 
the wonderful productiveness of the Sacramento and Yuba valleys, Avhile the 
peaches, plums, pears, grapes, apples, etc., could hardly be surpassed anywhere. 
The show of animals is not extensive, laut is very fine in the departments of horses 
and horned cattle. The most interesting feature of this show was its young stock 
• — calves and colts scarcely more than a year old, equal in weight and size, while 
far superior in form and symmetry, to average horses and bulls of ripe maturity. 
With generous fare and usage, I am confident that steers and heifers two years 
old in California will equal in size and development those a year older in our north- 
ern states, and California colts of three years be fully equal to eastern colts of like 
blood and breeding a good year older — an immense advantage to the breeder on 
the Pacific. 1 am reliably assured that steers a year old, never fed but on wild 
grass, and never sheltered, have here dressed six hundred pounds of fine beef 
Undoubtedly, California is one of the cheapest and best stock growing countries in 
the world — and will he, after these great, slovenly ranches shall have been broken 
up into neat, modest farms, and when the cattle shall be fed at least three months 
in each year on roots, hay and sorghum, or other green fodder. 

The valleys of the Yuba and Feather Kivers are exceedingly deep and fertile, 
and their productiveness in this vicinity almost surpasses belief 1 visited this 
morning, in tlie suburbs, gardens, vineyards, orchards, of rarely equaled fruitful- 
ness. The orchard of Mr. Bri<r;gs, fur example, covers 160 acres, all in young fruit, 
probably one half peaches. He has had a squad of thirty or forty men picking 
and boxing peaches for the last month, yet his fruit by the cartload ripens and rots 
ungathered. The wagons which convey it to the mines have their regular stations 
and relays of horses like mail stages, and are thus pulled sixty miles up rough 
mountain passes, per day, where twenty -five miles would be a heavy day's work for 
any one team. Hut he is not sending to the mines only, but by steamboat to Sac- 
ramento and San Francisco as well. His sales last j'ear, 1 am told, amounted to 
$90,000; his net income was not less than $40,000. And this was realized mainly 
from peaches, apricots and nectarines; his apples and pears have barely begun to 
bear; his cherries will yield their first crop next year. There are of course heavier 
fruit growers in California than Mr. Briggs, but he may be taken as a fair sample 
of the class. Their sales will doubtless be made at lower and still lower prices; 
they are now a little higher than those realized for similar fruit grown in New 
Jersey; they were once many times higher than now; but, though their prices 
steadily decrease their incomes do not, because their harvests continued to be aug- 
mented by at least twenty five per cent, per annum. 

Let me give one other instance of successful fruit growing in another district: 
Mr. Fallon, the mayor of San Jose, has a tine garden, in which are some ten or 
twelve old pear trees — relics of the Spanish era and of the Jesuit missions. The 
trees being thrifty but the fruit;indifi"erent, I\Ir. F. had them pretty thoroughly 
grafted with the Bartlett variety, and the second year thereafter gathered from one 
tree one thousand pounds of Bartlett pears, which he sold for $200, or twenty cents 
per pound. The other trees similarly treated bore him six to seven hundred pounds 
each of that large, delicious fruit, which he sold at the same price. And, every 
year since, these trees have borne large yields of these capital pears. 

Just a word now on grain. California is still a young state, whose industry and 
enterprise are largely devoted to mining; yet she grows the bread of her half a 
million well-fed inhabitants on less than a fortieth part of her arable soil, and will 
this year have some to spare. I am confident her wheat crop of 1859, is over four 
millions of bushels, and 1 think it exceeds twenty-five bushels for each acre sown. 
To day, its price in San Francisco is below a dollar a bushel, and it is not likely 
to rise very soon. Though grown, harvested and threshed by the help of labor 
which costs her farmers from thirty to forty dollars per month, beside board, it is 
etill mainly grown at a profit; and so of a very large breadth of barley, grown' 

30 



"466 CALIFORNIA. 

here instead of oats fis food for workini; horses and cattle. Though wheat is prob- 
ably the lullest, 1 judsj;e that barley is the surest of any grain crop grown in the 
state. It has never failed to any serious e.xtent. 

Indian corn is not extensively grown ; only the Russian River and one or two 
other small valleys are generally supposed well adapted to it. And yet, 1 never 
saw larger or better corn growing than stands to-day right here on the Yuba — not 
a few acres merely, but hundreds of acres in a Itody. J judge that nearly all the 
intervales throughout the state would produce good corn, if well treated. On the 
hill-sides, irrigation may be necessary, but not in the vallejs. None has been re- 
sorted to here, yet the yield of shelled grain will range between 75 and 100 bush- 
els per acre. And this is no solitary instance. Back of Oakland, across the bay 
from 8an Francisco, Mr. Ilobart, a good farmer from ^lassachusetts, showed me 
acres of heavy corn Avhich he planted last May, after the rains had ceased and the 
drj' season foirly set in, since which no hoe nor plow had been put into the field; 
yet the soil remains light and porous, while there are very few weeds. Not one 
drop of water has been applied to this farm; yet here are not only corn, but pota- 
toes, beets, etc., with any number of young fruit trees, all green and thriving,' by 
virtue of subsoiling and repeated plowings last spring. The ground (sward) was 
broken up early in the winter, and cross-plowed whenever weeds showed their 
heads, until planting time; and this discipline, aided by the drouth, has prevented 
their starting durifcg the summer. Such thorough preparation for a crop costs 
something; but, this once made, the crop needs here only to be planted and har- 
vested. Such farming pays. 

. The fig tree grows' in these valleys side by side with the apple ; ripe figs are now 
gathered daily from nearly all the old Mexican gardens. The olive grows finely 
in southern California, and 1 believe the orange and lemon as well. But the grape 
bids fair to become a staple throughout the state. Almost every farmer who feels 
sure of his foothold on the land he cultivates either has his vineyard already 
planted, or is preparing to plant one, while most of those who have planted are ex- 
tending from year to year. I have looked through many of these vineyards, with- 
out finding one that is not thrifty — one that, if two years planted, is not now loaded 
■with fruit. The profusion and weight of the clusters is marvelous to the fresh be- 
holder. I will not attempt to give figures; but it is my deliberate judgment that 
grapes may be grown here as cheaply as wheat or corn, pound for pound, and that 
wine will ultimately be made hero at a cost per gallon not exceeding that of whisky 
in Illinois or Ohio. Wine will doubtless constitute a heavy export of California 
within a very few years. So, I think, will choice timber, should the wages of labor 
ever fall here so as to approximate our eastern standards. 

I can not conclude this survey without alluding once more to the deplorable con- 
fusion and uncertainty of land titles which has been and still is the master seourga 
of this state. The vicious Spanish-Mexican system of granting lands by the mer6 
will of some provincial governor or municipal chief, without limitation as to area 
or precise delineation of boundaries, here devolopes and matures its most perni- 
cious fruits. Your title may be ever so good, and yet your farm be taken from 
under you by a new survey, proving that said title does not cover your tract, or 
covers it but partially. Hence many refuse or Atglect to improve the lands they 
occupy, lest some title adverse to theirs be established, and they legally ousted or 
compelled to pay heavily for their own improvements. And, in addition to the 
genuine Spanish or ^lexican grants, which the government and courts must con- 
firm and uphold, there are fictitious and fraudulent grants — some of them only 
trumped up to be bought off, and often operating to create anarchy and protract 
litigation between settlers and the real owners. Then there are doubtless squat- 
ters who refuse to recognize and respect valid titles, and waste in futile litigation 
the money that might make the lands they occupy indisputably their own. Were 
the titles to lands in California to-day as clear as in Ohio or Iowa, nothing could 
check the impetus with which California would bound forward in a career of un 
paralleled thrift and growth. It were far better for the state and her people that 
those titles were wrongly settled than that they should remain as now. I met to 
day an intelligent farmer who has had three different farms in this state, and has 
lost them successively by adjudications adverse to his title. The present cost of 



CALIFORNIA. 



467 



litigation, enormous as it is, is among the lesser evil consequences of this general 
anarchy as to land titles. 

Should these ever be settled, it will be probably found advisable to legislate for 
the speedy breaking up and distribution of the great estates now held under good 
titles by a few individuals. There will never be good common schools on or about 
these great domains, which will mainly be inhabited by needy and thriftless ten- 
ants or dependents of the landlords. An annual tax of a few cents per acre, the 
proceeds to be devoted to the erection of school houses and the opening of roads 
through these princely estates, would go far to effect the desired end. But, whether 
by this or some other means, the beneficent end of making the cultivators of the 
soil their own landlords must somehow be attained — the sooner the better, so that 
it be done justly and legally. In the course of several hundred miles' travel 
through the best settled portions of this state, I remember having seen but two 
^school houses outside of the cities and villages, while the churches are still more 
uniformly restricted to the centers of population. Whenever the land titles shall 
have been settled and the arable lands have become legally and fairly the property 
of their cultivators, all this will be speedily and happily changed. 

There are two seasons in California, the dry and the rainy, the latter ex- 
tending from the 1st of November to the 1st of April. During the rainy 
season are intervals of fine weather, in which all the plowing and sowing is 
done. 

" The mining interests of California are vast and inexhaustible. The state 
abounds in mineral wealth, and in great varieties, and there is no knowing 
to what extent these riches may be developed. The gold region embraces a 
district of country extending from the Oregon line on the north to Kern 
River in the south, a distance of nearly five hundred miles in length, and 
from ten to one hundred and fifty miles in width. Mining is successfully 
carried en in some twenty-five counties, and not more than one fifth of this 
gold region is occupied by miners at the present time." From 1849 to 1860, 
it was estimated that gold to the value of 600 millions of dollars had been 
taken out of the mines of California and sent abroad. 

" In a few years California will become a vast empire within herself The peo- 
ple have the use of all the mineral lands without any cost whatever, except the 
tax on their personal property, but no mining claim is taxed. Every vacant piece 
of land in the mines is subject to location by any one who may wish to settle on 
it, and as long as he remains his possessory right is as good a title as he wants. 
The mineral lands are expressly reserved from sale by act of congress, and the 
legislation of the state, so far, has been to let them alone, yet recognizing the rules 
of each mining camp as the law under which the miners hold their different kind 
of claims. 

The pre-emption laws of the United States have been extended to California, and 
persons settling upon the public land can have the benefit of them. Of the sur- 
veyed lands the state is entitled to the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections of each 
township, for school purposes. She was granted 500,000 acres by congress for in- 
ternal improvements, but a provision in her constitution diverts them to educa- 
tional purposes. Thus California has over 6,000,000 acres out of which to build 
up her school system. 

She has also 5,000,000 of acres of swamp land, donated her by congress. This 
land is destined to become the most valuable in the state. It is all alluvial and of 
inexhaustible richness. By an act of the state legislature, any person can locate 
640 acres of this at one dollar an acre, by paying one fifth down and the balance 
in five years. She is thus the absolute owner of over eleven millions of acres, and 
constituting a basis of prosperity and usefulness of which perhaps no other state 
can boast." 

The population of California, January 1, 1849, was estimated at 26,00Q, 
viz: natives of the country, not including Indians, 13,000; United States 
Americans, 8,000; and Europeans, 5,000. The whole number of Indians 



4*58 CALIFORNIA. 

was probably then about 40,000. In 1852, a state census gave the population 
as 2t!4,435. The census of 1860 gave a population of 384,770. A very large 
proportion of the inhabitants are males and of mixed nationalities. A Cal- 
ifornia writer thus estimates the number of the various classes of the popu- 
lation in 1859: 

"There may now be 125,000 voters in the state, certainly not more. Of alien 
men, there are about 15,000 Frenchmen, 7,000 Spanish Americans, 8,000 Britons 
and Irishmen, 4,000 Italians, 5,000 Gei-mans, and 6,000 miscellaneous Europeans^ 
40,000 alien white men in all. AVe have thus 170,000 white men. There are 
50,000 Chinamen,* as ascertained from the custom house books. This fi.irure is 
more exact than the census returns will be. Thus we have 220,000 men, of whom 
about 88,000 (two fifths reside in the farming districts, including the cities, and 
three fifths in the mining districts. In the former there are, on an average, two 
men to a woman ; in the latter, five men to a woman ; so that, in the farming dis- * 
tricts, there will be of men and women, 132,000, and in the mining districts, 
158,400, or 70,400 women in the state. Add 90,000 minors, including school chil- 
dren, and we have 380,400. To these add 5,000 negroes and '.1,600 Indians, and we 
have 395,000 as the total population of the state. The mining districts have a 
large majority of the Chinamen and aliens ; the farming districts have a majority 
of the citizens, and a large majority of the women and children. Of the nativity 
of the 125,000 voters, I make the following estimate, viz: 40,000 native Americans 
from the free states, 30,000 Americans from the slave states, 25,000 Irishmen, 
20,000 Germans, and 1 0,000 miscellaneous persons of foreign birth, including 
British, Hungarians, Spaniards, etc. If this estimate be correct, you will perceive 
that our population is very much mixed. But the English language prevails every- 
where, and in another generation it will be the mother tongue of all the children 
born of parents now in the state." 

San Francisco, the commercial capital of California, is in the same lati- 
tude with Lisbon, and also with Richmond, Virginia, and distant on an air 
line from the latter 2,500 miles. Its latitude is'37° 48' and longitude 122° 
25' W. from Greenwich. Her trade is immense, being the fourth commer- 
cial city in the Union. Her situation is unrivaled, fronting the Pacific at 
the head of the magnificent Bay of San Francisco, which has no equal for a 
line of thousands of miles of coast. " The connection of San Francisco 
with the great interior valley of the state being the only water communication 
with, it, together with its easy communication with Asia, gives it vast com- 
mercial advantages. Approaching it from the sea, the coast presents a bold 
mountainous outline. The bay is entered by a strait running east and west, 
about a mile broad at its narrowest part, and five miles long from the ocean, 
when it opens to the north and south, in each direction more than thirty 
miles. It is divided by straits and projecting points, into three separate 
bays, the two northern being called San Pablo and Suisun, and the south- 
ern, San Francisco. The strait is called the 'Golden Gate,' on the same prin- 
ciple that the harbor of Constantinople was called the 'Golden Horn,' viz; 
its advantages for commerce." 

*"0f all this number of 50,000 Chinamen, by the laws of California, not one is allowed 
to vote, not one to give evidence in a court of justice, but kept virtually outlawed, and 
liable to all manner of unlimited abuse, robbery, or personal cruelty, with no possibility of 
redress, except some European happens to be an eye-witness. If some renegade Celt of 
Saxon wishes to plunder a Chinaman, knowing the law and the poor man's defenselessness 
he has but to choose a time when none but Chinese eyes are looking on ! A hundred Chi* 
nese may witness a deed of violence, but their united testimony is worthless and inadmis 
Bible against a European or American evil-doer within the limits of the state." . 



(Jto 



CALIFORNIA. 459 

San Francisco, as a town, is of very recent origin: but the immediate vi- 
cinity has a history dating back to the year 1776. Then the Mission of San 
Francisco was founded, which stood two and a half miles south-west of the 
cove of Yerba Buena; at the same time was erected a presidio and a fort 




Harbor of San Francisco. 

along the margin of the Golden Gate. In 1835, the first habitation waa 
reared on the site of San Francisco, by Capt, W. A. Richardson, who, being 
appointed harbor master, erected a tent of a ship's foresail, and supported it 
by four redwood posts. His business was to manage two schooners, which 
brought produce from the various missions and farms to the sea going ves- 
sels that came into the cove. In May, 1836, Mr. Jacob Primer Leese arrived 
in the cove, with the intention of establishing a mercantile business in con- 
nection with partners at Monterey. He erected the first frame house, which 
was 60 by 25 feet, placing it alongside of the tent of Richardson, and on the 



470 CALIFORNIA. 

site of the St. Francis Hotel, corner of Clay and Dupont-streets. The man- 
sion was finished on the 4th of July, and the day was celebrated by a grand 
banquet. The guests, numbering about (50, consisted of the principal Mex- 
ican families of the neighborhood, together with the officers of two Ameri- 
can and one 3Iexican vessel in port. Outside of the building the American 
and Mexican flags waved together in amicable proximity, within, toasts were 
drank and good cheer prevailed : half a dozen instruments added their en- 
livening strains to the general enjoyment, two six 'pounders hard-by occa- 
sionally opened their throats and barked forth with an emphasis proper to 
the occasion. Mr. Leese subsequently married a sister of General Vallejo, 
one of his guests on this occasion, and on the 15th of April, 1838, was born 
llosalia Leese, the first born of Ytrha Buena, as the place was then called 
from the wild mint growing on the hills. 

A few other houses were soon after built, and the Hudson's Bay Company be- 
came interested in the place; their agents and people came to form nearly the en- 
tire settlement. Late as 1844, Yerba Buena contained only about a dozen houses. 
In 1846, this company disposed of their property and removed from the place, 
when the progress of the Mexican war threw it into American hands, and it then 
advanced with wonderful rapidity. By the end of April 1848, the era of the gold 
discovery, the town contained 200 dwellings and 1,000 inhabitants, comprised 
almost entirely of American and European emigrants. 

The church, tavern and printing office are an indispensable adjunct to all Amer- 
ican settlements. In January, 1847, appeared the first newspaper, the California 
Sta7\ published by Samuel Brannan, and edited by Dr. E. P. Jones. In the first 
month of its issue was printed an ordinance, from the alcalde, Mr. Bartlett, chang- 
ing the name of the place from Yeif)a Buena to San Francisco. 

The first alcalde of San Francisco, under the American flag, was Washington A. 
Bartlett, a lieutenant of the na\y, who, being ordered to his ship, was succeeded 
on the 22d of February, 1847, by Edwin Bryant. Under Mexican laws an alcalde 
has entire control of municipal affairs, and administers Justice in ordinary matters 
according to his own ideas of right, without regard to written law. On the Amer- 
icans taking possession of the country, they temporarily made use of the existing 
machinery of local government, everywhere appointed alcaldes, and instructed 
them to dispense justice Avith a general regard to the Mexican laws and the pro- 
vincial customs of California. 

In December, 1847, occurred the event which was so suddenly to trans- 
form California from a wilderness into a great state, and San Francisco from 
a petty village into a great commercial metropolis — the discovery of gold. 
" Early in 1848, the news spread to the four quarters of the globe, and imme- 
diately adventurers from every land came thronging to this new El Dorado. 
The magnificent harbor of San Francisco made this port the great rendez- 
vous for the arriving vessels, and from this period dates the extraordinary 
increase and prosperity of the Californian metropolis. In the first four 
months of the golden age, the quantity of precious dust brought to San 
Francisco was estimated at $850,000. In February, 1849, the population of 
the town was about 2,000; in August it was estimated at 5,000. From April 
12, 1849, to the 29th of January, 1850, there arrived by sea 39,888 emi- 
grants, of whom 1,421 only were females. In the year ending April 15, 
1850, there arrived 62,000 passengers. In the first part of 1850, San Fran- 
cisco became a city, with a population of 15,000 to 20,000; and in 1860, it 
had 56,805, together with the largest trade of any city on the Pacific side 
of the American continent. 

The magical effect upon San Francisco of the discovery of gold, is thus 
described in the Annals of the city : 

Early in the spring of this year (1848), occasional intelligence had been received 



CALIFORNIA. ^^i 

of the finding of gold in large quantities among the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada. 
Small parcels of the precious metal had also been forwarded to San Francisco, 
while visitors from the mines, and some actual diggers arrived, to tell the wonders 
of the region and the golden gains of those engaged in exploring and working it. 
In consequence of such representations, the inhabitants began gradually, in bands 
and singly, to desert their previous occupations, and betake themselves to the 
American River and other auriferous parts of the great Sacramento valley. Labor, 
from the deficiency of hands, rose rapidly in value, and soon all business and work, 
except the most urgent, was forced to be stopped. Seamen deserted from their 
ships in the bay and soldiers from the barracks. Over all the country the excite- 
ment was the same. Neither threats, punishment nor money could keep men to 
their most solemn engagements. Gold was the irresistible magnet that drew hu- 
man souls to the place where it lay, rudely snapping asunder the feebler ties of 
affection and duty. Avarice and the overweening desire to be suddenly rich, from 
whence sprang the hope and moral certainty of being so, grew into a disease, and 
the infection spread on all sides, and led to a general migration of every class of 
the community to the golden quarters. The daily laborer, who had worked for the 
good and at the command of another, for one or two dollars a day, could not be re- 
strained from flying to the happy spot where he could earn six or ten times the amount, 
and might possibly gain a hundred or even a thousand times the sum in one lucky 
day's chance. Tlien the life, at worst, promised to be one of continual adventure 
and excitement, and the miner was his own master. While this was the case with 
the common laborer, his employer, wanting his services, suddenly found his occu- 
pation at an end; while shopkeepers and the like, dependent on both, discovered 
themselves in the same predicament. The glowing tales of the successful miners 
all the while reached their ears, and threw their own steady and large gains com- 
paratively in the shade. They therefore could do no better, in a pecuniary sense 
even, for themselves, than to hasten after their old servants, and share in their new 
labor and its extraordinary gains, or pack up their former business stock, and trav- 
eling with it to the mines, open their now shops and stores and stalls, and dispose 
of their old articles to the fortunate diggers, at a rise of five hundred or a thousand 
per cent. 

In the month of I\Iay it was computed that at least one hundred and fifty people 
had left San Francisco, and every day since was adding to their number. Some 
were occasionally returning from the auriferous quarter; but they had little time 
to stop and expatiate upon what they had seen. They had hastily come back, as 
they had hastily gone away at first, leaving their household and business to waste 
and ruin, now to fasten more properly their houses, and remove goods, family and 
all, at once to the gold region. Their hurried movements, more even than the 
words they uttered, excited the curiosity and then the eager desire of others to 
accompany them. And so it was. Day after day the bay was covered with 
launches, filled with the inhabitants and their goods, hastening up the Sacramento. 
This state of matters soon came to a head ; and master and man alike hurried to 
the placeres, leaving San Francisco, like a place where the plague reigns, forsaken 
by its old inhabitants, a melancholy solitude. 

On the 29th of May, the " Californian " published a fly-sheet, apologizing for the 
future non-issue of the paper, until better days came, when they might expect to 
retain their servants for some amount of remuneration, which at present was im- 
possible, as all, from the "sm6s" to the ''devil," had indignantly rejected every 
offer, and gone off to the diggings. " The whole country," said the last editorial 
of the paper, " from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and from the'sea shore to the 
base of the Sierra Nevada, resounds with the sordid cry of gold ! gold ! ! GOLD ! ! ! 
— while the field is left half planted, the house half built, and everything neglected 
but the manufacture of shovels and pick-axes, and the means of transportation to 
the spot where one man obtained one hundred and twenty-eight dollars' worth of 
the real stuff in one day's washing, and the average for all concerned is twenty dol- 
lars per diem /'" 

Within the first eight weeks after the " diggings " had been fairly known, two 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars had reached San Francisco in gold dust, and 
within the next eight weeks, six hundred thousand more. These sums were all to 



472 CALIFORNIA. 

purchase, at any price, additional supplies for the mines. Coin grew scarce, and 
all that was in the country was insufficient to satisfy the increased wants of com- 
merce in one town alone. Gold dust, therefore, soon became a circulating medium, 
and after some little demur at first, was readily received by all classes at sixteen 
dollars an ounce. The authorities, however, would only accept it in payment of 
duties at ten dollars per ounce, with the privilege of redemption, by payment of 
coin, within a limited time. 

When subsequently immigrants began to arrive in numerous bands, any amount 
of labor could be obtained, provided always a most unusually high price was paid 
for it. Returned diggers, and those who cautiously had never went to the mines, 
Avere then also glad enough to work for rates varying from twelve to thirty dollars 
a day; at which terms capitalists were somewhat afraid to commence any heavy 
undertaking. The hesitation was only for an instant. Soon all the labor that 
could possibly be procured, was in ample request at whatever rates were demanded. 
The population of a great state was suddenly flocking in upon them, and no prepa- 
rations had hitherto been made for its reception. Building lots had to be surveyed, 
and streets graded and planked — hills leveled — hollows, lagoons, and the bay itself 
piled, capped, filled up and planked — lumber, bricks, and all other building mate- 
rials, provided at most extraordinarily high prices — houses built, finished and fur- 
nished — great warehouses and stores erected — wharves run far out into the sea — 
numberless tuns of goods removed from shipboard, and delivered and shipped anew 
everywhere — and ten thousand other things had all to be done without a moment's 
unnecessary delay. Long before these things were completed, the sand hills and 
barren ground around the town were overspread with a multitude of canvas, 
blanket and bough-covered tents — the bay was alive with shipping and small craft 
carrying passengers and goods backward and foi'ward — the unplanked, ungraded, 
unformed streets (at one time moving heaps of dry sand and dust; at another, miry 
al)ysses, whose treacherous depths sucked in horse and dray, and occasionally man 
himself), were crowded with human beings from every corner of the universe and 
of every tongue — all excited and busy, plotting, speaking, working, buying and 
selling town lots, and beach and water lots, shiploads of every kind of assorted 
merchandise, the ships themselves, if they could — though that was not often — gold 
dust in hundred weights, ranches square leagues in extent, with their thousands 
of cattle — allotments in hundreds of contemplated towns, already prettily designed 
and laid out — on paper — and, in short, speculating and gambling in every branch 
of modern commerce, and in many strange things peculiar to the time and place. 
And everybody made money, and was suddenly growing rich* 

The loud voices of the eager seller and as eager buyer — the laugh of reckless 
joy — tlic bold accents of successful speculation — the stir and hura of active, hur- 
ried labor, as man and brute, horse and bullock, and their guides, struggled and 
managed through heaps of loose rubbish, over hills of sand, and among deceiving 
deep mud pcwls and swamps, filled the amazed newly arrived immigrant with an 
almost appalling sense of the exuberant life, energy and enterprise of the place. 
He breathed quick and faintly — his limbs grew weak as water — and his heart sunk 
within him as he thought of the dreadful conflict, when he approached and mingled 
among that confused and terrible business battle. 

Gambling saloons, glittering like fairy palaces, like them suddenly sprang into 
existence, studding nearly all sides of the plaza, and every street in its neighbor* 
hood. As if intoxicating drinks from the well plenished and splendid bar thej 
each contained were insufficient to gild the scene, music added its loudest, if not 

••'•Johnson, in his "Sights in the Gold Region," states " Lumber sold as high as $600 per 
thousiiml foet. The merest necessaries of life commanded the most extravagant prices. 
Laundrcs.ses received $8 per dozen, and cooks $150 per month ; and it was nearly impoijsi- 
ble to obtain either. The prices of houses and lots were from $10,000 to $75,000, each. A 
lot purchased two years ago for a barrel of ayunrdienle was sold recently for $18,000. One 
new throe story frame hotel, about forty by si.xty feet, cost $180,000, and rented for an in- 
terest of more than twenty per cent, per annum ; small rooms for gambling purposes rent- 
ing for $400 per month. Yet, notwithstanding these enormous incomes, speculation so 
raged that as high as twenty-five per cent, was actually paid for the use of money for out 
iceek," 



CALIFORNIA 



473 



its sweetest charms ; and all was mad, feverish mirth, where fortunes were lost 
and won, upon the green cloth, in the twinkling of an eye. All classcys gambled 
in those days, fi'om the starchiest white neck-clothed professor to the veriest black 
rascal that earned a dollar for blacking massa's boots. Nobody had leisure to 
think even for a moment of his occupation, and how it was viewed in Christian 
lands. The heated brain was never allowed to get cool while a bit of coin or dust 
was left. These saloons, therefore, were crowded, night and day, by impatient 
revelers who never could satiate themselves with excitement, nor get rid too soon 
of their golden heaps. 

The very thought of that wondrous time is an electric spark that fires into one 
great flame all our fmcies, passions and experiences of the fall of that eventful 
year, 1849. The world had perhaps never before afforded such- a spectacle; and 
probably nothing of the kind will be witnessed for generations to come. A city 
of twenty or thirty thousand inhabitants improvised — the people nearly all adult 
males, strong in person, clever, bold, sanguine, restless and reckless." 



The proceedings of the famous "Vigilance Committee" of San Francisco 
at the time excited the surprise of the outside world. It was, however, an 
organization that arose from the necessities of the community: its acts were 
justified by the great body of the citizens, while its members comprised the 
first men in business and social standing in the city. 

Up to the beginning of 1851, the emigration to California had been im- 
mense. Nearly a quarter of a million of men, strangers from various parts 
of the world, had been suddenly thrown into this new land, and scattered 
among the newly established towns and over the different mining districts. 
The institutions of law, in but a forming state, failed to give adequate pro- 
tection. Among the inhabitants were a large number of criminals and vile 
men from various countries. The most numerous and daring class of des- 
peradoes were the convicted felons of the English penal colonies, who. .having 
"served their time," early contrived to sail for California. These "Sydney 
coves," as they were called, reaped a rich harvest in California, and for a 
while it seemed impossible to check their crimes. 

Around Clark's Point and vicinity, in San Francisco, was the rendezvous of 
these villains. "Low drinking and dancing houses, lodging and gambling houses 
of the same mean class, the constant scenes of lewdness, drunkenness and strife, 
abounded in the quarter mentioned. The daily and nightly occupants of these 
vile abodes had every one, more or less, been addicted to crime ; and many of them 
were at all times ready, for the most trifling consideration, to kill a man or fire a 
town. During the early hours of night, when the Alsatia was in revel, it was dan- 
gerous in the highest degree for a single person to venture within its bounds. Even 
the police hardly dared to enter there; and if they attempted to apprehend some 
known individuals, it was always in a numerous, strongly-armed company. Seldom, 
however, were arrests made. The lawless inhabitants of the place united to save 
their luckless brothers, and generally managed to drive the assailants away. When 
the different fires took place in San Francisco, bands of plunderers issued from 
this great haunt of dissipation, to help themselves to whatever money or valuables 
lay in their way, or which they could possibly secure. With these they retreated 
to their dens, and defied detection or apprehension. Fire, however, was only one 
means of attaining their ends. The most daring burglaries were committed, and 
houses and persons rifled of their valuables. Where resistance was made, the 
bowie-knife or the revolver settled matters, and left the robber unmolested. Midnight 
assaults, ending in murder, were common. And not only were these deeds perpe- 
trated under the shade of night; but even in daylight, in the highways and byways 
of the country, in the streets of the town, in crowded bars, gambling saloons and 
lodging houses, crimes of an equally glaring character were of constant occurrence 
People at that period generally carried during all hours, and wherever they hap- 



474 



CALIFORNIA. 



pciied to bo, loaded firearms about their persons; but these weapons availed noth 
inj!; against the sudden stroke of the 'slung shot,' the plunge and rip of the knife, 
or tlie secret aiming of tlie pistol. No decent man was in safety to walk the streets 
after dark; while at all hours, both of night and day, his jn-operty was jeopardized 
by incendiarism and burglary. 

All this while, the law, whose supposed 'majesty' is so awful in other countries, 
was here only a matter for ridicule. The police were few in number, and poorly 

as well as irregularly paid. 
Some of them were in league 
with the criminals themselves, 
and assisted these at all times 
to elude justice. Subsequent 
confessions of criminals on the 
eve of execution, implicated a 
considerable number of people 
in various high and low de- 
partments of the executive. 
Bail was readily accepted in 
the most serious cases, where 
the security tendered was ab- 
solutely worthless; and where, 
whenever necessary, both prin- 
cipal and cautioner quietly dis- 
appeared. The prisons like- 
wise were small and inseciire ; 
and though tilled to overflow- 
ing, could no longer contain 
tb.e crowds of apprehended 
offenders. When these were 
ultimately brought to trial, sel- 
dom could a conviction be ob- 
tained. From technical errors 
on the part of the prosecutors, 
laws ill understood and worse 
applied, false swearing of the 
witnesses for the prisoners, ab- 
sence often of the chief evi- 
dence for the prosecution, dis- 
honesty of jurors, incapacity, 
weakness, or venality of the 
judge, and from manj- other 
causes, the cases generally 
broke down and the prisoners 
were freed. Not one crwtinal 




Hanging of Whitt.^kee and McKenzie, 
By the San Francisco Vigilance Committee. 



had yet been executed. Yet it was notorious, that, at this period, at least one hun 
dred murders had been committed within the space of a few months; while innu- 
merable were the instances of arson, and of theft, robbery, burglary, and assault 
with intent to kill. It was evident that the offenders defied and laughed at all the 
puny efforts of the authorities to control them. The tedious processes of legal 
tribunals had no terrors for them. As yet everything had been pleasant and safe, 
and they saw no reason why it should not always be so. San Francisco had just 
been de'stroyed, a fifth time, by conflagration. The cities of Stockton and Nevada 
had likewise shared the same fate. That part of it was the doing of incendiaries 
no one doubted ; and too, no one doubted but that this terrible state of things 
would continue, and grow worse until a new and very different executive from the 
legally -constituted one should rise up in vengeance against those pests that worried 
and preyed upon the vitals of society. It was at this fearful time that the Vigil- 
ance Committee was organized." 

This was in June, 1851, at which time the association organized " for the protection 
of the lives and property of the citizens and residents of the city of San Fran- 



CALIFORNIA. 475 

CISCO." They formed a constitution and selected a room in which to hold their 
meetings, which were entirely secret. The first person they arrested was John 
Jenkins, a notorious " Sydney cove." He was seized for stealing a safe on the 10th 
of June. About 10 o'clock that night, the signal for calling the members was 
given — the tolling of the bell of the Monumental Engine Company. Shortly after- 
ward about 80 members of the committee hurried to the appointed place, and giv- 
ing the secret password were admitted. For two long hours the committee closely 
examined the evidence and found him guilty. "At midnight the bell was tolled, as 
sentence of death by hanging was passed upon the wretched man. The solemn 
sounds at that unusual hour filled the anxious crowds with awe. The condemned 
at this time was asked if he had anything to say for himself, when he answered: 
'No, I have nothing to say, only I wish to have a cigar." This was handed -to 
him, and afterward, at his request, a little brandy and water. He was perfectly 
cool, and seemingly careless, confidently expecting, it was believed, a rescue, up to 
the last moment. 

A little before one o'clock, Mr. S. Brannan came out of the committee rooms, 
and ascending a mound of sand to the east of the Rassette House, addressed the 
people. He had been deputed, he said, by the committee, to inform them that the 
prisoner's case had been fairly tried, that he had been proved guilty, and was con- 
demned to be hanged; and that the sentence would be executed within one hour 
upon the plaza. He then asked the people if they approved of the action of the 
committee, when great shouts of Ay ! Ay ! burst forth, mingled with a few cries 
of No ! In the interval a clergyman had been sent for, who administered tlie last 
consolations of religion to the condemned. 

Shortly before two o'clock, the committee issued from the building, bearing tho 
prisoner (who had his arms tightly pinioned) along with them. The committee 
were all armed, and closely clustered around the culprit to prevent any possible 
chance of rescue. A procession was formed ; and the whole party, followed by 
the crowd, proceeded to the plaza, to the south end of the adobe building, which 
then stood on the north-west corner. The opposite end of the rope which Avas 
already about the neck of the victim was hastily thrown over a projecting beam. 
Some of the authorities attempted at this stage of alFairs to interfere, but their 
efforts were unavailing. They were civilly desired to stand back, and not delay 
what was still to be done. The crowd, which numbered upward of a thousand, 
were perfectly quiescent, or only applauded by look, gesture, and subdued voice 
the action of "the committee. Before the prisoner had reached the building, a score 
of persons seized the loose end of the rope and ran backward, dragging the wretch 
along the ground and raising him to the beam. Thus they held him till he was 
dead. Nor did they let the l3ody go until same hours afterward, new volunteers 
relieving those who were tired holding the rope. Little noise or confusion took 
place. Muttered whispers among the spectators guided their movements or be- 
trayed their feelings. The prisoner had not spoken a word, either upon the march 
or during the rapid preparations for his execution. At the end he was perhaps 
strung up almost before he was aware of what was so immediately coming. He 
was a strong-built, healthy man, and his struggles, when hanging, were very vio- 
lent for a few minutes." 

The next execution which took place was about a month later, that of James 
Stuart. He was an Englishman, Avho had been transported to Australia for forgery. 
On leaving it, he wandered in various parts of the Pacific until he reached Cali- 
fornia, where he was supposed to have committed more murders and other desper- 
ate crimes than any other villain in the country. Before his death he acknowl- 
edged the justice of his punishment. He was hung July 11th, fi-om a derrick at 
the end of Market-street wharf, in the presence of assembled thousands. 

One more month rolled round, and the committee again exercised their duties 
upon the persons of Samuel Whittaker and Kobert McKenzie, Avho were guilty of 
robbery, murder and arson, and on trial confessed these crimes. The sheriff and 
his posse with a writ of habeas corpus, took these men from the hands of the com- 
mittee and confined them in jail. The latter, fearful that the rascals would escape 
throui^ii the quibbles of the law, j^repared for the rescue. 

"About half past two o'clock," says the Aanals of San Francisco, "on the after- 



476 



CALIFORNIA. 



noon of Sunday, the 24tli of Aufjust, an armed party, consisting of thirty-six 
members of the Vigilance Committee, forcibly broke into the jail, at a time when 
the Rev. Mr. Williams happened to be engaged at devotional exercises w.Hh the 
prisoners, among ■whom werp Whittaker and McKenzie. The slight defense of 
the jailers and guards was of no avail. The pereons named were seized, and 
hurried to and placed within a coach, that had been kept in readiness a few steps 
from the prison. The carriage instantly was driven off at full speed, and nearly 
at the same moment the ominous bell of the ? Monumental Engine Company rapidly 
and loudly tolled for the immediate assemblage of the committee and the knell 
itself of the doomed. The whole population leaped with excitement at the sound ; 
and immense crowds from the remotest quarter hurried to Battery-street. There 
blocks, with the necessary tackle, had been hastily fastened to two beams wliich 
projected over the windows of the great hall of the committee. Within seventeen 
minutes after the arrival of the prisoners, they were both dangling by the neck 
from these beams. The loose extremities of the halters being taken within the 
building itself and forcibly held by members of the committee. Full six thousand 
people wei;e present, who kept an awful" silence during the short time these prepa- 
rations lasted. Uut so soon as the wretches were swung off, one tremendous shout 
of satisfaction burst from the excited multitude; and then there was silence 
again. 

This was the last time, for years, that the committee took or found occasion to 
exercise their functions. Henceforward the administration of justice might be 
safely left in the hands of the usual officials. The city now was pretty well 
cleansed of crime. The fate of Jenkins, Stuart, Whittaker and McKenzie showed 
that rogues and roguery, of whatever kind, could no longer expect to find a safe 
lurking place in San P'rancisco. Many of the suspected, and such as were warned 
off by the committee, had departed, and gone, some to other lands, and some into 
the mining regions and towns of the interior. Those, however, who still clung to 
California, found no refuge anywhere in the state. Previously, different cases of 
lynch law had occurred in the gold districts, but these were solitary instances 
which had been caused by the atrocity of particular crimes. When, however, the 
Vigilance Committee of San Francisco had started up, fully organized, and began 
their great work, Sacramento, Stockton, San Jose, as well as other towns and the 
more thickly peopled mining quarters, likewise formed their committees of vigil- 
ance and safety, and pounced upon all the rascals within their bounds. These 
associations interchanged information Avith each other as to the movements of the 
suspected; and all, with the hundred eyes of an Argus and the hundred arms of 
a Briareus, watched-, pursued, harassed, and finally caught the worst desperadoes 
of the country. Like Cain, a murderer and wanderer, as most of them were, they 
hore a mark on the brow, by which they were known. Some were hanged at 
various places, some were lashed and branded, but the greater number were simply 
ordered to leave the country, within a limited time, under penalty of immediate 
death if found after a stated period within its limits. Justice was no longer blind 
or leaden-heeled. With the perseverance and speed of a bloodhound, she tracked 
criminals to their lair, and smote them where they lay. For a long time afterward, 
the whole of California remained comparatively free from outrages against person 
and property. 

From all the evidence that can be obtained, it is not supposed that a single in- 
stance occurred in which a really innocent man suffered the extreme penalty of 
death. Those who were executed generally confessed their guilt, and admitted 
the punishment to have been merited." 



San Francisco, in common with all of the American cities in California, 
has suffered terribly from tremendous conflagrations. The towns wlaen first 
founded were composed mostly of frail wooden tenements, intermingled with 
tents, which in the dry season became like tinder, so that when a fire broke out 
and got headway it was impossible to arrest it. San Francisco, Sacramento 
City, Stockton, and other places were several times successively destroyed. 



CALIFORNIA. ' 477 

No sooner, however, was the work of destruction completed, than the inhab- 
itants rushed forth like so many bees, and dashing aside the smoking embers, 
went to work to build new habitations; when lo ! in a twinkling, a fairer 
city would arise, as it were by magic, on the ashes of tlie old, called forth 
by the matchless energy and fertility of invention of the most extraordinary, 
wonder-working body of men that had ever been gathered to found a state — 
the adventurous and enterprising of every clime, self-exiles, driven thither 
by the eager thirst for gold. 

Before midsummer of 1851, San Francisco had been visited by six "great' 
fires, most of them the work of incendiaries. By them nearly all the old land 
marks and buildings of Yerba Biiena had been obliterated, and the total value of 
property destroyed amounted to about twenty millions. The most desti'uctive was 
that of the 4th May, 1851, when, in the short space of ten hours, nearly 2,000 
houses were destroyed, many lives, and property to the amount of from ten to 
twelve millions. 

"A considerable number of buildings, which were supposed fire-proof, had been 
erected in the course of the preceding year, the solid walls of which, it was thought, 
would afford protection from the indefinite spreading of the flames, when fire 
should unhappily break out in any particular building. But all calculations and 
hopes on this subject were mocked and broken. The brick walls that had been so 
confidently relied upon, crumbled in pieces before the furious flames ; the thick 
iron shutters grew red hot and wirped, and only increased the danger and insured 
final destruction to everything within them. Men went lor shelter into these 
fancied fire-proof brick and iron bound structures, and when they sought to come 
forth again, to escape the heated air that was destroying them as by a close fire, 
they found, horror! that the metal shutters and doors had expanded by the heat, 
and could not be opened! 80, in these huge, sealed furnaces, several perished 

miserably San Francisco had never before suffered so severe a blow, 

and doubts were entertained by the ignorant that she could possibly recover from 
its effects. Such doubts Avere vain. 1'he bay was still there, and the people were 
also there ; the placers of the state were not yet exhausted, and its soil was as 
fertile and inviting as ever. The frightful calamity, no doubt, would retard the 
triumphant progress of the city — but only for a time. The citizens of San Fran- 
cisco were content only to curse and vow vengeance on the incendiaries that 
kindled the fire, and resolved to be better prepared in future to resist its spreading 
ravages-. After the first short burst of sorrow, the ruined inhabitants, manv of 
whom had been burnt out time after time by the successive fires, began again,'like 
the often j^ersecuted spider with its new web, to create still another town and 
another fortune." 

The city of San Francisco being at first a city of strangers, the post-office, 
on the arrival of tlie monthly steamer from the Atlantic states was the 
scene of exhibitions of an interesting character from the assembled multi- 
tudes that gathered for letters, most from loved ones at home, thousands of 
miles away. 

At a distance they looked like a mob; but, on approaching, one would find that 
though closely packed together, the people were all in six strings, the head of each 
being at a deliver}' window, from whence the lines twisted up and down in all di- 
rections, extending along the streets to a great distance, the new comers being at 
the end of the line. So anxious were many to receive their epistles that they 
posted themselves in the evening of one day to be early at the window on the 
morning of the next, standing all night in the mud, often with a heavy rain pour- 
ing on tlielr heads. "Hours always elapsed before one's turn came. To save such 
delay, sometimes people would employ and handsomely pay others to preserve places 
for them, which they would occupy, in room of their assistants, Avhen they were 
approachins; the loop-holes where the delivery clerks stood. Ten and twenty dol- 
lars were often paid for accommodation in this way. Some of these eager appli- 
cants had not heard from their far distant homes for many long months, and their 



478 



CALIFORNIA. 



anxious solicitude was even painful. It was there'\''"« excee'l'ngly distressing to 
mark tlie despondency with which many would turn away upon hec-i^vins; from tha 
delivery clerks the oft-repeated and much-dreaded sentence, 'there is nolhJng hero 
for you.' On the other hand, it Avas equally pleasing to observe the chee'-ful and 
triumphant smile, not unfrequently accompanied with a loud exclamation of joy, 
that would light up the countenance of the successful applicant, who hastens from 
the window, and as soon as he can force a passage through the crowd, tears open 
and commences to read the more than welcome letter, every word of which awakens 
in his mind some tender reminiscence." 



Sacramento City is the second city in commerce and population in Cal- 
ifornia. It is on the left bank of the Sacramento, a little below the mouth 
of the American, in the midst of a level and fertile country: distance, by 
water, 140 miles N.E. of San Francisco. It has great advantages as a cen- 
ter of commerce, being accessible for sailing vessels and steamers of a large 
size at all seasons : both the Sacramento and its important branch, the 
Feather River, is navigable for small steamers far above into the interior of 
the country. It is the natural trading depot for all the great mining region 
of the north Sacramento 'valley. The site being low, the city has suffered 
in its early history by disastrous floods in the rainy season : it is now pro- 
tected by levees. Population about 30,000. 

The site of Sacramento City was originally in possession of Capt. John 
A. Sutter, a Swiss gentleman, who established himself in the country in 
18B9. and soon after built "Sutter's Fort," taking possession of the surround- 
\r\<y country under a Mexican grant, giving to it the name of Neio Helvetia. 
"From this point he cut a road to the junction of Sacramento and Ameri- 
can Elvers, where he established an cmharcadero (quay, or landing place), 
on the site of which has since been built the City of Sacramento. Here he 
reirained for several years, his settlement being the head-quarters of the 
immigrants, who, following his example, poured into the country from the 
American states." 

Culoma is about 50 miles N.E. of Sacramento City, on the left bank of the 
South Fork of American River. It contains some -i,000 inhabitants. 

In the winter of 1847-48, Capt. Sutter contracted with Mr. James W. 
Marshall, an emigrant from New Jersey, to erect a sawmill on the river near 
the site of Coloma. This accidentally led to the discovery of gold, which at 
once changed the history of California. "Marshall one day in January, 
having allowed the whole body of water to rush through the tail-race of the 
mill for the purpose of making some alterations in it, observed, while walk- 
ing along the banks of the stream early the next morning, numerous glisten- 
ing particles among the sand and gravel, which had been carried off by the 
force of the increased body of water. For a while he paid no particular at- 
tention to them, but seeing one larger and brighter than the rest, he was in- 
duced to examine it, and found it to be a scale of gold. Collecting several, 
he immediately hurried to Sutter, and began his tale in such a hurried man- 
ner, and accompanied it with such extravagant promises of unbounded wealth, 
that the captain thought him demented, and looked to his rifle for protec- 
tion ; but when Marshall threw his gold upon the table, he was forced into 
the delightful conviction. They determined to keep the discovery a secret, 
but were observed while examining the river, and soon had immense armies 
around them." 

The neighborhood literally overflowed with the busy gold hunters, and 



CALIFORNIA. 



479 



from thence they rapidly extended to the different gold districts, so that by 
midsummer they amounted to many thousands. At first the 2;eneral o-ains 
of the miners, though great, were nothing to what was shortly after col- 
lected. The average was usually from ten to fifteen dollars per day. Some 
met with extraordinary success. 

"Well authenticated accounts described many known persons as averaffins; from 
one to two hundred dollars a day for a long period. Numerous others were said 

to be earning from live to 
eight hundred dollars a day. 
Apiece of four pounds in 
weight was early found. 
If, indeed, in many cases, 
a man with a pick and pan 
did not easily gather some 
thirty or forty dollars worth 
of dust in a single day, he 
just moved off to some 
other place which he sup- 
posed might be richer. 
When the miners knew a 
little better about the busi- 
ness and the mode of turn- 
ing their labor to the most 
profitable account, the re- 
turns were correspondingly 
increased. At what were 
called the ' dry diggings ' 
particularly, the yield of 
gold was enormous. One 
piece of pure metal was 
found of thirteen pounds 
Aveight. The common in- 
strument at first made use 
of was a simple butcher's 
knife ; and as everything 
Avas valuable in proportion 
to the demand and supply, 
butchers' knives suddenly 
went up to twenty and 
thirty dollars apiece. But 
afterward the pick and 
shovel were employed. The auriferous earth, dug out of ravines and holes in the 
sides of the mountains, was packed on horses, and carried one, two, or three miles, 
to the nearest water, to be washed. An average price of this washing dirt was, at 
this period, so much as four hundred dollars a cart load. In one instance, five 
loads of such earth sold for seven hundred and fifty-two dollars, which yielded, 
after washing, sixteen thousand dollars. Cases occurred where men carried the 
earth in sacks on their backs to the watering places, and collected eight to fifteen 
hundred dollars in a daj'^, as the proceeds of their labor. Individuals made their 
five thousand, ten thousand, and fifteen thousand dollars in the space of only a 
few weeks. One man dug out twelve thousand dollars in six days. Three others 
obtained eight thousand dollars in a single day. But these, of'course, were ex- 
treme cases. Still it was undoubtedly true, that a large proportion of the miners 
were earning such sums as they had never even seen in their lives before, and 
which, six months earlier, 'would have appeared a downright fable. 

The story has a shady as well as a bright side, and would be incomplete unless 
both were shoAvn. There happened to be a 'sickly season' in the autumn at the 
mines; many of the miners sank under fever and diseases of the bowels. A sever© 
kind of labor, to Avhich most had been unaccustomed, a complete change of diet 




AVliere Gol'l was first discovcri-d. 



480 



CALIFORNIA. 



and habits, insufficient shelter, continued mental excilement, and the excesses in 
personal amusement and dissipation which fjolden yains induced, added to the nat- 
ural unhealthiness that might have existed in the district at different periods of 
the year, soon introduced sore bodily troubles upon many of the mining popula- 
tion. No gains could compensate a (lying 
man for the fatal sickness engendered l)y 
his own avaricious exertions. In the 
wild race for riches, the invalid was neg- 
lected by old comrades still in rude health 
and the riotous enjoyment of all the 
pleasures that gold and the hope of con- 
tinually adding to their store could be- 
stow. When that was the casewitli old 
companions, it could not be expected that 
strangers should care whether the sick 
man lived or died. Who forsooth among 
the busy throng would trouble himself 
Avith the feeble miner that had miscalcu- 
lated his energies, and lay dying on the 
earthen floor of his tent or under the pro- 
tecting branch of a tree ? ]\Iany, not so 
s far reduced, were compelled to return to 
-' their old homes, the living spectres of 
% their former selves, broken in constitu- 
5 tion and wearied in spirit; thoroughly 
S satisfied that the diggings were not tit 
^ abiding places for them. 
^ The implements at first used in the 
* process of gold seeking, were only the 
S common pick and shovel, and a tin pan 
^ or wooden bowl. The auriferous earth 
z when dug out Avas put into the last, and 
= Avater l)eing mixed with it, the contents 
; were violently stirred. A peculiar shake 
of the hand or wrist, best understood and 
learned by practice, threw occasionally 
over the edge of the pan or bowl the 
muddv water and earthy particle-^, while 
the metal, being heavier, sunk to the bot- 
tom. Repeated washings of this nature, 
assisted l»y breaking the hard pieces of 
earth with the hand or a trowel, soon ex- 
tricated the gold from its covering and 
carried away all the dirt. Isut if even 
these simple implements were not to be 
had, a sailor's or butcher's knife, or even 
a sharpened hard-pointed stick could pick 
out the larger specimens — the pcpitas, 
chunks, or iivggeis, of different miners — 
Avhile the finer scales of gold could be 
washed from the covering earth in Indian 
willow-woven baskets, clay cups, old hats, or any rude apology for a dish; or the 
dried sand could be exposed on canvas to the wind, or diligently blown by the 
breath, until nothing was lefc but the particles of pure gold that were too heavy to 
be carried away by these operations. Afterward the rocker or cradle and Long 
'J'om were introduced, which required several hands to feed and work them; and 
the returns by which were correspondingly great. Every imuhine, however, was 
worked on the same principle, hy rocking or wnshin'i. of separating by the me- 
chanical means of grarUalivu, the /(caric?- particles— the grid from stones, and the 
lighter ones of earth. 




CALIFORNIA. 43;^ 

Provisions and necessaries, as might have been expected, soon rose in price 
enormously. At fii'st the rise was moderate indeed, four hundred per cent, for flour, 
five hundred for beef cattle, while other things were in proportion. But these 
were trifles. The time soon came when eggs were sold at one, two, and three dol- 
lars apiece ; inferior sugar, tea, and cofl'ee, at four dollars a pound in small quan- 
tities, or three or four hundred dollars a barrel ; medicines — say, for laudanum, a 
dollar a drop (actually forty dollars were paid for a dose of that quantity), and tea 
dollars a pill or purge, without advice, or with it, from thirty, up, aye, to one hun- 
dred dollars. Spirits were sold at various prices, from ten to forty dollars a quart; 
and wines at about as much per bottle." 

Among the modes of mining early adopted was one termed " cayoteing," or drift- 
ing. The woi'd is derived from cayote., the name applied to the prairie wolf, and 
as used, means burrowing, after the manner of that animal. Cayoeting was only 
necessary in those cases where the gold by its superior weight had sunk through 
the surface earth, until it had reached the layer of clay on the bed rock, often 
many fathoms from the top. Having reached by a shaft the "hard pan," the miner 
then ran passages horizontally in search of the gold, taking care to prop up the 
roofs of these passages. Often, however, these have slowly yielded under the im- 
mense masses above, and buried the gold hunter beyond all human resurx-ection. 
Cayoteing has been supei'seded by tunneling. Tunnels are run into the sides of 
mountains, following the uneven surface of the bed rock. Some of these are a 
quarter of a mile or more in length and involve an immense labor and expense. 
From them the "pay dirt" is carried out of the mine in carts drawn by mules over 
railroads. 

The old mining localities of California, the flats and bars of rivers, are now 
pretty much exhausted, and there is very little of the old modes of mining fol- 
lowed, excepting by the Chinese, who, content with small earnings, take up the 
abandoned claims. Tunneling, quarts, sluice, and hydraulic mining are now the 
means by which the larger part of the gold is obtained. Through the improvements 
in machinery and contrivances for saving the gold, the yield is constantly aug- 
menting, and as the gold region of California comprises a tract about as large as 
all New England, it is presumed that the state for 100 years to come will continue 
to yield at least as much as since the first discovery — viz : fifty millions per 
annum. 

The most efiicient mode of operation is Injdraulic mining. A heavy current of 
water is poured from a hose and pipe, precisely on the principle of a fire engine, 
npon a side hill. For instance, " at North San Juan, near the middle fork of the 
^uba, streams at least three inches in diameter, and probably containing twenty 
measured inches of water, are directed against the remaining half of a high hill, 
which they strike with such force that bowlders of the size of cannon balls are 
started from their beds and hurled five to ten feet in the air. By this process, one 
man will wash away a bank of earth like a haystack sooner than a hundred men 
could do it by old-fashioned sluicing. Earth yielding a bare cent's worth to the 
pan may be profitably washed by this process, paying a reasonable price for the 
water. As much as $100 per day is profitably paid for the water thrown through 
one pipe. The stream thus thrown will knock a man as lifeless as though it Avere 
a grape-shot. As the bank, over a hundred feet high, is undermined by this bat- 
tery, it frequently caves from the top downward, reaching and burying the careless 
operator. Very long sluices — as long as may be — conduct the discharged water 
away ; and it is no matter how thick with earth the water may run, provided the 
sluice be long enough. It is of course so arranged as to present riffles, crevices, 
etc., to arrest the gold at first borne along by the turbid flood. There are compa- 
nies operating by this method whose gross receipts from a single sluice have 
reached a thousand dollars per day." 

"In California the whole art of placer-mining was revolutionized by this hy- 
draulic process, and the production of gold received a fresh and lasting impulse. 
Square miles of surface on the hills, rich in gold, Avhich have lain untouched, now 
yield up their treasure to the hydraulic miner. In that region, where labor can 
scarcely be obtained, and is so costly, water becomes the great substitute for it, 
and, as we have seen, is more efiective and economical in its action that the labor 

31 



482 



CALIFORNIA. 




Hydbsvlic Minino. 



of men. Every inch of water which can be brought to bear upon a placer is vahied 
as the representative, or producer, of a certain amount of gold. Wherever it falls 
upon the auriferous earth it liberates the precious metal, and if the gold is uni- 
formly distributed through the earth, the amount produced is directly as the 

quantity of water used. As a la- 
bor saving process, the results ; f 
this method compare favorably 
with those obtained by machinery 
in the various departments of hu- 
man industry, where manual la- 
bor has been superseded. 

It is stated that at the close of 
the year I85S there were 5,726 
miles of artificial water-courses 
for mining purposes in the state 
of California^ constructed at a 
cost of over 13 millions of dollars. 
This estimate is exclusive of sev- 
eral hundred miles of new canals 
in course of construction, and of 
the many subordinate branches 
of the canals, the aggregate length 
of which is estimated at over one 
thousand miles. TNIost of the canals 
have been constructed by individ- 
nals, or small companies of from 
three to ten persons, but the works 
compare in their magnitude and 
cost with the most important pub- 
lic works. 

A vast deal of this canaling is over the most wild, rocky, and precipitous coun- 
try ; jumping over awful chasm*, and plunging down fearful abysses; trestle work, 
story piled upon story, and wooden fluming zigzagged at every angle (rough us yet, 
truly, but with strength adequate to its purpose), may be seen winding for miles 
and niiles its tortuous course, leading mountain streams faraway from their native 
channels, an<i giving to the driest diggings water superabundant. The waterfall 
at the end is generally very great, and it is turned to curious account. 

Next to the hydi-aulic process of hose-washing, the most important application 
of water in placer mining is in sluicing. The sluice is a long channel or raceway, 
cut either in the surface of the bed rock or made of boards. The former is known 
as the ground-sluice, and the latter as the hoard-sluice. The ground sluice is cut 
in the softened surface or outcrop of the bed-rocks, which are generally of slate, 
presenting upturned edges like the leaves of a book. In the softened mica slates 
this resemblance is very great, and the surface is highly favorable to the retention 
of particles of gold. It is easily cleaned up, as one or two inches in depth of the 
surface may usually be scraped off with the shovel. The board-sluice is generally 
twelve or fifteen inches in width, and from eight to ten inches deep, and is made in 
convenient lengths, so that one can be added to another, until a length of two or 
three hundred feet or more is obtained. False bottoms of boards are often used 
to facilitate the retention of the gold, while the stones and gravel are swept away 
by the rapid flow of the water. Long bars or rifflers are generally preferred to 
cross cleats or holes. The fall or rate of descent of the bottom of the sluice is 
varied according to circumstances, being arranged to suit the size of the gold and 
the nature of the drift. One or two feet in a rod, or one foot in twelve, is a com- 
mon inclination, and with a good supply of water will cause stones several inches 
in diameter to roll from one end of the sluice to the other. The earth, stones and 
gold as they enter these sluices with the water, are all mingled together, but the 
current soon effects a separation; the lighter portions are swept on in advance, and 
the gold remains behind, moving slowly forward on the bottom until it drops down 
between the cleats or bars. The larger stones and coarse gravel are swept on by 



CALIFORIflA. 



483 



the cuvrent, and after traversing the whole length of the sluice, are thrown out at 
the lower end. The operation, as in tlie hydraulic or hose process, with which the 
sluice is always combined, is a continuous one, and requires comparatively little 
labor or atrention, except to keep the sluice from clogging. In some localities, 
where the depth of the auriferous gravel and overlying clay and soil is not great, 

water may be used to as great ad- 
vantage in the sluice as under 
pressure. It has this advantage, 
that the auriferous earth may be 
washed as high up as the source 
of supply. The process is a close 
imitation of the operations of na- 
ture in concentrating gold in the 
deposits along the streams." 

Quartz mining is the reduc- 
tion to powder of the vein 
stone, which contains the 
gold, which is extracted from the 
powder by means of water, quick- 
silver, etc. There are so many 
practical difficulties in the way 
that it is very rarely attended with 
success, as the expenses eat up 
the profits, the gold not usually 
averaging more than one cent in 
a pound of rock. The quartz 
works at Allison's Ranche, in 
(Jrass Valley, and those at Fre- 
mont's Hanche, in Bear Valley, 
are worked to great profit. Col. 
Fremont's mines produce gold to 
the value of several hundred thousand dollars per annum, though at an immense 
outlay for mills, waterworks, etc. His great mine, it is supposed, contains 10 mil- 
lions of dollars worth of gold above the water level of the ]\Ierced, from near 
which it rises up a pyramid of gold-bearing quartz, inclosed in a mountain of 
slate. 




FnEJiuxr's Ranche. 



MarijsviUe, tlie chief town of northern California, is located at the junc- 
tion of the Yuba and Feather Rivers, just above their union with the Sacra- 
mento, about 40 miles north of Sacramento City. It is a well built town, 
principally of brick, and at the head of navigation in the direction of the 
northern mines. The country around it is of great fertility, and the town 
itself rapidly growing. Population about 16,000. 

In the vicinity of Marysville, and easterly, toward the slopes of the Sierra 
Nevada, are the important mining towns of Nevaila, Grass Vallei/, Aubuniy 
PlacrrviUe, Diamond, Mera Springs. North of it, near the north line of the- 
state, nre the little thriving towns of Shasta Cify and Yreka, the former de- 
riving its mime from Mount Shasta, in its vicinity, at the head of Sacramento 
valley, the highest mountain in California, a vast cone of snow rising to the 
hight of 15,000 feet into the blue above. 

Stockton disputes with Marysville the reputation of being the third city in 
importance in the state: and is the depot for the southern mines. It is sit- 
uated on a bayou of San Joaquin, at the head of regular steamboat naviga- 
tion, and is 48 miles south of Sacramento City, and by water 125 miles east 
of San Francisco. The channel is navigable for steamboats and vessels of 



^34 CALIFORXIA. 

400 tuns, afTording at all season!? ready cominiinioation with the Pacific, and 
the town has an extensive carrying trade. Here is the State Insane Asylum, 
a cabinet of natural history, and an Artesian well of 1,000 feet in depth. 
Stockton has some fine fruit gardens, and the foliage of these, together with 
an abundance of wide spreading oaks, gives the place a grateful aspect. 
Population about 16,000. 

Sonora, the most important mining town in the southern mines, lies 130 
miles east of San Francisco, and about 60 east of Stockton, and contains 
some -4,000 inhabitants. North-westerly from it are the mining towns of 
3Iokelumne llil/, Columhia, and Murphcjjs. At the former is a noted mining 
canal of 40 miles in length. Within 15 miles of the latter, 86 from Stock- 
ton, and 213 from San Francisco, is the famous "Mammoth Tree Grove." 
A late visitor gives this description: 

The " Big Tree Grove " occupies a space of about fifty acres, other evergreen treea 
being interspersed among them. The ground is "claimed" by the owners of the 
hotel, to whom it will prove a pretty fortune. It ociuipies a level plateau in the 
Sierra Mountains, and is elevated 4,500 feet above tide water. Tlie mammoth trees 
are of a species unknown except in California. 

The bark is very porous, so that it is used for pincushions. It is on some of the 
trees nearly two feet thick! The foliage is of a deep green, like that of the arbor 
vitse, and the seeds are contained in a small cone. The wood is of a red color, like 
the cedar, and some\vhat like the redwood of California. Still the tree differ.^ from 
all these essentially. It is estimated by calculations based on the rings or layers 
whieii indicate the annual growth, that the largest of these trees are more tlian 
three thousand years old ! A correspondent of the London Times made one, of the 
wood and bark of which he had a specimen, si.x thousand four hundred and eight 
years old. They are no doubt " the oldest inhabitants" of the state. A path has 
been made through the grove, leading by the most notable specimens, and each has 
been named, and has a label of v>'ood or tin attached, on which is inscribed its 
name and size. In several cases, beautii'ul white marble tablets, with raised let- 
ters, have been let into the bark. There are, in all, ninetij four of these monster 
trees, with multitudes of others from a foot high and upward. 

Near the house is the stump of a tree that was felled in 1853 by the vandals. 
The stump is seven feet high, and measures in diameter, at the top, thirty feet. I 
paced it, and counted thirty paces across it. A canvas house has been erected over 
and around it, and a floor laid on the same level adjoining, and here dances ar«^ 
often had upon the stump, whose top has been smoothed for the purpose. Four 
quadrilles have been }>erformed at once upon it, and the Alleghanians once gave a 
concert to about fifty persons here, performers and audience all occupying the 
stump. A portion of the trunk lies on the ground, divested of bark, and steps, 
twenty-six in number, have been erected, as nearly perpendicular as possible, hy 
which visitors ascend its side as it lies upon the ground. Tlie vandals had a Imrd 
job when they cut down this giant. It was accomplished by boring a series of 
holes with a large auger to the center and completely round it, the holes being of 
course fifteen feet deep each. Five men workeil steadily for 25 days; and then 
so plumb was the tree that it would not fill. After trying various means to topple 
it over, at length they cut a large tree near it so that it should fall against it, but 
still it stood. A second attempt with another tree was successful, and it was forced 
over, and fell with a crash which made everj^thing tremble, and which reverberated 
far and near through the mountains and forests. The solid trunk snapped in sev- 
eral places like a pipe-stem. The top of the stump is as large as the space lengih- 
2inse between the walls of two parlors, Avith folding doors, of fifteen feet each. 
Imagine the side walls spread apart to double their width, and then the stump 
would fill all the space ! I?ut at the roots, seven feet lower, it is much larger. 

" Hercules" is the largest perfect standing tree, and it has been computed to 
contain seven hundred and twenty-five tlionsand feet of lumber, or enough to load 
a large clipper ship. It leans remarkably toward one side, so that the top is from 



CALIFORNIA. 



485 



forty to fifty feet out of the perpendicular. Tt sliould have been named "The 
Leaning Tower." It is thirty-three feet between two roots that enter tiie ground 
near opposite sides of the trunk. 




Mammuth Tree Grove, in the VaUei/ of the Calaveras. 

Tlie frees are evergreens and ninety -four of them are yet standing, mnny of which rise to more t>i;ir. 
3<I0 feet ill bight. One, which lias bhiwn down, measurer! 110 feet in circnnifeience, and was 450 hi^li. 
Another, which had fallen and is liolhiw, is ridden through on horsebacU fur 75 feet. ?(inie of them are 
estimated to he more than 3,000 years old. The bark is nearly two feet thick, and being porons is used f.T 
pincnshions. 

" Tlie Husband and Wife" seem very affectionate, leaning toward each other so 
that their tops touch. They are two hundred and fifty_feet hiirh, and si.xty each in 
circumference. "The Family Group" consists of two very large trees, the father 
and mother, with a family of groicnup children, twenty-four in number, around 
them, all large enough to be of age and to speak for themselves ! 'J'he fatlier blev7 
down many years ago, having become feeble from old age. The trunk is liollow a.s 
it lies upon the ground, and would accommodate half a regiment with quarters. 



486 CALIFORNIA. 

The circumference Is one lumdred and ten feet, or upward of thirty-three dinmo- 
ter! Its liight was four hundred and fift_y feet, as great as that of the dome of J^t. 
Peter's at Kome ! Near what was the base of the trunk, and within the cavity, 
there is now a nevei'-failing pond of water, fed by a spring. Nearly half the trunk 
is embedded in the ground. The mother still stands amid her children and little 
grandchildren. She 327 feetliigh, 91 feet in circumference — a stately old dame ! 

" The Hoi-sebuck Ride " is an old hollow tree fallen and broken in two. I rode through 
the trunk a distance of 75 feet on horseback, with a good sized horse, as did my Avile also. 
" Uncle Tom's Cabin " is hollow for some distance above the base, and 25 persons can 
seat themselves in the space. 

" The Mother of the Forest " is 90 feet round, and .S28 feet high. To the hight of 1 1 G 
feet the bark has been taken off by some speculators, who carried it in sections to Paris, 
for exhibition. The staging on which they worked is still standing -around the trunk. But 
so immense was the size indicated, that tlie Parisians would not believe it was all fron) 
one tree, and charged the exhibitor with Yankee trickery, and branded the whole thing ii 
humbug, and as the result he lost considerable money in his speculation. The tree is now 
dead. 

In one place we saw a small part of the trunk of what was *n enormous tree, which had 
fallen probably centuries ago, and become imbedded in the earth, -and so long ago did this 
happen, that three very large trees had grown up over its butt so as to inclose it with their 
roots completely. It was ludicrous to see as we did in one place, near one of the largest 
trees, a little one^ about two ieet high, growing from the seed of the large one, and evi- 
dently starting with high hopes and youthful ambition in the race of life. What a jrj+», 
thoujilit ], l.as that little fellow before him to work himself up 300 or 4!)0 feet to reacii the 
altitude of his fatlier and uncles and aunts. But we bid him God speed, and I doubt not, 
if he ])erseveres, he will one day stand as proudly erect as his ancestors, and three tl>oiis- 
and years hence he will be an object of as great cui'iosity and reverence to those who shall 
come after us as " Hercules " is now to u.s! What will be the condition and population 
of California and of the United States tlien? 

But, seriously, I think I ne\ er was inspired with greater awe by an object on wliieh I 
looked, than I felt when I walked about among these noble and ancient " sons of the for- 
est," orrntherpatri:irchs of the wood. To think that I stood besideaiid looked up toward 
the towering heads of trees that were standing, or at least had beg\ni their growth, when 
Solomon's Temple was commenced; that were more than a thousand ye:irs old wlien the 
Savior of men trod the soil of Palestine; were ancients at the period of the Crusades! 
One sees in Europe old castles, and looks with reverence upon them as he ihiid^s of tlieir 
hoary antiquity, but these trees were between one thousand and two thousand years old 
when the foundations of the oldest building now standing in Euio] e were lai<l. I can 
think of but one thing more awe inspiring, and that is the group of Egyptian i\vramids. 

One nuist actually lo<jk upon these (Injects, however, to realize the impression they 
make. Ho must study their [iroportions, calculate their altitude, compare them with other 
hir<:o trees or lofty ol jects, and he must do this repeatedly before he can take in the idea. 
It is a universal remark of visitors that the coi.ception of the reality grows upon them 
every time they examine them, and that, at fiist sight, as in the case of Niagara Falls, 
there is a feeling of disappointment. 

Seeds have been sent to Europe, and scattered over oiu- Union, and trees are growhig 
from them in some parts of the Uinted States, but it is doubtful whether in any other soil 
or climate than that of California, they will ever make such :i growth as is seen here. 

One thing is remarkable about these trees, viz: that although of such an immense age, 
many of them, yet wliere they have been unmolested by man and unscathed by fire, they 
still seem sound to the core and vigorous, the foliage is bright and constantly growing, and 
one can not see why they may not live one thousand or two thousand years more. The 
spot where they stand is beautiful. " W'e entera dell," says Dr. Bushiiell, " quietly lapped 
in the mountains, where the majestic vegetable minarets are crowded, as in scmie city of 
])ilj;rimai;e, there to look up, for the first time, in silent awe of the mere life princiiile." 
There is another grove as remarkable in Mariposa county, and smaller collections of the 
same species elsewhere, but they are not common all over the state. 

Dr. Bushnell's theory of the enormous growths of California, is that the secret lies in 
Miese things — " First, a soil too deep and rich for any growth to measure it; second, a 
natural under supjily of water .or artificial inigatioii; ne.\l. the settings of fruit are limited. 
And then, as no time is lost in cloudings and rain, and the sun drives on his work unim- 
peded, month by month, the growth is pushed to its utmost limit. But these [enormous 
occasional specimens] are freaks or extravagances of nature — oidy such as can beeqtmled 
nowhere else. 'J'lie l)ig trees de] end, in part, on these .same contingencies, und partly on 
ihe remarkable longevity of their species. A tree that is watered without rain, having a 



CALIFORNIA. 



487 



deep vegetable mold in which to stand, and not so much as one hour's umbrella of cloud 
to fence off the sun for the whole warm season, and a capacity to live withal for two 
thousand rears or more, may as well grow three hundred and fiJ'ty or four hundred feet 
high and twenty-five feet in diameter, and show the verj' center point or pith still sound 
at the age of thirteen hundred [or three thousand] years, as to make any smaller figure." 



Coaltersvilh and Mariposa tarQ mining towns, south-easterly from Stockton. 
Near Mariposa is Fremonfs Veln^ and 45 miles east of Coultersville is the 
celebrated "Valley of the Yo-hamite," which is pronounced by travelers one 
of the greatest of curiosities. It is a Vast gorge in the Sierra, through which 
flows the Merced, a beautiful crystal stream, which rises high up in the 
mountains. 

. . . "Picture to yourself a perpendicular wall of bare granite nearly or 
quite a mile high ! Yet there are some dozen or score of peaks in all, ranging 
from 3,000 to 5,000 feet above the valley, and a biscuit tossed from any of them 
would strike very near its base, and its fragments go bounding and falling still 

further No single wonder of Nature on earth can claim a superiority 

over the Yo hamite. Just dream yourself for one hour in a chasm nearly ten 
'ailes long, with egress for birds and water out at either extremity, and none else- 
where save at these points, up the face of precipices from 3,000 to 4,000 feet high, 
ihe chasm scarcely more than a mile wide at any point, and tapering to a mere 
<;orge or canon at either end, with walls of mainly naked and perpendicular white 
£;ranite, from 3,000 to 5,000 feet high, so that looking up to the sky from it is like 
lookini; out of an unfathomable profound — and you will have some conception of 
the Yo-hamite." 

'i'he highest known cataract on the globe is in this valley, the Yo-hamite Fall, 
which tumbles over a perpendicular ledge, 1,S00 feet at one plunge, then taking a 
second phinge of 400, ends by a third leap of 600, making in all 2,800 feet, or over 
half a mile in descent The stream being small looks, in the distance, more like 
a white ribbon than a cascade. The Merced enters the valley by more imposing 
cataracts of nearly 1,000 feet fall, flow many other wonders exist in this strange 
locality remains for farther exploration to unfold. " The vallej- varies from a quar- 
ter to a mile in width, the bottom level and covered with a luxuriant growth of 
vegetation, grass interspersed with beautiful llowers, and the finest of pines and 
evergreen shrubs, and the pure, clear, sparkling Merced River winding its ways, 
' at its own sweet will,' throuich the midst With its two points of egress guarded, 
no human being, once placed here within its rocky mountain walls, could ever hope 
to escape." 

Beside the mountain ranges, with their summits clad with everlasting 
snow, and the beautiful scenery rendered more attractive by the wonderful 
purity of the atmosphere, California possesses many natural curiosities, 
among which are 'The Geysers," or hot sulphur springs, of Napa county, 
and the "natural bridges," of Calaveras. 

"The Geysers are from one to nine feet in diameter, and constantly in a boiling 
state, ejecting water to hights of 10 to 15 feet Hundreds of fissures in the side 
of the mountain emit strong currents of heated gas, with a noise resembling that 
of vapor escaping from ocean steamers. We condense the following from Silli- 
man's .lournal, of Nov., 1851, by Professor Forest Shepard : ' From a high peak we 
saw on the W. the Pacific, on the S. Mount Diablo and San Francisco Bay, on the 
Fi. the Sierra Nevada, and on the N. opened at our feet an immense chasm, from 
which, at the distance of four or five miles, we distinctly saw dense columns of 
steam rising. Descending, we discovered within half a mile square from 100 to 
200 openings, whence issued dense columns of vapor, to the bight of from 150 to 
200 feet, accompanied by a roar which could be heard for a mile or more. j\Iany 
acted spasmodically, throAving up jets of hot, scalding water to the hight of 20 or 
30 feet Beneath your footsteps you hear the lashing and foaming gyrations ; and 
on cutting through the surface, are disclosed streams of angry, boiling water.' 



488 • CALIFORNIA. 

Near Vallocita, on Cayote creek, in Calaveras county, is a striking display of 
volcanic action, in the shape of what are called the natural bridges: two immense 
nrolies, thrown over the above-named creek, and covered with imitations of clus- 
ters of fruits and flowers, doubtless formed when the mass was first upheaved in 
a molten state. In the same vicinity is 'Cayote Cave,' a deep, semicircular chasm, 
entered by a perpendicular descent of 100 feet, aud then proceeding by a gradual 
slope till it reaches a depth of nearly 200 feet below the surfixce, where you come 
to a chamber called "The Cathedral," from its containing two stones resembling 
bells, which, when struck, produce a chiming sound. Proceeding 100 feet farther, 
always on the descent, a lake is reached of great depth, and apparently covering 
many acres; but the exploration has not yet been carried beyond this point. The 
roof of the cave is studded with stalactites, assuming various fmtastic forms." 

Bcnecia is 30 miles from San Francisco, on the Straits of Carquinez. 
Vessels of the largest class can reach this point, and here the steamers of 
the Pacific Mail Steamship Line are refitted. VaUejo is a few miles nearer 
San Francisco, on the north side of the same straits. Beneeia, Vallejo and 
San Jose have been by turns the seat of government of California. San 
Jose is at the head of the San Francisco Bay, some 50 miles from San Fran- 
cisco. It is at the entrance of a most beautiful and fertile valley, and was 
long the headquarters of the native Californians. many of whom owned im- 
mense estates and herds of wild cattle. The celebrated Nao Almadcn quick- 
silver mine is 12 miles south of the town. 

On the Pacific eoast,south of San Francisco, the first important place is 
Monterey^ 90 miles distant. It was, under Mexican rule, the principal com- 
mercial point in, and capital of California. Next in order on the coast are 
Saiita Barhara, Los Angeles and Snn Diego, the latter 490 miles from San 
Francisco, the southernmost port in the state, and the termination of the 
branch from Texas of the overland mail route. In the rear of Los An- 
geles, at the distance of 80 miles inland, the snow-capped peak of Mount 
St. Bernardino is seen. It marks the site of the beautiful valley in which 
is the Mormon settlement of Bernardino. 

On the Pacific coast, north of San Francisco, the points of interest are 
Jlnmbohlt (Jifij, Trinidad, Klamath, and Crescent City. The latter is the 
sea-port of the south part of Oregon, being distant only a few miles from 
the southern boundary line of that state. 

Fort Yuma is at the south-eastern angle of the state, at the junction of 
the Colorado and Gila Rivers. It was built about the year 1851, by Major 
S. P. Heintzelman, U.S.A. 



NEVADA. 

Nevada was formed into a territory in February, 1861, and was 
taken from Western Utah. It was admitted into the Union as a State 
in October, 1864. Estimated area eighty thousand square miles. The 
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, inclusive of the famous 
Carson Yalley, is within it. Originally it was called "Washoe, from 
Mt. Washoe, a jDeak over nine thousand feet high, in the vicinitj^ of 
Virginia City. 

Lying along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada range, the 
country has a very different climate from that of California. "The 
gigantic wall of the Sierra Nevada, on the California side, receives the 
hot winds that blow from the Pacific Ocean, and fall there in rain 
and snow, leaving the opposite or eastern declivity exjDOsed to droughts 
and freezing blasts. Consequently you may find, at the same time, 
in the same latitude, and at the same hight, mildness of climate, fer- 
tility, vegetable riches, in fact, summer rejoicing on one side, while 
sterrility, cold and winter exist, with more or less intensity, on the 
opposite slope of these mountains, whose sublime beauty is perhaps 
unequaled throughout the world." 

AVith the exception of Carson valley and a few small valleys, the whole country 
for hundreds of miles, north, south and east, is, like most mineral regions, a bar- 
ren desert, and of no value but for its minerals. There is a great scarcity of 
wood and water. Aside from the timber on the slope of the Sierra Nevada range, 
the only wood of the country is a species of scrub pine, fit only for fuel and to 
feed the Pi-Ute Indians, for it bears very nutritious nuts, which constitutes their 
principal staple article of food. This nut pine makes excellent fuel for steam 
works, being exceedingly hard and full of pitch. The whole face of the country 
is mostly covered with sage brush, like garden sage. Greasewood, another shrub, 
is also common. 

Carson Yalley was pronounced by Mr. Greeley, who was here in 
1859, as one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. He said: 

This valley, originally a grand meadow, the home of the deer and the antelope, 
is nearly inclosed by high mountains, down which, especially from the north and 
west, come innumerable rivulets, leaping and dancing on their way to join the 
Carson. Easily arrested and controlled, because of the extreme shallowness of 
their beds, these streams have been made to irrigate a large portion of the upper 
valley, producing an abundance of the sweetest grass, and insuring bounteous 
harvests also of vegetables, barley, oats, etc. Wheat seems to do fairly here; corn 

489 



490 NEVADA. 

not so well; in fact, the nights are too cold for it if the water were not. For this 
spring water, leaping suddenly down from its mountain sources, is too cold, too 
pure, to be well adapted to irrigation; could it be held back even a week, and ex- 
posed in shallow ponds or basins to the hot sunshine, it would be vastly more use- 
ful. When the whole river shall have been made available, twenty to forty miles 
below, it will prove far more nutritious and fertilizing. 

If the new gold mines in this valley shall ultimately justify their present prom- 
ise, a very large demand for vegetable food will speedily spring up, here, Mhich 
can only be satisfied by domestic production. The vast deserts eastward can not 
meet it, the arable region about ISalt Lake is at once too restricted and too distant; 
inland California is a dear country, and the transportation of bulky staples over 
the Sierra a costly operation. The time will ultimately come — it may or may not 
be in our day — when two or three great dams over the Carson will render the 
irrigation ot these broad, arid plains on its banks perfectly feasible; and then 
this will be one of the most productive regions on earth. The vegetable food of 
one million people can easily be grown here, while their cattle may be reared and 
fed in the mountain vales north and south of this valley. And when the best 
wor^s shall have been constructed, and all the lights of science and experience 
brought to bear on the subject, it will be found that nearly everything that con- 
tributes to human or brute sustenance can be grown actually cheaper by the aid 
of irrigation than without it. As yet we know little or nothing of the application 
of water to land and crops, and our ignorance causes deplorable waste and blun- 
dering. Every year henceforth will make us wiser on this head. 

Previous to the diseoveiy of the Washoe silvei* mines, in the sum- 
mer of 1859, there were not one thousand white inhabitants in all of 
Nevada. Vii-ginia City at once sprung up at that point, which is 
about two hundred miles easterly, in an air line from San Francisco. 
The circumstances, as told of its discovery, are somewhat romantic: 

''The Washoe silver mines were first discovered by ]\Ir. Patrick McLaughlin, 
an 'honest miner,' who was working for gold in a gulch or ravine, and where he 
was making §100 a day to the hand. As he "and his companions followed up the 
gulch, it paid even better, until, on arriving at a certain point, it gave out alto- 
gether, and they struck a vein of pure sulphuret of silver, which they at first sup- 
posed to be coal, but observing that it was very heavy, they concluded it must be 
valuable, and sent one of their number to San Francisco with some of the black 
ore to ascertain its value. It was given to a Mr. Killaley, an old Mexican miner, 
to assay. Killaley took the ore home and assayed it. The result was so astound- 
ing that the old man got terribly excited. 1'he next morning poor Killaley was 
found dead in his bed. He had long been in bad health, and the excitement 
killed him. 

Immediate search was made for the original deposit, which resulted in the 
since famous Comstock lode. Where first found, this lode has no outcropping or 
other indication to denote its presence. The first assay of the rock taken from 
the lode when first struck gave a return of $265 of gold and silver, there being a 
larger proportion of gold than silver. Subsequent assays of ore taken from the 
vein, as it w^as sunk upon, showed a rapid increase in richness, until the enormous 
return was made of $7,000 to the tun— .$4,000 in gold and $3,000 in silver. Still 
later assays of choice pieces of ore have given a return of $15,000 to the tun." Jn 
this case Ihese ounce assays did not mislead, but a vast difference is to be observed 
between rich ore and a rich mine. A poor mine often yields specimens of rich 
ore, which, through the ounce assay, serves but to delude. The true test of the 
value of a silver mine is the quantity of the ore, and the average yield of the ore 
in hulk after the establishment of reduction works. 

The changes that grew from this discovery almost vied in the won- 
derful Avith "the transformations of Aladdin and his lamp. The next 
j-ear Virginia City contained over one thousand houses, of brick, stono 
and cloth, and a population of four thousand. In 18G-4, Virginia City, 



NEVADA. 491 

next to Sfin Francisco, had become the largest and most important 
city on the Pacific coast, and ISTevada was a State of tlie American 
Union, Avith an estimated population of sixty thousand. Her esti- 
mated mineral production that year was $30,000,000. Her patriotism 
was illustrated by her sending to the Sanitary Commission silver bricks 
to the value of $51,500. This she could afford, for a single one of 
her silver mines, the G-ould & Curry, upon the Comstock lode, in 1864 
produced $5,000,000 in silver, and netted her stockholders the enor- 
mous amount of one million and four hundred and forty thousand 
dollars! A citizen, at the beginning of 1865, gives this glowing 
description of his town, which then contained a j)opulation of twen- 
ty-five thousand, American, Mexican, European and Chinamen: 

Virginia City is situated on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, 
the site being a sort of shelving tract of table-land, is six thousand two 
hundred and five feet above the level of sea, being among the highest 
cities on the globe. \Yhen a stranger arrives in Virginia City, and 
observes a city containing a population of twenty-five thousand peo- 
ple of both sexes, long blocks and squares of brick and granite struc- 
tures with whole ranges of frame buildings, and ascertains further 
that immense sums are dailj' being paid for real estate, he naturally 
wonders whether growth in this ratio is likely to continue, and if so, 
whether the mines of N"evada will be sufiicient ultimately to pay for 
it all. But if he steps into the leading banking houses in the city, 
and trtk-es a view of the silver "bricks" generally to be seen there, he 
begins to imaginB thei-e is something tangible in AYashoe after all. 
And if he will next ascertain bowm-any-quai'tz-mills are running in 
■the vicinity of Virginia City, Gold Hill and Silver City, and how 
much bullion each returns on an average weekly, he will unquestion- 
ably be led to the conclusion — which others have come to before him — 
that the rapid growth of Virginia City is only the outward evidence 
of a profitable development of the mines. 

The streets are Macadamized, well lit with gas, water introduced 
through pipes, and it boasts of three theaters, devoted to dramatic en- 
tertainments, an opera-house, Avhich seats in its auditorium some tAvo 
thousand peoj^le, and Avhere Italian and other operas of the best com- 
posers are produced by artists equal to any which appear before the 
audiences of much older communities. The large amount of wealth 
which the earth so bountifully produces enables the population of the 
State to provide themselves with CA^ery comfort and luxury of civilized 
life. Stores of every character, Avell supplied Avith merchandise of all 
descriptions, hotels, and fine market-houses, filled Avith an abundance 
of game, meats and vegetables, attract the qjq on CA'ery side. The 
churches of various denominations, and school-hoiises, attended daily 
by nearly a thousand children, Avill compare favorably with those in 
the Atlantic States. An excellent volunteer fire department, police 
force, and the working of a good municipal government, are no less 
attractive features of the new city which has so suddenly sprung into 
existence within the short space of five years. The country around 
is cut up Avith mines, mills, farms and gardens, Avhile in every section 
the topography is dotted with srailing villages, and even palatial 
priA'ate residences giA-e unmistakable indications of the thrift and 
wonderful enterprise of its hardy and industrious population. There 



492 NEVADA. 

has been no difficulty as yet experienced in obtaining labor for mining 
operations. The supply is fully equal to the demand at any and all 
times. Good mining hands receive usually four dollars per diem, 
■while the tariff of prices for ordinarj^ laboring men is fixed at from 
three to three and a half dollars per day, payable in gold; amalga- 
mators and engineers of mills receive from five to eight dollars. 
Wood for milling and hoisting purposes is worth twelve dollars, in 
summer, a cord, and fifteen in winter. Lumber for "timbering" and 
"shoring" up mines, and building purposes, may be obtained at from 
forty to fifty dollars per thousand feet, in any quantity that may be 
desired for all practical purposes. Fresh meats of the best quality 
can be had from twelve to eighteen cents a pound; butter, milk, eggs, 
cheese and fruits and vegetables of all kinds raised in the State,"are 
as reasonable in price as the same may be procured in the city of 
New York on a spccie-jDaying basis. 

The elevation of Virginia City, on the east slope of Mount David- 
son, is about six thousand feet above the level of the sea. There are 
no extremes of heat or cold experienced at any season of the year; 
but for the reason that the air at this elevation becomes rarefied, 
many people at first find some difficult}^ in breathing as freely as they 
could in a lower atmosphere. Porsons affiicted with asthmatic and 
lung complaints find great relief in inhaling the rarefied air of Mount 
Davidson. In the valleys, however, where the temperature of the 
atmosphere is more moderate, the objections raised by some to the 
former locality for a place of residence is entirely overcome. The 
best test of the general healthiness of the climate is to be found in the 
fact that there are few deaths in proportion to the jDopulation. and 
that the climate does not imi^air the energy of settlers, is proved by 
the enterj^rise and activity which in Virginia City is evident on all 
sides, and in the ros}^, blooming complexions of the people we meet 
on every hand. 

A late visitor in Nevada gives us a picture of the appearance of 
things in Virginia Citj' and the adjacent silver-producing towns 
which he apjjroached from California, passing through Carson City: 

Carson City, in IS.^S, was a place wliere tlie emigrant from the Eastern States, 
on the road to California, stopped to recruit liimself and cattle for a start over the 
iSierra Nevada. Carson City of 1864 is quite a large and important place. It has 
a lariie trade with all parts of the State, has the finest site for a town in the 
■whole territory, and is at present the capital. A larf^e quary of stone having 
been discovered by Abraham Curry, the phice now boasts of splendid stores, 
courtliouses and dwellings, built of this stone; fine hotels, family mansions, 
beautiful cottages, and, indeed, a place for Nevada to be proud of It stands four 
thousand six hundred and fifteen feet above the level of the sea, has a line cli- 
mate, and the best water of any place in Nevada. 

Let us jog on toward Virginia City, seventeen miles distant. We first reach 
Curry's warm spring, two miles east from the town. 'J'his is a great resort for 
drinking the water and bathing; it possesses great medicinal qualities. Here is 
the great territorial prison, an immense stone edifice. It was built for strength, 
although only for Curry's own house. The prisoners work in the quary, which 
is in the yard adjoining. A railroad connects the prison with Carson City, for 
the conveyance of the stone. 

We now start for Empire City (or Dutch Nicks), called after an old settler in 
1860. It originally contained but two houses; now fine mills are erected for saw 
jng lumber and crushing quartz — tlie Mexican mill, a most extensive affair, grind- 



NEVADA. 493 

ing tho rock from their claim in Virginia City. Here you hear, for the first time 
in the Territory, the ponderous stamps going day and night. Teams are going 
continually to the mine for rock to be crushed and the precious metals extracted. 
The Winters, Aitchenson and Mead mills, and others, are here, and it is now quite 
a place of importance ; it is situated on Carson river, north-east from Curry's. In 
a northerly direction, you pass over a fine road, to the halfwa;^ house toward 
Silver City, through Spring Valley, and begin to ascend what is called the back- 
bone of tile range, on which the Comstock lode is found. A fine road has been 
finished all the way. You pass by the Daney Company's lode, and continue 
al&ng till you come to the Canon, on which road we will pass the mills at work — 
Gold Canon being the one that drains Silver City, American Flat and Gold Hill. 
The Cunon is full of mills, crushing the quartz from all the above places. The 
great want here is water; but that is being supplied in greater abundance, as tho 
Gold Hill and Virginia Tunnel Company drain the mines. On it is located Silver 
City, about half way between Virginia City and Dayton, on the Carson river. 
Silver City is almost entirely dependent on the surrounding country for her sup- 
port. Some of the finest mills in the country lie within her limits. Having a 
great abundance of granite and other building material, fine blocks of buildings 
have been erected, fire-proof, and very substantial; the private residences are 
tasty, and many are adorned by both fruit and shade trees. All along the Canon, 
to Devil's Gate, are mills at work on quartz from the various districts around. 
French's mill, situate in American Ravine, in Silver City, was built in 1860 — size 
of building, ninety by seventy-five feet. It has twenty stamps and sixteen pans, 
with an engine of sixty-horse power, and reduces twenty to thirty tuns of rock 
per day. There are a great many mills in this vicinity doing well, and a hundred 
others could have plenty of employment. To a person who never saw a quartz 
mill at work, he can have no idea of the noise and clatter it makes ; the deafen- 
ing sound, compelling great exertion to be heard; and I assure you a person 
needs all his breath here, for the rarefied air makes breathing pretty difficult. 

Well, save your breath, and let us walk on to American City — American Flat — 
a flourishing place, only a few months old, boasting of churches and hotels. 
Residences have been erected as if by magic. Among the hills, west of Ameri- 
can Flat, there is a beautiful cave of alabaster, from the roof of which, when 
first discovered, hung long pendent stalactites of snowy whiteness and rare beauty, 
which visitors have, from time to time carried away. The alabaster in this cave 
is so soft that it can be cut with a pen-knife. 

A short time ago it was predicted that the improvements would be such in this 
region, that there would be a street lined with buildings for a distance of nearly 
eight miles. There is now no complete or dividing space between Virginia and 
Gold Hill, American and Silver City ; and the rapidity with which the intervening 
spaces have been built up is truly astonishing. These facts are remarkably strong 
in support of the opinion that the time is not far distant when the main street of 
Virginia City will present a continuous double row of buildings from the north 
end of the city to Dayton. The next place we reach is Gold Hill in the Canon. 

Gold Hill IS emphatically a mining town. The ground underneath Virginia 
City is honey-combed by tunnels, drifts and excavations, which extend in every 
direction. But still there is little to be seen above the surface to give, a stranger 
any idea of what is going on below. The streets and houses present the same 
appearance as the streets and houses of any other city, and it is only in afew 
localities in the outskirts of the town, as in the vicinity of the Ophir or Mexican 
lodes, that evidences of mining, carried on to any great extent, are to be seen. 

But Gold Hill presents a far different aspect. All along the east side of the 
town huge piles of dirt, debris and pulverized quartz are visible, which have been 
raised out of the mines and left upon the ground, while the more valuable rock 
has been taken to the mill for crushing. In the hoisting-houses erected oyer the 
shafts, machinery is in constant operation night and day, the screaming of steam 
whistles is heard, and successive car-loads of ore are run over railroads upon 
trestle-work, and sent down long, narrow shutes into wagons below, with a noise 
jxerfectly deafening. Leaving there, and passing through the town, the ears of 
the visitor are everywhere assailed by the thunder of stamps crushing in tho 



494 NEVADA. 

mills, and the clatter of machinery, until one would fain believe himself in a 
large manufacturing village in tlie Is'ew England States. The quartz teams you 
see in Virginia City have tripled in number, and in places the streets are jammed 
with them, carrying loads of rich ore to tiie mills at Devil's Gate, Silver City and 
Carson River. As night draws on, and a shift of hands takes place, the work- 
men, who, for ti number of hours, have been many hundred feet under gi-ound, 
timbering up drifts, or tearing down masses of glittering quartz, which compose 
the ledge, appear, and their conversation is utterly unintelligible to a stranger un- 
acquainted with the locality and condition of the different claims. Remarks con- 
cerning the Sandy Bowers, the Pluto, Uncle Sam, or Bullion, are Chinese to him ; 
and he learns their position and character as he would acquire a knowledge of 
the streets and buildings of a strange city. If Gold Hill presents a singular 
aspect in the day-time, its appearance from the Divide at midnight is absolutely 
Ktartiing. Work at the mines, in the hoisting-houses and quartz-mills, is carried 
on without intermission or cessation; and the dashing of lights, the noise of 
steam engines and machinery, contrasted with the silence and gloom of tlie sur- 
rounding mountains, make up a strange and almost unearthly picture, and puts 
him in mind of what he has read of the residence of the " Gentleman in Black." 

The mines in Gold Hill proper are said to be very rich. We visited souie of 
them, and were surprised at the extent of the work done. Everything here looks 
as if fortunes had been spent, but the rich returns have warranted the outlay. 
Here we found banking houses, refiners, assayers, and every business connected 
with mining; every one attending to his own business. We Avill now go up the 
Divide, between Gold Hill and Virginia City. 

Virginia City, as you see it, coming over the Divide, has a strange look, and 
you are quite startled at the view before you. You are at once astonished at the 
"size and iinportance of the City of the Hills, a place but of yesterday; now sec- 
ond only to San Francisco on the Pacific coast. 

Virii-inia City only diflers from tlie towns you have passed through, because it 
is so much larger. It is built at the foot, or rather on the side, of Mount David- 
son. All the "{principal mines are inside the city limits. The Gouhl & Curry 
tunnel is in the very center of the city (see Evans'_Map of V^irginiaCity Mines), 
although its mill is two miles away. The city, which lies on the side of Mount 
Davidson, is one mass of excavations and tunnels. There is a bluish earth, 
which is obtained from the mines, and this is dumped at the mouth of the tun- 
nels, so that the city, at a distance, seems speckled with these blue spots. The 
citv boasts of fine buildings, stores filled with every luxury— everything that can 
beprocured for money. Day and night the mills are crushing the ore, making a 
deafenins noise. The silver bricks are carted around, as the people of the East 
do ordinary bricks, literally speaking. 

The Comstock Eange, in which the fine veins above described are 
situated, is the most noted of the silver regions of :N'evada, from hav- 
ino- been the earliest discovered and developed. But Nevada has 
other districts equally rich, and every day adds to our knowledge of 
the o-jo-antic wealth hidden in the mineral regions of the Pacific slo^De. 
Beside gold and silver, coal, quicksilver, iron, copper, lead, antimony 
and eveiy known mineral abound. Wealth enough exists to sponge 
out our huge national debt scores of times. The policy of the Gov- 
ernment in the past, in withholding from the people titles in fee sim- 
ple to her gold and silver bearing districts, has been a great incubus 
upon their development. When this policy is reversed, and the enter- 
prising emigrant can locate his discovery with the same assurance of 
ownerlship as the pioneer on a prairie farm of the Mississippi valley, 
the development of tlie Pacific country will be rapid beyond all calcu- 
lation. In relation to silver mining, however, it can only be carried 
on by companies, the original outlay for the reduction of ore. 



in 



NEVADA. 



495 



buildings and macliinery, surpasging- ordinary individual wealth. The 
adage is here in full force, that "it takes a mine to work a mine." 
A late writer gives these facts in regard to silver veins : 

Silver is generally found in veins, and hence the deposits are fiir more likely to 
be inexhaustible than placer gold. The statistics of silver mining, in different 
countries, clearly establish this fact. For centuries this business has been the 
cardinal interest of Mexico; silver the circulating medium or currency of the 
country; and — in coin and bars — a chief article of export. Since the conquest 
of Cortez, the mining interest has been so successfully prosecuted that the most 
trustworthy statistics nearly startle us with suggestions of almost fabulous for- 
tunes realized, and with vague conceptions of the vast mineral wealth of that 
country. According to Humboldt, the total amount of silver obtained from the 
conquest to the time he wrote (1S03), was !§2, 027,952,000. Other authorities rep- 
resent the sum as much larger, and amounting to no less than $12,000,000,000. 
And yet the whole period, since the conquest of 1521 — nearly three hundred and 
fifty years — has developed no sign of the possible failure of the silver mines of 
Mexico. On the contrary, they were never richer than they are to-day. The 
annual coinage of the mints of Mexico, at the beginning of the present century, 
was not less than §27,000,000. Our statistics for some years past have been less 
complete and trustworthy. When a vein of silver is found, it may generally be 
traced a long distance. The Vela Madre, said to be the riche-<t vein in Mexico, 
has been opened at different points along the strata a distance of twelve miles, 
and in many places it is not less than 200 feet wide. One vein in Chili has been 
followed nearly one hundred miles, while several of the branches radiating from 
it are thirty miles long. When a silver vein is sometimes broken abruptly, as in 
the mines of Chili, it is quite sure to be found again, if the miner patiently pur- 
sues the same general direction. In one instance, at the mines of Chanarcillo, 
the vein was found to be thus interrupted by a belt of limestone; but by sinking 
a shaft over two hundred and fifty feet through the stone, the vein wag struck 
again. Not less than seven of these belts have been found to interrupt the same 
mineral vein, at different points, and yet the miners have failed of reaching its 
final termination. The fact that silver is generally thus deposited while gold is 
not, must suggest to the most thoughtless observer, that of the two, silver mines 
are far more likely to be permanently profitable. 

"We now abridge from a published account a description of some of 
the other prominent mining districts of Nevada, as they were early 
in 1865: 

The Esmeralda District is one hundred and forty miles south-east of Virginia 
City. Many good mines are in the district, and ten mills in operation for the re- 
duction of the ores. A large amount of silver bullion is weekly shipped from 
Aurora, the principal town, which has four thousand people, and two daily 
papers. 

The Reese River District is one hundred and eighty miles east of Virginia 
City, on the overland stage route. Austin, the principal town, has five thousand 
inhabitants. Nine mills are in operation, and a daily newspaper published. The 
mines of this region extend as far south as prospecters have ever ventured to 
explore — some two hundred miles. Some veins, very rich on the surface, have 
been found outside of the settlements in various directions, but as yet they have 
not been improved, the owners being poor men, and the country being too wild 
for capitalists, to venture into, while perhaps equally good opportunities for in- 
vestment are to be found in more civilized localities. These ores are mostly 
chlorids, rodids and bromids, while in the Comstock veins the principal are the 
black and grey sulphurets. 

The Humboldt District is situated about one hundred and fifty miles northeast 
of Virginia City, on the east side of the Humboldt river, and near the Old Emi- 
grant road, down that river. The mines were first discovered in 1860, but did 
not attract much attention until a year or two afterward. There are four or five 



496 NEVADA. 

lai"o;e towns ia this regioa, and one or two mills in operation. Wood is very 
scarce, and for this reason few steam mills have been erected. A canal, sixty-five 
miles in length, and capable of carrying water sufficient to run forty or fifty water 
mills, is now nearly half completed. As soon as tlifs great work is finished, a 
number of large mills will at once be erected. The principal mine in this region 
is the Sheba, which yields large quantities of very rich ore, much of which is 
sent to England for reduction. This is the oldest and best developed claim in 
that region, but there are doubtless hundreds equally as good, were they as thor- 
oughly opened. An excellent weekly paper is published here, at Unionville, and 
there are some very heavy tunneling enterprises undertaken for the development 
of the veins found in certain mountains. The ores of this district are dilferent 
from those of either Esmeralda or Reese river, being argentiferous, galena and 
antimonial ores. Some of the leads of this region are very rich in gold, but in 
this they are not peculiar, as laore or less gold is found in every mining disti-ict, 
and in nearly all paying veins. It has been said that the Humboldt mountains 
alone doubtless contain precious metals sufficient to purchase the fee simple of 
all the rebel States, with the Union and rebel government debt both thrown in. 

In this direction are several new mining districts. The most promising of 
these are Pine Wood, IMountain Wells and Clan Alpine. Judging from assays 
obtained from rock taken from the croppings of some i)f these veins, there is no 
doubt but they will prove immensely valuable. The district is situated between 
Hujuboldt ami the Reese river mines, is well watered, and the hills are clothed 
with a heavy growth of nut pine. Clan Alpine is quite a new district, there be- 
ing but a dozen or two of miners there, but it contains some most promising 
veins. The district is about one hundred and thirty miles east of Virginia City. 
Mountain Wells district, some eighty miles east of Virginia City, is another 
promising, though but little developed, mining region. Some excellent veins have 
been opened, and quite a village is springing up in the mines. As yet they have 
no mills. There is plenty of wood and water in the district. It is situated on 
the overland mail route. 

No region in the world can surpass Nevada in the abundance and variety of her 
mineral productions. Almost everywhere in the State iron ore, of an excellent 
quality, is abundant, much of it so pure that when broken it presents the ap- 
pearance of cast iron. Two or three deposits of coal have lately been discovered, 
the beds being from nine to twenty feet thick. It burns well, and will doubtless 
prove to be of an excellent quality when the workings are carried to a proper 
depth on the veins. Lead is found in abundance in many parts of the Territory ; 
also large veins of antimony, the ore of which is exceedingly pure. None of 
these are worked unless found to contain silver in paying quantities. Large and 
very rich veins of copper ace found in almost every part of the country, but no 
attention is paid to them, except they contain silver. The copper ores are of 
various kinds; the rich black ore as heavy as lead; the blue and green carbon- 
ates, and other varieties; also some veins in which native copper is visible in the 
rock above the surface of the ground, running in fibers through the vein stone. 

In Peavine District, about eighteen miles north-west of Virginia City, and near 
the Truekee river, also quite near the line of the Central Pacific Railroad, are 
many splendid veins of copper. These veins often show beautiful specimens of 
pure gold, and also contain a considerable per cent, of silver. The ores of many 
of these veins contain a sufficient amount of gold to pay for shipping and work- 
ing, could it easily be separated from the copper. There are in the State numerous 
large beds of plumbago. None of these are claimed or worked, though some 
parties at one time tried to manufacture fire-proof bricks from this material, but 
fireclay of good quality being discovered, the plumbago was abandoned. Some 
seventy miles east of Virginia City, in the deserts, are immense fields of excel- 
lent salt, much of it being equal to the best table salt. As salt is much used by 
the mills in the various processes for the reduction of silver ores, hundreds of 
tuns of this salt are brought to Virginia City, being hauled on ^yagons or packed 
on tlie backs of mules. In the vicinity of the Humboldt mines is a whole moun- 
tain of brimstone, and in the same vicinity are found extensive beds of pure 



NEVADA. 497 

alum. Carbonate of soda is found everywhere in the alkaline deserts in great 
quantities, also many other curious mineral productions. 

In other countries rivers generally empty into seas, the ocean, or other rivers, 
but this is not the case with the Nevada rivers. Nevada rivers start off and run 
till they get tired, then quit and go into the ground. Carson river rises in the 
Sierras, runs off east, and disappears in what is known as Carson Sink. The 
Truckee rises in the Sierras, runs eastward, and sinks in Pyramid Lake. The 
Humboldt comes from the east, and disappears at Humboldt Sink and Walker 
River sinks in Walker Lake. None of these sinks or lakes have any visible out- 
let. What becomes of the waters of these rivers would be about as hard to say 
as to tell where a candle goes to when it goes out. 

An old miner living there, used to swear that here was where the work of the 
creation was finished. He said that " late on Saturday evening the Almighty 
started in to make a tremendous great river. He made the four rivers now in 
Washoe as the four branches thereof, and was leading them along, intending to 
bring them together in one mighty river, which was to empty into the ocean ; but 
of a sudden, before He got the branches together, night came on, and the Lord 
just stuck the ends into the ground and quit, and they have stayed so ever since." 

"We conclude this article with an extract from a vahiable and in- 
structive paper in Gazley's Pacific Monthly for March, 1865, upon the 
gold and silver mines of California and Nevada : 

When the first " fever " broke out in California, placer-digging was the haven 
where all were bound, and here, with a pan or rocker as the only " machinery," 
millions per month of the precious treasure were gathered. No one dreamed of 
descending into the bowels of the earth by shaft or tunnel; no one imagined that 
gold must have a matrix, or be imbedded in rock, or could be traced in the quartz, 
m which it was afterward discovered to have come from. 

As the placer-digging gradually gave out, adventurous spirits began to inquire 
for " a cause" and " a wherefore," and on finding on the mountain-sides bowlders 
containing streaks of gold, an immediate conclusion was formed that the yellow 
beauty must have a mother, and that quartz must be the womb. Happy thought! 
Quartz-mining superseded the placer-digging, and in every part of the State a new 
era dawned. Quartz became king. The mighty attractions of the placer-digging 
a short while ago were forgotten. And here, parenthetically, I would observe, 
that though placer-mining has lost interest to a great extent, there are many who 
(vill agree with me in saying, that these diggings are yet valuable, and that the 
*re has only to be looked for, and it may be found in large quantities and as rich 
IS any before worked. 

Gold quartz was the only one known at this time, and in some sections was 
found extremely rich. The Allison Ranch, in Grass Vall^, California, for in- 
stance, has ledges which might, perhaps, be classed with any mine in the world 
for richness. Indeed, ledges have been found all over the State, which have 
yielded to the fortunate possessors gigantic fortunes. 

This excitement had its day, and new fields promising greater results were 
Bought. Miners, as a class, especially those of California, are impatient and too 
eager. They wander, explore, and run from one place to another. Kern River 
had its attractions, and off they went helter-skelter. Gold River and Frazer River 
carried them off by thousands, to the old tune of follow your leader, and come 
back bootless. Broken in health and penniless, back they came to placer-digging, 
where many made their " piles " out of the very claims that they had, a little 
while before, given up as worthless. 

And now broke out the Washoe silver-mining mania, and the same results fol- 
lowed as at first. Many returned to placer-digging, in California, again tired and 
weary of life and everything under the sun. But Washoe had a glorious destiny 
awaiting her. She burst with a blaze of glory upon the world; mines richer 
than the famous mines of Peru were found, and the now State of Nevada, the 
youngest of the sisterhood of States, has taken her rank as the first silver-mining 
region in the world. 

32 



498 



NEVADA. 



Virpinia City now rears her lofty chimneys hi;:;h to the clouds, from mills that 
are daily turning her very foundations into bricks of silver and sold, under tlie 
protection of Mount Davidson, nine thousand feet above the level of the sea. Few 
cities of the Pacific States rank higher, either for the production of wealth or 
moral advancement, than she does at the present moment And her destiny is 
onward ! upward ! 

To attempt to give the amount taken from the soil of Nevada' would be an utter 
impossibility, as most of it is taken to other places by private hands, and never 
reaches the Mint — from which we receive the data to make up our calculations. 
The coinage can give us no information, as most of the precious bi'icks of silver 
and gold leave San Francisco for India, China, Peru, Enghind, France, and, I may 
say, every portion of the globe, without being counted as the production of Ne- 
yada. 

Now, let us see what effect the wealth of California and Washoe will have on 
the monetary world. P"'inancial calculations have, of late years, taken range and 
scope beyond the experience of former times. As commerce extends, as industry 
becomes more general, as the amount of wealth increases, and as the national 
debt becomes larger and more burdensome, the management of the currency is a 
serious question. The extraordinary production of gold, within the last few years, 
and the probable great increase of silver in the future, have set the financiers of 
the world to work to devise a method to govern and direct the change. 

To find out what changes may be expected in the fufure, we must look back at 
those which have taken place in the past. We must compare our present stock 
of the precious metals with that which existed at previous epoch.s, and we must 
compare the present increase with that of previous .ages. 

The amount of gold and silver coin in the possession of civilized nations, in 
the year 1500, is estimated at $250,000,000. 

The mines of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia produced an immense amount of silver 
during the century following, bringing up the amount stated to $750 000,000. In 
1700, the sum in Europe — making all allowances for wear and shipments to India 
— had risen to $1,500,000,000. The production of jrold and silver in America 
during the eighteenth century is estimated at $350,000,000. There was, hoAvever, 
at the same time, a great export of silver to India, a considerable wear, amount- 
ing to twenty percent. — in a century — and a great consumption of the precious 
metals in ornaments and table ware. At the commencement of the present cen- 
tury, the whole known amount of coin in the world was estimated at $1,900,000, 
000. From 1800 till 1820, the annual production of the world was about $25,000, 
000, and from 1820 to 1848, about $40,000,000. 

With the discovery of the gold mines of California, began a production 
large beyond all previous example, and almost beyond the conception of former 
times. 

California and Australia each produced $50,000,000 annually for some years 
and Russia produced $20,000,000. 

The present total production of the world may safely be put down at $120,000, 
000 per annum, and the present total stock of coin in existence at $4,000,000,000. 
The average annual export of silver to India and China amounts to about $50,000, 
000. In 1857 it came up to $96,000,000, while in 1864 it may safely be put down 
at $120,000,000. , Once exported, very little is ever returned to the circulation of 
Europe or America. While the precious metals were increasing in quantity, civil- 
ization was extending with great rapidity ; and thus we see verified one of nature's 
great laws, that as earth's products develop an increase, so does civilization and 
enlightenment extend. Thus it is that precious metals have fallen to about one- 
eighth of the value which they possessed at the discovery of America. 

The most important gold region of the United States — and perhaps of the 
world — is California; and the richest silver region in the world is Nevada. The 
development of both has added untold millions to the wealth of the world, and 
1865 will, no doubt, add more millions than could be imagined by the most ex- 
perienced calculator or political economist in Europe. 

Gold and silver mines of great richness are found in the range or I'anges from 



NEVADA. 4^1, 

the city of Mexico, through the Gila, Washoe, Oregon, Frar.er River, to the Arctic 
Ocean; and as they are more explored and opened up, the northern portion will 
prove as rich as the southern, vrhich astonished the worhi at former periods. 

Since the discovery of the mines of California and Washoe, all the resources 
of modern science have been taxed to find out the best way of working, cheaply 
and thoroughly, the ores of the different ranges and formations. All the PaciSe 
States abound in the precious metals held in quartz rock. The gold or silver- 
bearing quartz runs in veins through an entirely different rock, which forms walls 
on both sides as the vein is worked. When a vein, or what is called a ledge, is 
discovered, the discoverer becomes the possessor of so many feet, on which he can 
claim all its dips, spurs, angles, and as many feet on each side as the mining law» 
allow. He must do a certain amount of work to hold good his claim, as estab- 
lished by the laws of the district in which his claim is located. The recorder 
goes on the ground, and if all is correct, he issues his certitic^ite (miners' laws are 
always respected in California and Nevada). The mines of Nevada have but re- 
cently attracted the attention of the capitalists of the world by their known rich- 
•ness, extent, and capability of being worked. The western range, on which the 
famed Comstock is located, has many other ledges equally rich on the same range 
of hills (for Virginia has hundreds of ledges situated on Mount Davidson and 
Ophir Hills), all of which have become famous to the world; and the eastern 
range or Reese River, with its ledges, richer than even the Comstock range, has 
proved to be full of mines, so rich, so extensive, that in a few years these mines 
will occupy, in the eye of the capitalist, a most important spot in which to invest 
his surplus capital. 

The extraordinary developments of mineral deposits in the countries within; 
the confines and limits of the ancient Alta California, form one of the grandest 
epochs in the annals of our race. These discoveries of the precious metals have 
not all been of recent date. In ITlK) the rich mines of North Sinaloa were 
opened; in 1730 the Planchas de Plata of Arizona, or masses of native silver, 
were found. Then we had in 1770 the great placers of Clenaquilia, to the north 
of Hermosilla, where the immense chispa of seventy poun<ls was found, and sent 
to the cabinet of the King o,f Spain, and several millions were picked up in its 
vicinity in a few years. After this came the discoveries further north, on the 
rivers which flow into the (iila from the south, and also the headwaters of the 
Sonora River, and those of the Opasura and Yaqui, which interlock with the tri- 
butaries of the Gila in the country of the Opatas, Terahuraaras, Yanos, and 
Apaches, and which, by spasmodic starts, yielded large quantities of gold. Thia 
section of the present Arizona, and as far up north as the Navajos, and east to 
the Camanche range, is known in Mexico as the Apacharia, of which the most 
apparently fabulous stories have been told, from 1770 to 1864, concerning the ex- 
istence of immense mines and deposits of gold, silver, copper, and quicksilver, 
both in veins and pure metal, but which are every day proving the truth of the 
accounts of the old missionaries and Gambusinos. 

After 1800, till 1846, discoveries were made in many places every few years, 
near all the old mission settlements of Sonora. In 1825 Captain Patie mentions 
that rich gold placers were worked near Pacuachi, not far south of 'I'ucson, and 
tiie price of gold was only eleven and twelve dollars to the ounce. The account 
of Captain Patie, who died at San Diego, in 1829, is the first printed one we have 
of any American, or even other parties, who came by land to California through 
Sonora or New i\Iexico. He mentions several other places in the Bacuachi, or 
River San Pedro country, where gold was produced in abundance when the 
Apaches were out of the way. Again, from 1838 to 1846, the gold placers of 
San Fernando, near Los Angeles, are of public notoriety as yielding very hand- 
some return?!. 

From 1848 to 1864 the discoveries of gold, silver, and copper have been con- 
stant and of everyday notoriety. The prospecters have ranged from the Gila, 
north to the (lussian possessions, and from the Pacific Ocean to the interlocking 
branches of the Columbia, Missouri, Colorado, and Rio Grande del Norte. It has- 
been of daily record fur the last fifteen years that all this immense extent of coun- 



500 



NEVADA. 



try, gives to the world the knowledge of exhaustless miJHons of treasure, awaiting 
but the hand of labor to throw it into the channel of commerce, and the road to 
population and power. 

Not a single precious metal or valuable mineral of trade or science but what is 
found in abundant out-crops, or washings, in all these States and Territories. A 
very singular and unlooked-for exhibition has been going on for the last few years. 
The explorers of Sonora, California and Nevada have been out on prospecting ex- 
peditions in the deserts, mountains, and ranges on the Pacific, while those of Pike's 
Peak and the Kocky Mountains, from the east, have been gradually extending their 
lines and distances till they now meet the mining parties from Oregon, Washington, 
and Nevada, in Cariboo, Idaho, and Utah. This magnificent mineral empire is 
the most wealthy and extended known to the world. It has an advantage superior 
to all other mineral fields, in being in the vicinity of sea navigation, and has a 
climate of unsurpassed salubrity. While in the neighborhood of most of our 
mineral deposits the soil is exceedingly fertile, inviting the husbandman to a rich 
return for his labor, and boundless pastures to the herdsman; and, it may be 
added, that within our metalliferous ranges, valleys exist of the most picturesque 
and beautiful character; views equaled by no country in Europe, will invite the 
pleasure-seeker to travel for health, recreation, or pleasure ; and a few years will 
see the aristocracy of Europe thronging the shores of the Pacific, as they now do 
the Continent. The borders of Lake Tehoe or Bigler will be as famous as the 
Lake of Como, and the Sierra Nevada will be climbed by tourists as are the Alps 
of Switzerland. The Falls of Yo Semite will be a greater wonder than the Falls 
of Niagara, and the shores of the Bay of Sau Francisco will be dotted with 
princely palaces. 



OREGON. 



Oregon is one of the Pacific states. The name, Oregon, is from Oregano, 
the Spanish word for wild marjoram; and it is from this word, or some other 

sim:^lar, that its name is supposed to 
have arisen. "But little was known 
of even its coast up to the latter part 
of the last century. Immediately 
after the last voyage of the renowned 
navigator, Capt. Cook, the immense 
quantities of sea-otter, beaver and 
other valuable furs to be obtained on 
the north-west coast of America, and 
the enormous prices which they would 
bring in China, was communicated to 
civilized nations, and created as much 
excitement as the discovery of a new 
gold region. Multitudes of people 
rushed at once into this lucrative 
trafiic: so that in the year 1792, it is 
said that there were twenty-one vessels 
under diflferent flags, but principally 
American, plying along the coast of 
Oregon, and trading with the natives. 
On the 7th of May, 1702, Capt. Robert Gray, of the ship Columbia, of Bos- 
ton, discovered and entered the river, which he named from his vessel. He 
was, in reality, the first person who established the fact of the existence of 
this great river, and this gave to the United States the right to the country 
drained by its waters by the virtue of discovery. In 180J— '5, Lewis and 
Clark explored the country, from the mouth of the Missouri to that of the 
Colambia. This exploration of the Columbia, the first ever made, consti- 
tuted another ground of the claim of the United States to the country. 

In 1808, the Missouri Fur Company, through their agent, Mr. Henry, 
established a trading-post on Lewis River, a branch of the Columbia, which 
was the first establishment of civilized people in this section of country. 
An attempt was made that year, by Capt. Smith, of the Albatross, of Bos- 
ton, to found a trading-post on the south bank of the Columbia, forty miles 

501 




Arms of Okegon, 

Motto — Alis volut propriis — I fly with my own 
wing. 



502 OREGON. 

from its mouth. It was abandoned the same season, and that of Mr. Henry 
in 1810. 

In the year 1810, John Jacob Astor, a German merchant of New York, who had 
accumulated an immense fortune by commerce in the Pacific and China, formed 
the Pacific Fur Company. His first objects were to concentrate in the company, 
the fur trade in the unsettled parts of America, and also the supply of merchan- 
dise for the Russian fur-trading establishments in the North Pacific. For these 
purposes, posts were established on the Missouri, and the Columbia, and vicinity. 
These posts were to be supplied with the merchandise required for trading byshipa 
from the Atlantic coast, or across the country by way of the Missouri. A factory 
or depot was to be founded on the Pacific, for receiving this merchandise, and dis- 
tributing it to the different posts, and for receiving in turn furs from them, which 
were to be sent by ships from thence to Canton. Vessels were also to be sent from 
the United States to the factory with merchandise, to be traded for fui-s, which 
would then be sent to Canton, and there exchanged for teas, silks, etc., to be ip 
turn distributed in Europe and America. 

This stupendous enterprise at the time appeared practicable. The only partj 
from whom any rivalry could be expected, Avas the British North-west Company, 
and their means were far inferior to those of Astor. From motives of policy, he 
off"ered them one third interest, which they declined, secretly intending to forestall 
him. Having matured his scheme, Mr. Astor engaged partners, clerks, and voya- 
geurs, the majority of whom were Scotchmen and Canadians, previously in the 
service of the North-west Company* Wilson P. Hunt, of New Jersey, was cho.«eu 
the chief agent of the operations in western America. 

In September, 1810, the sliip Tonqnin, Capt. Thorn, left New York for the mouth 
of the Columbia, with four of the partners, j\l'Kay, Al'Dougal, and David and 
Kobert Stuart, all British subjects, with clerks, voyar/etirs, and mechanics. In Jan- 
uary, 1811, the second detachment, with Hunt, M'Clellan, M'Kenzie, and Crooks, 
also left New York to go overland by the Missouri to the same point, and in Octo- 
ber, 1811, the ship Beacer, Capt. Sowles, with several clerks and attaches, left New 
York for the North Pacific. Prior to these, in 1809, Mr. Astor had dispatehed the 
Enieijm'se, Capt. Ebberts, to make observations at the Russian settlements, and to 
prepare the way for settlements in Oregon. He also, in 181 1, sent an agent to St. 
Petersburg, who obtained from the Russian American FurC'ompany, the monopoly 
of supplying their posts in the North Pacific with merchandise, and receiving furs 
in exchange. 

In ]VIarch, 1811, the Tonqnin arrived at the Columbia, and soon after they com- 
menced erecting on the south bank, a few miles inland, their factory or depot 
building: this place they named Astoria. In June, the Tonqni)i, v^'lth M'Kay 
sailed north to make arrangements for trading with the Russians. In duly, th» 
Astorians were surprised by the appearance of a party of the North-west Compu- 
nv, under Mr. Thompson, who had come overland from Canada, to forestall then* 
in the occupation of the mouth of the Columbia; but had been delayed too lat* 
for this purpose, in seeking a passage through the Rocky IMountains, and had beer 
obliged to winter there. Mr. Thompson was accompanied on his return by David 
Stuart, who founded the trading post called Okonogan. 

In the beginning of the next year (1812), thcr detachment of Hunt came into 
Astoria, in parties, and in a wretched condition. They had been over a year in 
coming from St. Louis ; had undergone extreme suffering from hunger, thirst, and 
cold, in their wanderings that winter, through the dreary wilderness of snow-clad 
mountains, from which, and other causes, numbers of them perished. In May, 
1.S12, the Beaver, bringing the third detachment, under Mr. Clark, arrived in As- 
toria. They brought a letter which had been left at the Sandwich Islands by Capt. 
Ebberts, of the Enterprise, containing the sad intelligence that the Tonquin and 
her crew had been destroyed by the savages, near the Straits of Fuca, the June 
preceding. 

In August, Mr. Hunt, leaving Astoria in the charge of M'Dougal, embarked in 
the Beaver to trade with the Russian posts, which was to have been done by the 
Tonquin. He was successful, and eflfected a highly advantageous arrangement at 
Sitka, with Baranof, governor of Russian America; took in a rich cargo of furs, 



OREGON. 5Q3 

and dispatched the vessel to Canton, via the Sandwich Ishmds, where he, in per- 
"feon, remained, and in 1S14, he returned to Astoria in the Peddler, which he had 
chnrtered, and found tliat Awtoria was in the hands of the North-west Cdnipanv. 

When Hunt left in the Beaver, a party was dispatched, which established a 
trading; post on tiie Spokaa. Messrs. Crooks, ^ICcllan, and Ivobert Stuart ahout 
this time, set out and crossed overland to New York, with an account of what had 
been done. The trade was in the meantime vei-j prosperous, and a large r.iantity 
of furs had been collected at Astoria. 

In January, 1813, the Astorians learned from a tradinc; vessel that a war had 
broken out with Eni^land. A short time after, M'Tavish and Laroque, partners 
•of the North-west Company, arrived at Astoria; M'Dou,i:al and M'Kenzie (both 
Scotchmen) were the only partners tliere, and they unwisely agreed to dissolve the 
company in July. IMessrs. Stuart and Clark, at the Okonogan and Spokan posts, 
both of which are within the limits of Washington Territory, opposed this; but 
it was finally agreed that if assistance did not soon arrive from the United States, 
,they would abandon the enterprise. 

M'Tavish and his followers, of the North-west Company, again visited Astoria, 
■where they expected to meet the Isaac 'J'odd, an armed ship from London, which 
had orders 'to take and destroy everything American on the north-west coast.' 
Notwithstanding, they were hospitably received, and held private conferences with 
M'Dougal and M'Kenzie, the result of which was, that they sold out the establish- 
ment, furs, etc., of the Pacific Company in the country, t<) the North-west Compa- 
ny, for about $58,0(54. That company were thus enabled to establish themselves 
in the country. 

Thus ended the Astoria enterprise. Had the directing partners on the Colum- 
bia been Americans instead of foreigners, it is believed that they would, notwith- 
standing the war, have withstood all their difficulties. Tiie sale was considered 
disgraceful, and the conduct of M'Dougal and M'Kenzie in that sale and subse- 
quently', were such as to authorize suspicions against their motives ; yet they 
could not have been expected to engage in hostilities against their countrymen and 
old friends. 

The name of Astoria was changed by the British to that of Fort George. From 
1813 to 1823, few, if any, American citizens entered the countries west of the 
Rocky Mountains. Nearly all the trade of the Upper Mississippi and Missouri, 
■was carried on by the Old North American Fur Company, of which Astor was the 
head; and by the Columbian Fur Company, formed in 1822, composed mainly of 
persons who had been in the service of the North-west Company, and were dissat- 
isfied with it. The Columbia Company established posts on the upper waters of 
the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Yellow Stone, which were transferred, in 
1826, to the North American Company, on the junction of the two bodies. About 
this time, the overland trade with Santa Fe commenced, caravans passing regular- 
ly every summer between St. Louis and that place. In 1824, Ashley, of St. Louis, 
re-established commercial communications with the counti-y west of the Kooky 
Mountains, and built a trading post on Ashley's Lake, in Utah. 

These active proceedings of the Missouri fur traders, stimulated the North 
American Fur Company to send their agents and attaches beyond the Rocky 
Mountains, although they built no posts. In 1827, Mr. Pilcher, of Missouri, went 
through the South Pass with forty-five men, and wintered on the head-waters of 
the Colorado, in what is now the north-east part of Utah. The next year he pro- 
ceeded northwardly, along the base of the Rocky Mountains, to near latitude 47 
deg. There he remained until the spring of 1829, when he descended Clark River 
to Fort Colville, then recently established at the falls, by the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany, which had a few years previous absorbed and united the interests of the 
North-west Company. He returned to the United States, through the long and 
circuitous far northward route of the Upper Columbia, the Athabasca, the Assina- 
boin. Red River, and the Upper Missouri. But little was known of the countries 
through which Pilcher traversed, previous to the publication of his concise narra- 
tive. The account of the rambles of J. O. Pattie, a Missouri fur trader, through 
New Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora, and California, threw some light on the geogra- 
phy of those countries. In 1832, Capt. Bonneville, U.S.A., while on a furlough, 



504 OREGON. 

led a party of one hundred men from Missouri, over the mountains, where he passed 
more than two years on the Columbia and Colorado, in hunting, trapping, and 
trading. 

About the same time. Captain Wyeth, of Massachusetts, attempted to establish 
commercial relations with the countries on the Columbia, to which the name of 
Oregon then began to be universally applied. His plan was like that of Astor, 
•with the additional scheme of transporting the salmon of the Oregon rivers to the 
United States. He made two overland expeditions to Oregon, established Fort 
Hall as a trading post, and another mainly for fishing purposes, near the mouth 
of the Willamette. This scheme failed, owing to the rivalry of the Hudson's Bay 
Company, who founded the counter establishment of Fort Boise, where, offering 
goods to the Indians at lower prices than Wyeth could afford, compelled him to 
desist, and he sold out his interests to them. Meanwhile, a brig he had dispatched 
from Boston, arrived in the Columbia, and returned with a cargo of salted salmon, 
but the results not being auspicious, the enterprise was abandoned. 

The American traders being excluded by these, and other means from Oregon, 
mainly confined themselves to the regions of the head waters of the Colorado and 
the Utah Lake, where they formed one or two small establishments, and sometimes 
extended their rambles as far west as San Francisco and Monterey. The num])er 
of American hunters and trappers thus employed west of the Rocky Mountains, 
seldom exceeded two hundred; where, during the greater part of the year, they 
roved through the wilds in search of furs which they conveyed to their places of 
rendezvous in the mountain valleys, and bartered with th^m to the Missouri 
traders. 

About the time of Wyeth's expeditions, were the earliest emigrations to Oregon , 
of settlers from the United States. The first of these was founded in 1834, in the 
Willamette Valley, by a body of Methodists who went round by sea under the di- 
rection of the Rev. Messrs. Lee and Shepherd. In that valley a few retired ser- 
vants of the Hudson's Bay Company were then residing, and engaged in herding 
cattle. The Congregntionalists or Presbyterians planted colonies two or three 
years after, in the Walla-walla and Spokan countries, with Messrs. Parker, Spauld- 
ing, Grav, Walker, Eels, Smitli, and Whitman as missionaries. 

In all of these places mission schools were established for the instruction of the 
natives, and in 1839, a printing press was started at Walla-walla (now in Washington 
Territory), where were printed the first sheets ever struck off, on the Pacific side 
of the mountains, north of Mexico. On it books were printed from types set by 
native compositors. The Roman Catholics from Missouri, soon after founded sta- 
tions on Clark River. 

About the year 1837, the American people began to be deeply interested in the 
subject of the claims of the United States to Oregon, and societies were formed 
for emigration. From them and other sources, petitions were presented to con- 
gress, to either make a definite arrangement with Great Britain, the other claim- 
ant, or take immediate possession of the country. In each year, from 1838 to 
1843, small parties emigrated overland from Missouri to Oregon, suffering much 
hardship on the route. At the close of 1842, the American citizens there num- 
bered about four hundred. Relying upon the promise of protection held out by 
the passage of the bill in February, 1843, by the U. S. senate for the immediate 
occupation of Oregon, about one thousand emigrants, men, women, and children, 
assembled at W^estport, on the Missouri frontier, in the succeeding June, and fol- 
lowed the route up the Platte, and through the South Pass, surveyed the previous 
year by Fremont; thence by Fort Hall to the Willamette Valley, where they 
arrived in October, after a laljorious and fatiguing journey of more than two thous- 
and miles. Others soon followed, and before the close of the next year, over 3,000 
American citizens were in Oregon. 

By the treaty for the purchase of Florida, in 1819, the boundary between the 
Spanish possessions and the United States was fixed on the N.W., at lat. 42 degs., 
the present northern line of Utah and California; by this the United States suc- 
ceeded to such title to Oregon as Spain may have derived by the right of discovery 
through its early navigators. In June, of 1846, all the difficulties in relation to 
Oregon, which at one time threatened war, were settled by treaty between the two 



OREGON. 505 

nations. In 1841, the coast of Orecon was visited by the ships of the United 
States Exploring Expedition, under Lieut. Charles Wilkes. At that time, Wilkea 
estimated the population to be: of Indians, 19,199; Canadians and half-breeds, 
650; and the citizens of the United States, 150. The Hudson's Bay Company then 
had twenty-five forts and trading stations in Oregon." 

Oregon was organized as a territory in 1848, and included in its bounda- 
ries the present Territory of Washington — an immense area of about 
250,000 square miles, with an average width east and west of 540, and north 
and south of 470 miles. A state constitution was adopted in convention, 
Sept. 18, 1857, and ratified by the people on the 9th of November following. 
At the same time the question of admitting slaves and free negroes into the 
state was submitted to the people. The vote on these questions was: for 
slavery, 2,645; against slavery, 7,727; majority against, 5,082; for free ne- 
groes, 1,081; against free negroes, 8,640; majority against, 7,559. The 
constitution prohibited negroes. Chinamen, and mulattoes from voting; and 
persons concerned in dueling ineligible to offices of trust and profit. On the 
14th of Feb., 1859, Oregon was admitted by congress as a state, and with 
greatly contracted boundaries. Its extreme extent in latitude is from 42° 
to 46° 12' N., in longitude from 116° 45' to 124° 30' W. from Greenwich. 
U has an average length, east and west, of about .^50, and width, north and 
^outh, of 260 miles giving an area of about 90,000 square miles. The act 
wf admission gives two sections of land in every township for the use of 
schools, grants 72 sections for a state university, and five per cent, of the 
net proceeds of the sales of the public lands for public roads and internal 
improvements within the state. 

Oregon is bounded, north by Washington Territory, east by Idaho Terri- 
tory, south by California and Nevada, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is 
divided into three section. The first, or western section is that between the 
Pacific Ocean and the Cascade range of mountains. This range runs parallel 
with the sea coast the whole length of the state, and is continued through Cali- 
fornia, under the name of the Sierra Nevada. The second, or middle section, 
is that between the Cascade and Blue Mountains: it comprises nearly half 
the state: the surface is about 1,000 feet above the western section. It is 
generally a high rolling prairie country, destitute of timber, and but a small 
part of it adapted to farming. The third, or eastern section, lies south and 
east of the Blue Mountains: it is mostly a rocky and barren waste. The 
Columbia is the great river of the state, nearly all others being its tributa- 
ries. It is navigable from the ocean 120 miles, for vessels of 12 feet draught : 
from thence its course is obstructed by falls and rapids, which will eventually 
be overcome by locks and canals. During freshets, it is in many places con- 
fined by dalles, i. e. narrows, which back the water, covering the islands and 
tracts of low prairie, giving the appearance of lakes. The Dalles of the 
Columbia, 94 miles below the mouth of Lewis Fork, is a noted place, where 
the river passes between vast masses of rock. 

The settled part of Oregon, and the only portion likely to possess much 
interest for years to come, is the first or western section, lying between the 
Cascade Mountains and the Pacific — a strip of country 280 long, north and 
south, and 120 miles broad, east and west. A writer familiar with it gives 
this description: 

AVestern Oregon, between the Cascades and the Pacific, is made up chiefly of 
three valleys, those of the Willamette (pronounced Wil-lam'-ette), Umpqua and 
KdiTue Rivers. The first named stream begins in the Cascade ^fountains, runs 
west GO miles, then turns northwai-J, runs 140 miles, and empties into the Colum- 



M 



OREGON. 



bia. Tno last tvro be^in in the Cascades, and run westward to the ocean. There 
are, perhaps, several thousand miners including Cliinamen, in the Rogue River 
valley; but nearW the whole {lennanent farming population is in the Valley of the 
Willamette. This valley, taking the word in its more restricted sense of the low 
laud, is from 30 to 40 miles wide and 120 miles lung. This may be said to be the 




Vlciv 171 Ihe VuUfy i,f tlie Wtllametie. 

whole of agricultural Orngon. It is a bf^autiful, fertile, well-watered plain, with a 
little timber along the streams, and a great desil in the mountains on each side. 
The soil is a gravelly clay, covered niear the creeks and rivers with a rich sandy 
loam. The vegetation of the valley is composed of several indigenous grasses, a 
number of flowering plants and ferns, the latter being very abundant, and exceed- 
ingly troul)lesome to the farmer on account of its extremely tough vitality. 

'i'he tributary streams of the Willamette are very numerous, and their course in 
the valley is usually crooked, as tlie main stream itself is, having many "sloughs," 
"bayous," or "arms," as they are differently called. In some places the land is 
marshy, and everywhere moist. Drouth will never be known in western Oregon; 
its climate is very wet, both summer and winter, the latter season being one long 
rain, and the foi*nier consisting of many short ones, with a little sunshine interven- 
ing. The winters are warm, and the summers rather cool — too cool for growing 
melons, maize and sweet potatoes. Wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and domestic 
animals thrive well. The climate, take it all in all, is much like that of England, 
and all plants and animals which do well in Britain will prosper in Oregon. The 
Oregon fruit is excellent, particularly the apples and plums; the peaches and pears 
are not quite so good as those of California. 

All along the coast of Oregon, there is a range of mountains about forty miles 
wide, and they are so densely timbered with cedar, pine, spruce and fir, that the 
density of the wood alone would render them worthless for an age, if they were 
not rugged. But they are very rugged, and the Umpqua and Rogue Rivers, in 
making their way through them, have not been able to get any bottom lands, and 
are limited to narrow, high-walled canons. The only tillable lands on the banks 
of those rivers are about fifty miles from the sea, each having a valley which, in 
general terms, may be described as twelve miles wide by thirty long. Rogue River 
valley is separated from California by the t^iskiyou Mountains?, about 5,000 feet 
high, and from Umpqua valley by the Canon Mountains, about 3,000 feet high ; and 



OREGON. 



507 



• rfie Umpqua again is separated from the Willamette valley by tlie Calapooya M oud- 
tains, also about 3,000 feet high. 

All Oregon — that is, its western division, except tlie lowlands of the Willamette, 
Umpqua and Ro^ue valle3's — is covered with dense timber, chiefly' of coarse grained 
wood — such as fir, spruce and hemlock. In the south-western corner of tlie state, 
however, there are considerable forests of white cedar — a lai-ge and beautiful tree, 
producing a soft, fine-grained lumber, and very fragrant with a perfume, Avhicli 
might be imitated by mixing ottar of roses with turpentine. Oak and ash are rare. 
Nearly all the trees are coniferous. 




Giant Pines of Oregon. 

In Rogue valley and along the beach of the Pacific there are extensive gold dig- 
gings. There are also large seams of tertiary coal at Coose Bay. These are the 
only valuable minerals in the state. The scenery on the Columbia is grand, from 
Walla-walla, where it first touches Oregon, to the ocean. 'J'here are five mountain 
peaks in the state, rising to the region of perpetual snow: Mount Hood, 13,700 
feet high; Blount Jefferson, 11,900; the Three Sisters, Mount Scott, and Mount 
McLaughlin, all about 9,000 feet high. 

The people are generally intelligent, industrious and moral. There are about a 
dozen newspapers published in Oregon, all of them weeklies. The chief exports 
are wheat, flour, apples, butter, cheese, salted salmon, salted meats, and coals, and 
from 10,000 to 20,000 head of horned cattle and sheep are annually driven to Cal- 
ifornia. 

Salmon are very abundant in the Columbia and its branches, and those taken at 
the mouth of the main stream are said to be the best on the coast. The fishing is 
done chiefly by Indians. 

Such is a brief and a fair statement of the resources and condition of Oregon, 
Tt is made to convey a correct idea of the state — not to attract or deter emigration. 



508 OREGON. 

California has a clearer sky, a more agreeable climate, more extensive and richer 
deposits of valuable minerals, crreater natural facilities for internal trade and ex- 
ternal commerce, a greater variety of soil and clime, fitting it for the growth of 
the fig, the orange, the olive, and the date, as well as of the vine, apple, and wheat; 
but, on the other hand, has the disadvantages of scanty timber, very dry sumraera 
and autumns — compelling the farmer to irrigate his land — an unsettled population, 
a small proportion of fiimilies, an unsteady course of trade, and unsettled titles to 
most of the soil under occupation. Washington Territory has advantages superior 
to those of Oregon for foreign commerce, lumbering and fishing. The main ad- 
vantages of Oregon over both, are in having a large body of level, rich prairie 
land, with abundant water, and neither too much nor too little timber. 

The population of Oregon is largely composed of emigrants from Missouri 
and Illinois. In 1848, it was estimated at about 8,000 souh; in 18^0, it 
was 52,566. 

Portland, the largest and most important town in Oregon, is upon the 
Willamette, at the head of ship navigation, 15 miles above its entrance into 
the Columbia, and overland from St. Louis 2,300 miles. Population about 
3,000. Almost the whole of the foreign trade of Oregon is done through 
Portland, excepting the southern part, and that finds its seaport in Crescent 
City, of California. Portland lies 120 miles from the ocean, access to it 
being had through the Columbia, which at low tide, in dry seasons, has 
only 9 feet of water — scarcely enough for sea-going vessels. The Pacific 
coast is destitute of good harbors. 

Oregon CUy is 12 miles above Portland, in a narrow high walled valley on 
the Willamette, which affords here, by its falls, great water power for manu- 
facturing facilities. Excepting at this place and on the CoJumbia River, 
water power is scarce in Oregon, save at points very difficult of access. 

Asforia is on the south side of the Columbia, 10 miles from its mouth. 
This place, so long noted as an important depot in the fur trade, has now 
but a few dwellings. In this neighborhood are forests of pine, which have 
long been noted for their beauty and size. Lieut. Wilkes thus speaks of 
them: "Short excursions were made by many of us in the vicinity, and one 
of these was to visit the primeval forest of pines in the rear of Astoria, a 
sight well worth seeing. Mr. Drayton took a camera lucida drawing of one 
of the largest trees, which the preceding plate is engraved from. It conveys 
a good idea of the thick growth of trees, and is quite characteristic of this 
forest. The soil on which this timber grows is rich and fertile, but the ob- 
stacles to the agriculturist are almost insuperable. The largest tree of the 
sketch was thirty-nine feet six inches in circumference, eight feet above the 
ground, and had a bark eleven inches thick. The hight could not be ascer- 
tained, but it was thought to be upward of two hundred and fifty feet, and 
the tree was perfectly straight." These trees, for at least one hundred and 
fifty feet, are without branches. In many places those which have ftillen 
down, present barriers to the vision, even when the traveler is on horseback; 
and between the old forest trees that are lying prostrate, can be seen the ten- 
der and small twig beginning its journey to an amazing hight. 

Salem, the capital of Oregon, is on the Willamette, 50 miles above Oregon 
City. The other towns on this river and tributaries are Milwaiihee, Biiteiille, 
Champoeg, Fairfield, Albany, Corvallis, Boonrville, Uugene City, Clackamas, 
Lafayette, Farkersburg, and Santiane. On the Umpqua are Gardner, Mid- 
dletnn, Scottsbitrg, Winchester, Roseburg, and Canonville. In Rogue valley 
are Jacksonville, Waldo, and Althouse. On the Columbia the towns are ^s- 
foria, Rainier, Gardner, St. Helena, and the Dalles, all very small places. 



NEBEASKA. 



Nebraska was organized as a territory, with Kansas, in 1854, and 
then had the immense area of 336,000 square miles. In February, 
1867, it was admitted as a State of the Union. 

The face of the country is gently rolling prairie, and there are numerous 
small creeks and rivers, along the banks of which is timber. 

The climate of Nebraska is favorable, and the atmosphere pure, clear, and dry. 
The soil is quick and lively, producing Indian corn, wheat, o«ts, hemp, tobacco, 
and sorghum. Vegetables of all kinds thrive well, and it produces fine grapes. 

As a grazing country Nebraska can not be surpassed, and stock raising is ex- 
tensively carried on. The wild grass predominates here as in Utah, and cattle, 
horses, and mules fatten on it very ^eadil3^ The bottom lands abound with 
rushes, and stock are often kept out the whole winter Uirough, and are found to 
fatten without fodder. 

Nebraska being an agricultural and stock-raising country, and also the great 
starting-point and highway for travel over the plains, her lands are sought after 
by immigrants. In the neighborhood of good settlements the settler has the 
advantages of churches and schools already established. As a general rule, 
farms can be bought at less than the cost of improvements, owing to the constant 
emigration to the adjacent gold mines of Colorado and Montana. Timber and 
stone are found in sufficient quantities for building purposes. Stone coal has been 
discovered in several places. 

The principal rivers are the Missouri and the Platte. The first is navigable by 
steamboats for many hundred miles above the northern point of Nebraska. The 
Platte enters the Missouri River near Omaha City. This river runs almost due 
west, through a fine valley extending four or five hundred miles through the cen- 
ter of Nebraska, and has always been the favorite, as it has been almost the only 
route to the new states and territories of Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, 
Washington, Oregon, and California. The principal outfitting points are on the 
west side of the Missouri, and are Brownsville, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, and 
Omaha. The roads from these westward are good, and all intersect at or near 
Fort Kearney. 

The line of emigration of the United States, it is estimated now advances west- 
ward at an annual rate of seventeen miles. The territorial expansion of the pop- 
ulation absorbs annually 17,000 square miles, for when population exceeds 
eight persons to a square mile it emigrates. Within the last thirty years, the 
United States have added, on the west, eleven new states, with an aggregate area 
of 934,462 square miles, and three millions of people. With the natural, increase 
of inhabitants, consumption of territory for colonization, if it existed, would 
increase in a far greater ratio. But it does not exist. The western limit of agri- 
cultural land in the United States is already reached. Mr. J. A. Wheelock, com- 
missioner of statistics of Minnesota, in his annual report for 1860, presents these 
facta under the heading of: 

ARABLE AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES EXHAUSTED. 

The extended explorations made within the last few years under the auspices of 
the United States government, of the region between the Mississippi and the 
Rocky Mountains, have revealed the startling fact in the physics of the United 

509 



510 NEBRASKA. 

States, tlmt the westward progress of its population has nearly reached the oxtremo 
western limit of the areas avai-lable for settlement, and that the whole space west 
of the USth pnrallel, embracina; one half of the entire surface of the United States, 
is an arid and desolate waste, vvitii the exception of a narrow belt of rich lands 
aloH'i; the Pacific coast. This momentous fact, which is destined in its results to 
revohitionize the whole scheme of continental development, and to give a new di- 
rection to the movements of trade and population, was first announced as a posi 
tive generalization by Professor Ilenrj', of the Smithsonian Institute, in a learned 
paper on meteorology in its connection with agriculture. From this paper wo 
quote: " The general character of the soil between the Mississippi River and the 
Atlantic, is that of great fertility. The portion also on the western side of the 
Mississippi, as far .as tlie 9Sth meridian, including the states of Texas, Louisiana, 
Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, and portions of the territortes of Kan- 
sas and Nebraska, are fertile, though abounding in prairies, and subject occasion- 
ally to drouglits. The whole space to the west, between the 98th meridian and 
the Kocky Mountains, is a barren waste, over which the eye may roam to the ex- 
tent of the visil)le horizon, with scarcely an object to break the monotony. From 
the Rof*ky Mountains to the Pacific, with the exception of a rich, but narrow belt 
along the ocean, the country may also be considered, in comparison with other por- 
tions of the United States, a wilderness unfitted for the uses of the husbandman; 
although in some of the mountain valleys, as at Salt Lake, by means of irrigation, 
a precarious supply of food may be obtained." 

It is not necessary to quote the detailed description of this American Sahara. 
The concluding words of Prof Henry, upon this subject, are more to our purpose. 
" We have stated that the entire region west of the 98th degree of west longitude, 
with the exception of a small portion of western Texas, and the narrow border 
along the Pacific, is a country of comparatively little value to the agriculturist,* 
and perhaps it will astonish the reader if we direct his attention to the fact that 
this line, which passes southward from Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico, will 
divide the whole surface of the United States into two nearly equal parts. This 
statement, when fully appreciated, will serve to dissipate some of the dreams whicli 
have been considered as realities, as to the destiny of the western part of the 
Nortli American continent. Truth, however, transcends even the laudable feel- 
ings of pride of country, and in order properly to direct the policy of this great 
confederacy, it is necessary to be well acquainted with the theater in which its 
future history is to be enacted." 

That "'rich but narrow belt of fertile lands upon the Pacific," has alreadj' been 
blocked out with the prosperous states of California and Oregon, with an aggregate 
population of 450,000. 

Upon the eastern bank of the great American desert, Kansas already contains 
a population sufficient to form a state. Eastern Nebraska and Dacotah are rapidly 
filling up. Here are, altogether, about 160,000 square miles to be made into new 
states, and this is all that remains of the national domain — all that remains to 
supply an imperative and permanent demand for new areas, which absorbs 170,055 
square miles every ten years in the formation of new states. 

In the very fullness and strength of its westward fou\ the tide of imrnigrntion 
is even now arrested vpon the brink of a sterile waste, which covers half the na- 
tional domain. 

Tliis event is the turning point in American history. It is the beginning of 
that cumulative pressure of population upon the means of subsistence, which is 



*In general, this vast tract may be termed a waterless, timberless, desert-like country. 
AVhile the annual fall of rain in the eastern states amounts to about 42 inches, it is supposed 
that in the country from the British line south to Te.xas, and from the 9Sth meridian to the 
Sierra Niivada Mountains, of California, the annual amount of rain does not exceed, on an 
average 10 inches! We all know of the terrible drought of 1860 in Kansas. The interior 
part of our continent will always be more or less subject to such calamities. An officer of 
the U. S. army, commandant of a post in the vicinity of San Antonio, states to us that 
in all that part of Texas, there has been no rain of consequence within the past five years I 
The garrison was unable to procure even enough vegetables for its own consumption. 



NEBRASKA. 511 

to test the stability of our institutions. But aside from iis political effects, it will 
have these important results on tlie material conilition of tlie country. 1. It icill 
condense popti/ation. vjiihia ita present limits, and thus add to the wealth and social 
power of existing states. 2. By placing a positive limitation upon the supply of 
Western lands it will largely enhance their value. ^ 

Beyond the present line of settlement in eastern Nebraska and Kansas to Cali- 
fornia and Oregon, stock raising on the immense prairies, on which now roam 
countless herds of buffalo, and gold and silver mining in the mountains, must he 
the main supports of the population. That these industries may in the course of 
half a century give birth to many new states, and occupation for millions of in- 
habitants, is not improbable; but the food to support them will require to be prin- 
cipally drawn from the rich agricultural country on and near the Mississippi 
River. With this condition in prospective, the ultimate value of these lands will 
be greatly enhanced. 

The population of Nebraska is composed of emigrants from the free states of 
the Northwest, and is now confined to the eastern border, along the banks of the 
Missouri. In 1860, Nebraska had 28,893 inhabitants. 

Omaha City, the capital of Nebraska, is beautifully situated on a wide plateau, 
the second bottom of the Missouri River, and opposite the city of Council Bluffs, 
in Iowa. The site had not a single dwelling in 1854, and in the fall of 1866 it had 
an estimated population of 9,000; and with fine prospects for the future, for here 
begins the northernmost Union Pacific Railroad. 

A writer of that period thus speaks of this great work : " At Omaha the Union 
Pacific Railroad begins. It has as yet no connecting lines of rail in any direc- 
tion. It commences in the air on the banks of the Missouri River at Omaha, 
and has already streamed away toward sunset, for 275 miles. For thirty miles 
after leaving Omalia, it runs southwest through a rolling prairie. Then it strikes 
the great Platte A^'alley, which extends due west to the base of the Rocky Mount- 
ains, a distance of over 600 miles. For this 600 miles nature has provided a per- 
fectly graded bed for a railway, or for forty railways. Think of a magnificent 
valley, 600 miles long and from five to twenty broad, with a uniform descent of 
only six or seven feet per mile, and level as a barn floor, stretching from the Mis- 
souri River to the foot of the great peaks that look down upon the Pacific slope!" 

This Union Pacific Railroad is commonly known as the Chicago road, in con- 
tradistinction to that which starts from St. Louis. The latter in the year 1866 
was fully completed as far as Fort Riley in Kansas; while the other, for some 
distance east of Omaha, had no rail connection until January, 1867, when through 
connection with Chicago was effected, via Council Bluffs. 

It was originally designed that the St. Louis and Chicago roads should meet at 
Fort Kearney, but St. Louis has permission to take an independent and more 
southern route via Smokey Hill, running directly through Denver, Colorado, and 
she will avail herself of it. As this will result in our having two Pacific Railroads 
within the next five or six years, no one will mourn over the departure from the 
original plan. One will run west through central Kansas; the other through 
central Nebraska. In other words, one will take the latitude of Chicago, the other 
that of St. Louis. 

To each one of these companies, Congress loans $16,000 in thirty-year bonds 
for every mile of the road completed, withdraws its first lien upon the road, and 
allows the company to negotiate first mortgage bonds bearing seven per cent, in- 
terest and redeemable in gold, to the additional amount of $16,000 per mile. For 
all transportations on account of the Oovernment. the road receives one half in 
cash and credits the other half upon the interest of the thirty year bonds. In ad- 
dition to this subsidy Government donates in fee simple to the company 12,800 
acres of land for every mile of the road completed, equal to a solid belt twenty 
miles wide through all the public lands, and allows these lands to be selected in 
alternate sections over a belt fifty miles wide. 

The other prominent places and localities in Nebraska, are Plattesmouth, Ne- 
braska City, Nemaha City, Bellevue, Florence, Saratoga, Funtenelle, Broionsville, 
Mt. Vernon, St. George, and Columbus. 



The Territories 

of the 

United States 



33 



COLORADO TERRITORY. 



Colorado was formed into a territory February 18, 1861. Colorado 
derives its name from the Colorado River, and its population from the dis- 
covery of gold in the vicinity of Fikes Peak. Its area is 104,500 square 
miles. Estimated population, late in 1864, 32,000. Capital, Denver. 

A great part of this territory lies upon the Rocky Mountains, with their foot 
hills and adjacent plains. Within it the Arkansas and Platte Rivers have 
their sources, and running easterly empty into the Mississippi; Green River 
and other affluents of the great Colorado of the West here also take their 
rise, and flowing westerly discharge their waters into the Pacific. Its mineral 
deposits are half way between the Mississippi and the Pacific, and about 1,000 
miles from each, and in the same latitude with the rich mineral regions of 
Carson Valley. Within it are the three beautiful vales of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, known respectively as Middle, South and North Parks, while the noted 
Pike's Peak rises up grandly 10,600 feet above the level of the plains, and 
18,600, or more than three and a half miles above the level of the sea. This 
mountain received its name from its discoverer, Capt. Z. M. Pike, while at 
the head of an exploring expedition sent out in 1806, in Jeflferson's admin- 
istration, to ascertain the sources of the Arkansas. He ascended to the 
summit, and was the first white man to gaze upon the magnificent panorama 
seen from that point. A visitor of our time thus relates his experience 
there : 

" The summit is of an irregular, oblong shape, nearly level, embracing about 
sixty acres, and composed entirely of angular slabs and blocks of coarse disinteg- 
rating granite. The fresh snow was two or three inches deep in the interstices 
among the rocks, but had nearly all melted from their surfaces. 

The day was clear, and the view indescribably grand and impressive. To the 
eastward for a hundred miles, our eyes wandered over the dim, dreary prairies, 
spotted by the dark shadows of the clouds and the deeper green of the pineries, 
intersected by the foint ^ray lines of the roads, and emerald threads of timber, 
which mark the meandering of the streams, and banded on the far horizon with a 
girdle of gold. At our feet, below the now insignificant mountains up which we 
had toiled so wearily, was Colorado City, to the naked eye a confused city of Lilli- 
puts, but through the gla.sses exhibiting its buildings in perfect distinctness, and 
beside one of them our own carriage with a man standing near it. 

515 



516 



COLORADO TERRITORY. 



Further south swept the green timbers of the Fontaine qui Bouille, the Arkan 
sas and the Huerfano, and then rose the blue Spanish peaks of New Mexico, a 
hundred miles away. Eight or ten miles from our stand-point, two litrle gems of 
lakes, nestled among the rugged mountains, revealing even the shadows of the 
rocks and pines in their transparent waters. Far beyond, a group of tiny lakelets 
glittered and sparkled in their dark surroundings like a cluster of stars. 




View in Denver. 

Cherry Creek is seen In front, Platte Eiver in the middle distance, the Rocky Mountains in the back- 
ground, and on the extreme left, at the distance of seventy miles, appears the snow-clad summit of Pike's 
Peak. 

To the west, the South Park, 40 miles in length, the Bayou Salado, and other 
amphitheaters of rich floral beauty — gardens of nature amid the utter desolation 
of the mountains — were spread thousands of feet below us; and beyond, peak after 
peak, until the pure white wall of the Snowy Range merged into the infinite blue 
of the sky. Toward the north-east we could trace the timbers of the Platte, for 
more than seventy miles; but though the junction of Cherry creek, even to the 
unassisted eye, showed the exact location of Denver, our glasses did not enable ua 
to detect the buildings. 

These of course were only the more prominent features of the landscape. To 
the north, south and west the intervening expanse was one vast wilderness of 
mountains of diverse forms and mingling colors, with clouds of fleecy white sail- 
ing airily among their scarred and wrinkled summits. By walking a few hundred 
yards, from one slight elevation to another, we looked upon four territories of the 
Union — Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico. Almost from the same stand- 
point we viewed regions watered by four of the great rivers of the continent — the 
Platte, Arkansas, Rio Grande, and Colorado — tributaries respectively of the Mis- 
souri, the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of CiUifornia. 

A gorge upon the north side is still more gigantic than that on the south-east. 
A colossal plowshare seems to have been driven fiercely down from the summit 
almost to the base, leaving a gaping furrow, visible even from Denver [seventy 
miles] and deep enough in itself to bury a mountain of considerable pretensions. ' 
Like mineral regions generally, this is deficient in agricultural resources j 
it may in time produce sufficient to support a considerable mining popula- 
tion. It is, however, more probable that it will become an important market 



COLORADO TERRITORY. 



517 




Street in Dbnveb in 1859. 



for the rich agricultural districts of eastern Kansas and Nebraska. " The 
soil east of the foot of the mountains is mostly arid and sandy, and as very 
little rain falls during the summer, is not adapted to ftirming purposes. Even 
the valleys of the streams appear unproductive ; pulverize a handful of the 
soil, and it proves to consist almost entirely of sand. But it is precisely 

identical with the soil 
of the valleys in New 
Mexico; and like them, 
with irrigation, it will 
produce abundantly all 
the small grains and 
vegetables. The val- 
leys in the gold region 
will produce all the 
great staples of that lat- 
itude, with perhaps the 
exception of corn. 
Their elevation is near- 
ly 5,000 feet above the 
sea; frosts are frequent, even during the summer, and it is doubtful whether 
corn will flourish, unless it be the small species grown in Mexico, or the 
variety recently introduced in Oregon, in which each kernal is encased in a 
separate husk. The climate of the great plains and of the Rocky Mountain 
country is one of the healthiest in the world. The air is so dry and pure 
that fresh meat, cut in summer in strips, and in winter in quarters, and hung 
up out of doors, will cure so perfectly, without salting or smoking, that it 
may be carried to any quarter of the globe. The nights, even in summer, 
are cool and often cold." The winters are long and terribly severe ; snow 
falls early in the fall and late in the spring. The Parks in the Rocky 
Mountains are mild in winter, affording abundance of food for stock, and 
have always been favorite winter haunts for the Indians. " They are com- 
paratively smooth, fertile spots — the principal ones from 30 to 60 miles in 
diameter — inclosed on all sides by high mountain walls: in the language of 
Fremont, "gems of rich floral beauty, shut up in the stern recesses of the 
mountains." 

The mountain districts are well watered. "The country abounds in timber, the 
prevailing variety being pine — immense forests of both the yellow and white being 
common. On the streams the white cherry and timber common to this latitude 
are found. Game is exceedingly abundant — the black-tailed deer, red deer, elk, 
antelope, mountain sheep, black boar, etc., being found in all portions of the coun- 
try. It Is a favorite resort for the Incjians, as it affords them plenty of game when 
off their buffalo hunts, and where they get their lodge poles and equipments for 
their excursions for Buffalo on the plains." 

This country has only of late been a point of attraction to emigrants. The discov- 
ery 0? gold has been the talisman to draw multitudes of the hardy and enterprising 
of our countrymen to this Rocky Mountain land. It had long been believed by the 
hunters and trappers of the Rocky Mountains, that the existence of gold and sil- 
ver, near the sources of the Arkansas and South Platte, was known to the Indians, 
and though search was made the exact spot could never be ascertained. "In 1835, 
a hunter, named Eustace Carriere, became separated from his companions, and 
wandered about for some weeks, during which period he discovered some grains 
of gold on the surface of the ground, which he took with him to Mexico. On his 
arrival there he exhibited his specimens, and a company was formed, having Car- 
riere for their guide to the new El Dorado. Unfortunately for himself, Carriere 
was unable to find the precise spot, and the Mexicans, thinking that he did no6 



518 COLORADO TERRITORY. 

wish to disclose the secret to them, set upon him, and having punished him severe- 
ly, left him and returned to Mexico. Nothing was then heard for some time, but 
in the winter of 1851 an old trapper, who had been living among the Indians for 
fome j^ears, came to the settlements and reported the existence of a cave, in wliich 
there was a quantity of solid masses of gold, hanging from the roof, like stalactites 
or immense icicles. He urged the formation of a company, and offered to conduct 
men to the spot, but the story was too large, and he could not induce any one to 
accompany him. He afterward left for the Indian country by himself, and noth- 
ing has since been heard of him. 

in 1850, a party of California emigrants passing through this part, found traces 
of gold, and some of the party wished to stay and examine carefully, but the ma- 
jority, who had heard of the California nuggets being as ' large as a brick,' wished 
to proceed on their journey. Capt. John Beck, who was of this party, on his re- 
turn from California, took out a party of a hundred men to this gold field, and from 
that time the presence of gold was a recognized fact. Party then rapidly suc- 
ceeded party, every one Avho returned from the mines giving a highly colored 
account of the fortunes to be realized there. In May, 1858, a party from Law- 
rence, Kansas, was induced by these favorable reports to proceed to the diggings, 
where they found matters even better than had been represented. The result of 
their discoveries soon became known, and this new El Dorado suddenly became 
the great magnet of attraction of this continent." So great in two years was the 
rush of emigration that, in I860, the census gave the population of the newly 
found gold region at about sixty thousand. 

The Gold Region is known to extend several hundred miles along the 
Rocky Mountains. The best part of it is supposed to be between latitudes 
37° and 42°. "It is the general opinion that quartz mining must always 
be the leading interest here; and miners with only the pan and rocker or 
sluice have not as yet been able, as they were originally in California, to ob- 
tain $5 or $10 per day wherever they might locate. Many old Californians, 
however, aver that the quartz 'prospects' much more richly here than it ever 
has in the golden state." As early as October, 1860, 75 quartz mills were 
in operation in the mountains, and 100 more being put up, which, upon the 
ground and in running order, cost in the aggregate nearly two millions of 
dollars. The estimated yield of gold for the year was five millions in value. 
Some rich silver lodes had then been discovered ; but the development of 
this industry must be slow, from the great expense of erecting proper reduc- 
tion works, and the difficulty of obtaining the practical skill to amalgamate 
the mineral. 

Denver, Auraria and Highland were established by three different compa- 
nies, but they are substantially one city, and the metropolis of the gold re- 
gion. They are seventy miles north of Pike's Peak, at the confluence of 
Cherry Creek and the South Platte River ; and distant, by air lines, from St. 
Louis, 800, Santa Fe, 300, San Francisco, 1,000, and Salt Lake, 400 miles. 

Denver and Auraria were the first founded. The first house built on the site of Denver 
was erected on Oct. 29, 1858, by Gen. Wra. Larimer and party, who had just arrived from 
Leavenworth. It was a rude log cabin, only six feet high, with a roof of sods. Highland 
is beautifully situated on the west bank of the Platte. The three places, in general terms, 
are now called Denver, which, in the fall of 1860, two years after the first house was 
erected, contained three daily newspapers, two churches, a theater, several fine brick blocks, 
two bridges across the Platte, excellent roads leading from it t6 the priucipal diggings, 
and r),000 inhabitants. 

Colorado Clhj, 80 miles south of Denver, was founded in 1859 at the foot 
of Pike's Peak, and had, in 1860, 1,500 inhabitants. Golden City, 15 miles 
west of Denver, in 1860, had a population of 1,200. St. Vraiii is on the Platte, 
40 miles north of Denver, and on the site of the old trading post of Col 
Ceran St. Vrain, frequently alluded to in Fremont's expeditions. 



COLORADO TERRITORY. 519 

Hall, in his " Emigrants' and Settlers' Guide," gives this description of 
the climate and productions of Colorado. He is also full and enthusiastic 
upon its mineral wealth. He describes, somewhat in detail, the mode prac- 
ticed in gold mining and the various processes for extracting the ore. We 
copy his article below, almost entire. 

" The Climate. — The climate of Colorado varies with its hight, both as to 
temperature and the amount of rain and snow. The climate of that por- 
tion lying at the base and east of the mountains is not only delightful but 
remarkably healthy. The frosts come generally early in the autumn, and 
continue far into the spring months, but they are not severe. On the plains, 
the snows of winter are never sufiScient to prevent cattle of all kinds from 
thriving and fattening on the nutritious grass, dried up and thus cured by 
nature in July and August. 

Throughout the winter months, with rare exceptions, the sun blazes down 
with an almost tropic glow, little or no snow falls, and although the nights 
are sometimes sharp and frosty, there is no steady intensity of cold. 

With such a climate Colorado could not well be otherwise than healthy. 
The sanitary condition of the territory is good, and the number of deaths, 
considering the labor and exposure to which the great majority of its in- 
habitants are subjected, remarkably small. 

Agricidtiiral Products. — In a country so remote from the agricultural dis- 
tricts of the states, and where the expense of transporting supplies is so 
heavy, the need of home production is necessarily very great. The rather 
scanty opportunities which Colorado presents as a field for agriculture have 
been, however, improved to the utmost. An extensive system of irrigation 
has been introduced, which, it is thought, will relieve the settlers from lack 
of rain and other difficulties which have hitherto limited agricultural pro- 
gress. 

As regards the production of grain, the crops on the various branches of 
the South Platte, Arkansas, Fontain que Bruille, afford encouraging pros- 
pects. 

In the southern part of the territory considerable attention has been paid 
to the raising of wheat, corn, barley, and other cereals ; but the continuance 
of dry weather presents a formidable obstacle to great success in this di- 
rection. 

The bottom lands of the Platte River and other mountain streams have a 
rich alluvial deposit, which only requires water at long intervals to promote 
an astonishing vegetable growth. All the succulent varieties of plants, such 
as potatoes, cabbages, onions, squashes, etc., attain an enormous size, re- 
taining the tenderness, juiciness, and sweetness which almost everywhere 
else belong only to the smaller varieties. The wild fruits of the territory 
are also numerous and abundant. It is believed that Colorado will, in a few 
years, be able to supply her own home demand for the necessaries of life. 

Stock Raising etc. — As a grazing and stock-raising region Colorado pos- 
sesses great advantages. Near the base of the rocky ranges, and along the 
valleys of the streams which have their origin in the mountains, vegetation 
is prolific. The grasses are not only abundant, but they contain more nutri- 
ment than the cultivated species of the &ost prosperous agricultural dis- 
tricts of the Mississippi valley. These grasses cure standing, and cattle 
have been known to feed and thrive upon them throughout the entire win- 
ter months. 



520 COLORADO TERRITORY. 

Minerals — Mining, etc. — As a gold-mining country, Colorado is second 
only to California. The Colorado gold mines differ from those of California 
in this particular, viz.: that in the former the precious ore is generally found 
in extensive " lodes " of quartz and pyrites, while in the latter, placer or 
gulch mining are the most extensive and the most profitable. We do not 
mean to be understood by this that there are no placer mines in Colorado. 
Numerous gulches and ravines have been extensively worked in different 
parts of the territory, and in some instances the yield has been astonishingly 
rich and abundant; but, up to the present time, the extent of the discov- 
eries of gulch, bar, or river deposits has not seemed to establish a claim 
for Colorado as a great placer mining region. 

That the inexperienced may more clearly understand the difference be- 
tween " placer " and " lode " mining, the following brief explanation is 
appended : 

" Placer " and '•'■Lode " Mining. — Where deposits of gold are found in 
gulches, on bars, or in river beds, mixed only with the sands and alluvial 
washings of the mountains or hillsides, and requiring only the action of 
water, by sluicing or hydraulics, to separate them from the earthy mixture, 
the term " placer " is applied to this mode of mining. On the other hand, 
where gold deposits are found mixed with quartz rock, pyrites of iron and 
copper or other metals, and occupying veins between walls of solid granite, 
they are called " lode " mines. The latter can only be worked profitably by 
the aid of capital and powerful machinery ; but experience has confirmed 
the belief that this kind of mining is more permanent and quite as profita- 
ble as "placer" mining. The mines of Colorado are of this class, and the 
leading enterprises of the population are specially directed to the improve- 
ment and development of these veins or crevices. 

3fin.ing Machinery used in Colorado. — The success of any mining region 
is dependent, primarily, upon manual labor; liberal capital and powerful 
machinery are important accessories, however, and in Colorado they are 
essential ones. 

The machinery generally in use there for obtaining gold from the 
quartz or ore is of very simple construction, consisting chiefly of an engine 
(or wheel, if water-power is used,) and a set of stamps for crushing the ore. 
It is the "opinion of all practical miners in Colorado, with only one or two 
exceptions, that the engines now in use there are by no means large enough 
for the required use. The largest of them measures li-inch cylinder, and 
24-inch stroke, running 24 revolutions per minute, and carrying about 50 
pounds of steam. In Colorado this engine is estimated at 80-horse power. 
All other engines are likewise overrated, and to do the work required of 
them they are run at high speed. Most of the engines and stamping ma- 
chinery have, thus far, been made in St. Louis and Chicago. The principal 
water-wheel used is the over-shot, although there are some under-shot and 
breast-wheels. 

Mining Claims. — In Colorado liberal laws are in force, which give to the 
fortunate discoverer of a quartz vein 200 local feet of the same, and to all 
others who apply in season 100 feet not already claimed. These claims are 
recorded in the clerk's oflSce of the district, and by this process the rights 
of the parties are secured and respected. 

Having made your claim and had it recorded, the next thing for the 
miner to do is to see to 



COLORADO TERRITORY. 521 

SinMng a Shaft. — This is sometimes attended with great labor, and not a 
little expense. The cost of sinking a shaft, four feet wide and twelve feet 
long, through the " cap " is estimated to be about $25 per running foot, if 
the shaft is from 60 to 100 feet deep : $30 per foot if it is from 100 to 160 
feet deep, and so on in proportion, the expense increasing with the depth, 
and consequent diflSiculty of drawing the rubbish to the surface. 

Much, of course, depends upon the hardness of the rock through which 
the shaft is sunk. In some cases a large proportion, or the whole of the 
expenses of the shaft is defrayed by the gold found during the progress of 
the work. Indeed, some mines have been sunk to a great depth without 
encountering the " cap " at all. 

Method of Raising the Ore. — The quartz mills are, with but a single ex- 
ception, some distance from the shafts or mines. The hoisting is performed 
by an ordinary " whim," worked sometimes by a horse or mule, and some- 
times by a five or six horse-power engine ; a ten or fifteen horse engine 
would be better when the shafts are worked to great depths. 

Process of Extracting the Ore. — The usual mode of extracting the gold 
may be simply described as follows : The ore is crushed to powder by heavy 
stamps, which fall down with great force ; then the powder is mixed with 
water, run over metallic plates, having slight ridges on their surface, and 
smeared with quicksilver : thus part of the gold is retained. 

Two new processes of separating the ore, which are now in extensive 
bperation, may be thus briefiy described : 

The Freiberg Pan, so called from the name of the place where it was in- 
vented, Freiberg, Germany — is a wooden tub of perhaps eight feet in diam- 
eter, and three feet high, with a false bottom of iron, upon which inove in 
a circle four mullers of stone or iron, attached to the arms of a central up- 
right shaft. This shaft propels the mullers by the power of steam. In 
this pan or tub are deposited, from time to time, quantities of pulverized 
quartz, with the gold dust intermingled. Water is let in, to the depth of 
ten or twelve inches, and a stream of it allowed to run constantly. This 
water escapes at an orifice made at the proper bight, and carries with it all 
floating dust. The water is warmed by steam and kept at a uniform tem- 
perature. The motion of the mullers destroys the chemical affinities of 
the several substances, and allows the quicksilver to take it. This pan is 
coming into use in several mills. A large mill will soon be built in Nevada 
to make use of this process. 

The Bertola Pan, which takes its name from the Spaniard who invented 
it, is more extensively used, and promises better for all kinds of ores. It is 
about half the size of the Freiberg pan, and entirely of iron. The dust is 
operated upon in the same way in both pans — water, and stone mullers be- 
ing used. The chemicals, however, in the Bertola method, are deposited 
with the dust, while in the Freiberg they are not. What chemicals are 
used is still a secret, carefully guarded by those who make use of the pro- 
cess. Many large mills are adopting it with great confidence. Messrs. 
Cook & Kimball have thirty pairs of pans in operatien in their large mill, 
Central City. They are also about to erect an immense mill for a new com- 
pany in New York, on Clear Creek, for the purpose of operating one hund- 
red and fifty pair of pans. The friends of this process are very confident 
of its entire success. 

The above-named methods of operating upon the ore are designed to 



522 COLORADO TERRITORY. " 

overcome chemical aflSnities, diflBculties which can not be obviated by the 
common process. All kinds of chemicals are found in the ore, and some of 
them are great neutralizers of the power of quicksilver. Owing to diese, 
in some ores, not more than a fourth part of the gold is saved in the com- 
mon process. Sulphur is found in abundance, and it is a great hindrance 
to mining. 

The Keith Process. — Dr. Keith has undertaken to master this difficulty by 
first pulverizing and then burning the dust — the sulphur affording the com- 
bustible agent. It is done in a furnace with an escape flue to create a 
draft, which runs up the mountain side several hundred feet. It further 
consists of a jaw working on a frame at about 25 strokes, crushing the dry 
ore, which is then conveyed by a tube or trough to a close, narrow sort of 
fan-mill, fitted inside with three revolving arms. The crushed ore is in- 
troduced into the center, and^he high speed throws it out along the arms 
till it is reduced to fine powder, when the draft caused by the arms carries 
it through a three or four inch-flue into a furnace, heated to an intense 
heat. The flue then expanding to a width of three or four feet and one 
foot in hight, takes a slanting direction down, about 10 feet, at an angle of 
45 degrees, all the time heated by fire underneath. The sulphur is sepa- 
rated from the ore in this flue, and at the bottom it is sent through an 
opening in the roof of the flue ; another flue passing along the top of the 
first, and so ofi" into the air, while the desulphurized ore falls into a pit, 
where it cools, and is taken out and submitted to the action of quicksilver. 
This " process " is said to be satisfactory. 

Appearance of the Ore. — " All is not gold that glitters.'' The gold ore 
is usually of a light gray color. Many particles of it shine brightly in the 
sun, and form handsome specimens to carry away, but these are not the pre- 
cious metal. That which glitters is not gold, but chiefly pyrites of iron. 

Productiveness of the Ore. — The Hon. John Evans, governor of Colorado, 
states that the ore in most of the lodes now worked pay at least $36 per 
tun, while in some instances the same quantity yields §150, $200, and even as 
high as $500, treated by the stamping process alone. This ore yields, upon 
analysis, from three to six times as much gold as can be saved by the or- 
dinary methods now in use, giving results which to the inexperienced miner 
appear almost fabulous ; but of course no practical conclusions can be 
drawn from merely chemical analyses inapplicable upon a large scale. The 
practical proof is in the actual yield and profit to the miner. 

The coat of each tun of quartz may be fairly stated at $12, and the 
yield at $36, thus affording a profit at the rate of 200 per cent, and that, 
too, in a manufacture or business where the returns are unusually quick and 
active — the various operations of mining and crushing the ore, extracting 
and selling the gold being easily performed within a week. 

Total Product of Gold. — It is a difficult matter to give, in figures, the 
amount of the gold product of Colorado since the commencement of mi- 
ning operations, in 1858. No sufficient data exist for the computation of 
the whole yield of the territory. But an approximate estimate, based upon 
various records, can be made, which affords a gratifying exhibit, and from 
which fair deductions for the future may be made. 

The reports of the receipts at the Philadelphia United States mint show 
the foUowinc; figures : 



COLORADO TERRITORY. 503 



1859 $ 4,000 

1860 600,000 

1861 1,000,000 



1862 $6,000,000 

18«3 (estimated) 13,600,000 

1864 (estimated) 2l),000,00V 



The above statement falls short of the aggregate yield of the territory- 
Much was sent to other places than Philadelphia, and through other chan- 
nels; much, too, remained in the hands of miners. There is every reason 
to believe that 'the gold product of 1864 will not fall short of twenty mil- 
lions of dollars. 

Other 3Iineral Products. — The territory is said to abound in metals of 
various kinds, but the sacra fames ( " sacred hunger " ) for gold at present 
absorbs all the attention of the miners. 

Iron ore, of a good quality, is found in some parts of the territory, not 
far from Denver, and in close proximity to coal. Silver and lead, in small 
quantities, have also been discovered. Platinum, zinc, manganese, mag- 
netic iron, sand, alum, salt, and petroleum are also among the mineral pro- 
ducts of the country." 

Hand Mills and Hand Mortars, for the purpose of crushing the quartz 
gold, first came into use in the gold regions in the beginning of 1865. 
\Vhatever invention or process will assist individual labor, in contradis- 
tinction to that of associated capital, is the most important in the devel- 
opment of a country. A newspaper, published at Austin, in Nevada, at the 
beginning of 1865, thus speaks of the beneficial influence of their intro- 
duction : 

Some few of our citizens have censured us severely for advocating and recom- 
mending the use of horse and hand-mills, and, hand-mortars, for the purpose of 
crushing ore, and some went even so far as to say that we were encouraging petit 
larceny, as many of the persons who were engaged in the business did not have 
claims, or sufficient means to purchase the rock. But it does not follow, that to 
make a hand-mill pay, a person must "jayhawk" the rock. There are hundreds 
of claims in this city and vicinity that have been abandoned, not because they 
were not rich, but simply because the owners did not have means necessary to 
work them. From these claims an abundance of ore can be obtained to run all 
the hand-mills that will be started here for ages. Three months since there was 
not a horse or hand-mill in the city, and but few hand-mortars used. Now there 
are over thirty of the former in successful operation, the latter having gone al- 
most entirely out of use. Fi-om Mr. Salmon, the inventor of the new amalgama- 
tor, we learn some interesting facts. He is engaged in amalgamating exclusively 
for the horse and hand-mills, and does it with one of his tubs by hand-power. 
He takes out over $500 per week, but finds it impossible to do all the work that is 
offered him. The bullion will run over 900 fine. Four gentlemen, for whom it 
has been workincf, took out sufficient after night, in hand-mortars, to keep them in 
provisions and develop their claim, and they are now having a large lot worked at 
one of the steam-mills. Another, who was on the eve of leaving here in despair, 
went to work with a hand-mill, and has taken out enough to send for his family to 
Wisconsin, besides having sufficient means to last him the ensuinc; winter. Mr. 
Salmon knows of many good and experiequed miners who would have left the 
country, but who. by these miniature inventions, have been enabled to "stick it 
out," work on their claims, and help to develop our wonderful and most remark- 
able mines. There is at least $2000 per week of bullion taken out by these 
mills, and it is constantly increasing. They keep many men employed, assist in 
developing a number of mines, and put many dollars of our buried wealth into 
circulation ; besides, it makes all engaged in the business thorough and experi- 
enced mill men. 



MONTANA TERRITORY. 

Montana* was originally a part of Idaho, and was formed in 1864. It 
is one of the largest of the territories, comprising an estimated area of 
140,000 square miles. It lies south of the British possessions, from the 
27th to the 34th degrees of longitude. The Rocky Mountains and their 
foot hills occupy the western and central parts. Within it are the head 
waters of the Columbia River, of Oregon, and those of the main Missouri, 
and its great branch the Yellow Stone. 

Until the first year of the rebellion, Montana was a trackless wilderness. 
Before the close of the war, the rapidity and extent of mineral discoveries 
attracted the attention of miners and capitalists, and in defiance of obstacles 
of travel and climate, they forced their way into this new and distant land. 

It is favored with a healthy climate, and quite as mild as that of many 
of the Northern and Eastern States. Particularly is the climate moderate 
on the Pacific side of the mountains. 

At Fort Benton, on the Missouri River, a trading post of the American 
Fur Company, which has an elevation of 2632 feet above the level of the 
sea, their horses and cattle, of which they have a large number, are never 
housed or fed in winter, but get their living without difficulty. 

The fall of the temperature as winter approaches, appears to be much 
more abrupt east of the mountains, in this latitude, than at the west or in 
the vicinity of Great Lakes. 

In the Deer Lodge Prairie, in the valley of the Deer Lodge River, just 
west of the mountains, are very fine farming lands. Beautiful prairie 
openings occur at frequent intervals, in the valleys both of the Hell Grate 
and Bitter Root Rivers. At the settlement called Hell Gate, situated at 
the junction of the river by that name, and the Bitter Root, are several 
farms which yield all the cereals and vegetables in great abundance, bring- 
ing prices that would astonish farmers in the States, as parties are con- 
stantly passing through that region on their way to the mines, and glad to 
purchase supplies. 

Several years since. Gov. Stevens of Washington Territory, said in an 
official report: 

" I estimate that in the valleys on the western slopes of the Rocky 
Mountains, and extending no further than the Bitter Root range of moun- 
tains, there may be some 6000 square miles of arable land, upon grassed 
lands with good soils, and already prepared for occupation and settlement; 
and that in addition to this amount, there are valleys having good soils, and 
favorable for settlement, which will be cleared in the removal of lumber 

* The description given of this Territory, is abridged from " Hall's Emigrants, Settlers 
»nd Travelers' Guide and Hand Book to California, Nevada, Oregon and the Territories; 
accompanied by a map showing the roads to the Gold Fields, with tables of distances." 
It is an invaluable little pamphlet for the emigrant. It is mailed from the New York 
TribuMe office, on receipt of the price — 25 cents. 

525 



526 MONTANA TERRITORY. 

from them. The faint attempts made by the Indians at cultivating the 
soil, have been attended with good succaes, and fair returns might be ex- 
pected of all such crops as are adapted to the Northern States of our 
country. 

" The numerous mountain rivulets tributary to the Bitter Root River, 
that run through the valley, afford excellent and abundant mill-seats; and 
the land bordering these is fertile and productive, and has been proved be- 
yond a cavil or doubt to be well suited to every branch of agriculture." 

In these valleys much grain is already grown, and along the Bitter Root 
several flouring mills may be found. Produce brings a good price and the 
increasing demand for breadstuffs at Bannock City and other mining towns, 
will insure a more vigorous effort on the part of the husbandman. 

The cattle in the Deer Lodge Valley run at large in winter, and thrive 
and fatten rapidly. There is a considerable settlement in the Valley, and 
stock raising is quickly becoming a lucrative business, the mining popula- 
tion in the vicinity increasing rapidly, and affording a good market. The 
pasturage grounds of the Bitter Root Valley are unsurpassed. The exten- 
sive bands of horses owned by the Flat-Head Indians occupying St. Mary's 
Village, on Bitter Root River, thrive well winter and summer. 

At about the latitude of 46° 30', the Deer Lodge River and the Black- 
foot form a junction and are then called the Hell Gate, which unites with 
the Bitter Root or St. Mary's River, in latitude 47°, and assumes the name 
of the latter. 

Along the valleys of both the Hell Gate and Bitter Root there is a great 
abundance of excellent timber — pine, hemlock, tamarack, or larch predom- 
inating. The numerous mountain rivulets tributary to the Bitter Root 
which run through the valley, afford excellent and abundant mill seats. 
The valley and mountain slopes are well timbered with an excellent growth 
of pine, which is equal in every respect to the well-known and noted pine 
of Oregon. Along the Bitter Root are also several fine flouring mills. 

The great attraction of this region is its Gold mines. The gold in Mon- 
tana is found as in California, both in gulches and in quartz. 

The Bannock or Grasshopper mines were discovered in July, 1862, and 
are situated on Grasshopper Creek, a tributary of the Jefferson fork of the 
Missouri, 385 miles north of Salt Lake City, and 280 south of. Fort 
Benton. 

The mining district at this point extends five miles down the creek from 
Bannock City, which is situated at the head of the gulch ; while upon 
either side of the creek the mountains are intersected with gold-bearing 
quartz lodes, many of which have been found to be very rich. 

Bannock City, the county seat of Boise county, and the most populous 
town in the Territory, is thought to be one of the best mining localities in 
this whole region. It is situated between two of the best mining streams 
in the territory, viz.: More's and Elk Creek, which empty into the Boise 
Eiver, forty miles south of Bannock City. 

The Centcrville mines are six miles west of Bannock City. They are 
situated on Grimes' Creek, and are similar to those on Bannock City. 

The Virginia City mines, take their name from Virginia City, the largest 

town in Eastern Montana. They are on Fairweather's Gulch, upon Alder 

Creek, one of the tributaries of the Stinking Water, a small stream that 

puts into the Jefferson Fork, about seventy miles northeast of Bannock. 

" The mines here," says a late writer, " are unsurpassed in richness ; not 



MONTANA TERRITORY. 507 

a claim has been opened that does not pay good wages, while many claiing 
yield the precious ore by the pound." Two lines of coaches run between 
this point and Bannock City, 

The following were the prices of produce at Bannock, at the beginning 
of 1865, in gold: 

Flour, S25 per cwt. ; Bacon, 30c. per lb.; Ham, 90c.; Fresh Steaks, 15 
to 25c.; Potatoes, per lb., 25c.; Cabbage, per lb., 60c.; Coffee, 80c.; Sugar, 
60c.; Fresh Butter, $1.25; Hay, 10c. per lb., or $30 per tun; Lumber, 
$150 per thousand. Wages ruled at $5 per day, for miners and common 
laborers, and $6 to $8 for mechanics. Female labor ranged from $10 to 
$15 per week. Washing from $3 to $6, by the dozen. 

At these rates, it will be seen that carrying on agriculture by irrigation, 
which the want of rain compels, pays the producer well. 



IDAHO TEREITOEY. 

Idaho is an Indian word, signifying " Gem of the mountains.^' It was 
formed in March, 1863, from the territories of Washington, Nebraska and 
Dakotah. Its area then was 326,000 square miles ; that is, seven times that 
of New York State. In 1864, it was reduced to about 90,000 square miles, 
on the creation of the territory of Montana. Its capital is Lewiston, near 
the Washington line on Lewis fork of Columbia River. 

Its great attraction was its gold mines, the most important of which ware 
lost to her when Montana was created. 

The present gold mines of Idaho are in the northern part, on branches 
of the Columbia, Salmon and Clearwater Rivers. 

" The Salmon River mines were the first to attract the gold-hunter. The 
gold obtained here is of rather an inferior quality, being worth only $13 to 
$15 an ounce. Florence City is the largest settlement in the Salmon River 
country, and the general depot for supplies. 

" South of Salmon River is a large extent of country as yet wholly un- 
explored. On Clearwater River and its branches north of Salmon River, 
gold is found over a large extent of country, Elk City and Oro Fino being 
the principal centers of business and population." 



34 529 



DACOTAH TERRITORY. 



Dacotah, or more correctly Dahkotah, is the true name of the Sioux na- 
tion of Indians, and "signifies allied or joined together in friendly compact." 
The territory so named comprises the western part of the original Territory 
of Minnesota, and was excluded from its limits when, in 1858, Minnesota 
was erected into a state. It was organized into a territory in February, 
18(U. It extends, in extreme limits, N. and S. 450 miles, and E. and W. 
200: N. latitude, 42° 30' to 49°; longitude, W. from Greenwich, 94° to 
104°. It is bounded on the N. by the British Possessions, E. by Minnesota 
and a small part of Iowa, on the S. by Iowa, and also S. and partly on 
the W. by the Missouri River, separating it from the Territory of Nebraska. 

The eastern part is, like Minnesota, covered with multitudes of small lakes 
and ponds. The largest of these are Red Lake, about 40 miles long and 20 
broad, and Mini-wakan, or Devil's Lake, about 50 miles long by 10 broad. 
Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi, is on its eastern boundary. The 
Minnesota, emptying into the Mississippi, the Big Sioux and Jacques, afflu- 
ents of the Missouri, and the Great Red River of the North, all take their 
rise in the high table lands of the interior. 

The territory contains numerous salt lakes, and coal has been found. 
Capt. Jno. Pope, of the U. S. corps of topographical engineers, states that 
"Dacotah presents features differing but little from the region of prairie and 
table land west of the frontiers of Missouri and Arkansas, which is mainly 
devoid of timber. From this is to be excepted the western half of the val- 
ley of Red River and the valleys of the Big Sioux and the Rio Jacques, which 
are productive, and with the region inclosed contain arable and well tim- 
bered land sufficient for a small state." These valleys are productive in 
wheat of the best qualities. Population, in I860, 4.839. 

Pembina, the principal town of the territory, is some 360 miles, in an air 
line, N.W. of St. Paul, on the Red River of the North, just below the British 
line. It was settled, in 1812, by Scottish emigrants under Lord Selkirk, who 
obtained an extensive grant of land from the Hudson Bay Company. On 
the running of the boundary line, subsequently, Pembina, the southernmost 
point of the colony, was found to be just within the limits of the United 
States. 

'• The settlement — which contains about seven thousand inhabitants — is 
flourishing, and agriculture is prosecuted by the hardy settlers there with 
considerable success. The greater part of the inhabitants arc half natives 

581 



532 DACOTAH TERRITORY, 

and descendants of fur-traders and their servants, by native women. For- 
merly every summer, with a team of carts drawn by oxen, and loaded with 
pemmican, furs, etc., they came down to St. Pauls on a trading excursion, 
employing about six weeks in making the journey. Their singularly con- 
structed carts, composed entirely of wood, without any tire, their peculiar 
dress, manners and complexion, render them an object of curiosity to those 
unfamiliar with the various shades of society intermediate between the sav- 
ajre and civilized." 



THE INDIAN TERRITORY: 



The Indian Territory is an extensive country lying west of Arkansas 
and north of Texas, and extending far into the western wilderness; and con- 
tainin"- about 71,000 square miles. It has been allotted by the general gov- 
ernment as the permanent residence of those Indian tribes who emigrate 
from the states east of the Mississippi. " It is about 450 miles long east and 
west, and from 35 to 240 miles in width north and south. Kansas lies on 
the north of this tract, Arkansas on the east, Texas on the south, and New 
Mexico and Texas on the west. In the north-western portion of the Indian 
Territory are the vast sandy, barren lands, known as the Great Anicrican 
Desert. Excepting this desolate region, the country is occupied by undulat- 
ing plains and prairies, broken on the east by the mountain ridges, called the 
Ozark or Washita, which come in from Arkansas. Coal of an excellent 
quality abounds in the eastern part. The great southern overland mail 
route to California passes through it. 

The Choctaws, the Chickasaws, the Cherokees, the Creeks, the Senecas, the 
Seminoles, and the Shawnees dwell in the east; while the central and west 
ern districts are occupied by the Camanches, the Osages, the Pawnees, the 
Kioways, the Arrapahoes, and other tribes. The country is, besides, thickly 
inhabited by buffaloes, wild horses, antelopes, deer, prairie-dogs, and wild 
animals and wild birds of many names. Kansas and Nebraska were included 
in the Indian Territory until 1854." 

The Indians within and near the borders of the territory, including the 
uncivilized tribes, it is supposed, number about 90,000. The civilized tribes 
are the Cherokees and Choctaws, each numbering 19,000; the Creeks num- 
berin<'- 25,000, and the Chickasaws, 16,000, all of whom emigrated from the 
cotton states east of the Mississippi. These four tribes have adopted repub- 
lican forms of government, modeled after those of our states, with executive, 
legislative and judicial departments. 

Their principal wealth is vested in stock. Any amount of fine grazing 
land is lying idle, and the climate is so mild that stock (except milch cows 
and working cattle) requires no feeding in winter. These people are, as a class, 
" well to do " in the world. Their houses are ordinarily of logs, but spacious 
and comfortable, and will compare favorably with those of south-western 
Missouri and Arkansas. Some of them are handsome frame buildings. 



WASHINGTON TEREITORY. 



Washington Territory is the extreme north-western domain of the 
United States, and was formed by act of congress, in 1853, from the north 
part of Oregon Territory. Its early history is identified with and partially 
given in that of Oregon. Okonogan and Spokan, two of the trading posts 
of John Jacob Astor, wei-e within its limits, and the Hudson's Bay Compa- 
ny ha,d also numerous posts, and carried on extensive trading operations on 
its soil. In 1806, the British North-west Fur Company established a trad- 
ing post on Frazer's Lake, in latitude 54°, which was the first settlement of 
any kind made by the Anglo-Saxon race west of the Rocky Mountains. 
About the year 1839, missions were established by Protestants and Catholics, 
among the Indians of the country. 

Down to the period of the administration of President Polk, the United 
States government claimed latitude 5-i° 40' as the northern boundary. Then 
the long dispute was settled by fixing upon the 49th parallel, and giving up 
Vancouver's Island to the British. 

The Cascade range of mountains enters it from Oregon, and runs its entire 
length north and south. In a general description, the face of the country 
Is mountainous, and resembles Oregon, excepting that the Blue Mountain 
range is more scattered north of the Columbia. Mount Olympus, the high- 
est peak of the Coast range, is 8,197 feet high: several of those of the Cas- 
cade range are clothed in perpetual snow, among which are Mount St. Helen's, 
a volcanic peak, and Mount Bainor, each estimated at about 13,000 feet in 
altitude. The Pacific coast is not so abruptly mountainous as that of Ore- 
gon, and can be traveled almost its entire length on a beautiful sand beach. 
It shares with Oregon the grand scenery of the Columbia, which is its prin- 
cipal river, and its main branches rise within it. On the rivers are many 
falls of magnitude: one of these, the celebrated Snoqualmie, in about 47*^ 
40' N. lat., and 121° 30' W. long., has a perpendicular fall of 260 feet. The 
mountain scenery of the country is surpassingly beautiful. 

" The climate is similar to that of Oregon, with some variations caused by differ- 

533 



534 WASUINGTON TERRITORY. 

cnce of latitude and local peculiarities. It is, however, in all parts of the territo- 
ry, lauch milder than in the same parallels of latitudes east of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. 

The soil of all the prairie lands, with the exception of those directly around Pui^et 
Sound, is exceedin,<!;ly fertile. Those of the sound are of a sandy, gravelly nature, 
not readily cultivated, but producing; enormous fir and cedar trees. The soil on the 
mountains is generally very rich; but the dense growth of forest deters the emi- 
grant from attempting clearings on a large extent, as the fine, fertile plains and 
prairie offer far greater inducements. Fruit of various kinds, particularly apples, 
can be cultivated very readily, and in the greatest perfection. Indian corn does 
not thrive well, as the seasons are not hot enough ; but wheat, barley, oats, and 
potatoes yield the most abundant crops, of the finest quality. The potatoes, in 
particular, are surpassingly fine. The wheat grown on the Columbia, called 
Oregon wheat, is known for its superior excellence. 

Although the territory is a very mountainous country, yet there are many im- 
mense plains and prairies; and, by reference to the map, it will be seen that innu- 
merable streams, like veins, permeate the whole region, and each of them, from the 
largest to the smallest, flows in its course through rich and fertile plains, of vari- 
ous sizes, lying between the mountains. Governor Stevens, in January, 1854, 
writing of the territory, says of the waters of Puget Sound, and the adjacent ones 
of Hood's Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and Fuca Straits, ' that their maritime advan- 
tages are very great, in affording a series of harbors almost nnequaled in the world 
for capacity, safet}', and facility of access, and they are in the immediate neighbor- 
hood to what are now the best whaling grounds of the Pacific. That portion of 
Washington Territoi-y lying between the Cascade Mountains and the o<-,ean, 
although equaling, in richness of soil and ease of transportation, the best lands of 
Oregon, is heavily timbei'ed, and time and labor are required for clearing its for- 
ests and opening the earth to the production of its fruits. The groat body of the 
country, on the other hand, stretching eastward from that range _ to the Pocky 
Mountains, while it contains many fertile valleys and much land suitable to the 
farmer, is yet more especially a grazing countr^^ — one which, as its population in- 
creases, promises, in its cattle, its horses, and, above all, its wool, to open a vast 
field to American enterprise. But, in the meantime, the staple of the land must 
continue to be the one which Nature herself has planted, in the inexhaustible for- 
ests of fir, of spruce, and of cedar. Either in furnishing manufactured timber, or 
spars of the first description for vessels, Washington Territory is unsurpassed by 
any portion of the Pacific coast.' 

The internal improvements of Washington Territory are progressing as fast as 
can be expected in a new and sparsely-populated country, situate so remote from 
the general government. In 1853, Governor Isaac 1. Stevens, the first governor of 
the territory, surveyed a route for a Northern Pacific Railroad, and discovered » 
pass near the sources of Maria's River, suitable for a railroad, estimated to bei 
2,500 feet lower than the south pass of Fremont. It is generally admitted that 
Governor Stevens' route is the best one for a railroad that has yet been discovered, 
although the great, and, in fact the principal objection urged against it is that it is 
too far north, and, consequently, will not suit the views nor accommodate the in- 
habitants of the more southern states and California. 

There is no state in the Union that has so vast a communication by water as 
Washington Territory — the Columbia River on its south, the Pacific on the west, 
and the Straits of Fuca, Hood's Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and Puget Sound on the 
north. There is not a safer entrance from the ocean in the world than Fuca 
Straits; and the deep waters that flow through the whole of the inlets, bays, and 
sounds, enalile ships of the largest class readily to approach Olympia. 

Gold and silver quartz has recently been discovered in Cascade range, near 
Natchez Pass, in immense deposits. 

Coal has been discovered of a good quality. 

Olympia is the capital of Washington. Population of the territory, in 
1863, 12,519. 



UTAH TERRITORY. 



Utah derives its name from that of a native Indian tribe, the Pah-Utahs. 
It formed originally a part of the Mexican territory of Upper California, 
and was ceded to the United States by the treaty with Mexico, at the close 
of the Mexican war. In 1850 it was erected into a territory by Congress. 

"A large part of Utah is of volcanic origin. It is supposed, from certain 
traditions and remains, to have been, many hundred years ago, the residence 
of the Aztec nation — that they were driven south by the volcanic eruptions 
which changed the face of the whole country. Eventually, they became the 
possessors of Mexico, where, after attaining great proficiency in the arts of 
life, they were finally overthrown by the Spaniards at the time of the con- 
quest. 

Utah was not probably visited by civilized man until within the present 
century. There were Catholic missionaries who may have just touched its 
Califoi'nia border, and the trappers and hunters employed by the fur compa- 
nies. The first establishment in Utah was made by William H. Ashley, a 
Missouri fur-trader. In 1824, he organized an expedition which passed up 
the valley of the Platte River, and through the cleft of the Rocky Mountains, 
since called "TAe South Pass;" and then advancing further west, he reached 
the Great Salt Lake, which lies embosomed among lofty mountains. About 
a hundred miles south-east of this, he discovered a smaller one, since known 
as "Ashley's Lake." He there built a fort or trading post, in which he left 
about a hundred men. Two years afterward, a six-pound piece of artillery 
was drawn from Missouri to this fort, a distance of more than twelve hun- 
dred miles, and in 1828, many wagons, heavily laden, performed the same 
journey. 

During the three years between 1824 and 1827, Ashley's men collected 
and sent to St. Louis, furs from that region of country to an amount, in value, 
of over $180,000. He then sold out all his interests to Messrs. Smith, Jack- 
son, and Sublette. These energetic and determined men carried on for many 
years an extensive and profitable business, in the course of which they tra- 
versed a large part of southern Oregon, Utah, California, and New Mexico 
west of the mountains. Smith was murdered in the summer of 1829, by the 
Indians north-west of Utah Lake. Ashley's Fort was long since abandoned, 

Unfortunately, these adventurous men knew nothing of science, and but 
little information was derived from them save vague reports which greatly 

535 



536 UTAH TERRITORY, 

excited curiosity; tliis was only increased by the partial explorations of 
Fremont. 

In his second expedition, made in 1843, he visited the Great Salt Lahe, 
which appears upon old Spanish maps as Lake Timpanocos and Lake Tegaya. 
Four years after, in 1847, the Mormons emij^rated to Utah, and commenced 
the first regular settlement by whites. It was then an isolated region, nom- 
inally under the government of Mexico. They expected to found a Mormon 
state here, and rest in quiet far from the abodes of civilized man; but the 
results of the Mexican war, the acquirement of the country by the United 
States, with the discovery of gold in California, brought them on the line of 
emigration across the continent, and more or less in conflict with the citizens 
and general government, 

Utah extended originally from the 37th to the 42d degrees of north lati- 
tude, and between the 107th and 120th degrees of west longitude, having a 
breath of 300, and an average length, east and west, of 600 miles, containing an 
area of about 180,000 square miles. It now has 110,000 square miles only. 

"The main seo^niphical characteristic of Utali is, that anomalous feature in our 
continent, which is more Asiatic than American in its character, known as the 
Great Bas'in. It i.s aliout 500 miles long, east and west, by 275 in breadth, north 
and south, and occupies the greater part of the central and western portions of the 
territory. It is elevated near 5.000 I'cet above the level of the sea, and is shut in 
all around by mountains with its own system of lakes and rivers; and wliat is a 
striking feature, none of which iiave any connection with the ocean. The general 
character of the basin is that of a desert. It has never been fully explored, but 
so far as it has been, a portion of it is found to consist of arid and sterile plains, 
another of undulating table lands, and a third of elevated mountains, a tevr of 
whose summits are capped with perpetual snow. These range nearly north and 
south, and rise abruptly from a narrow base to a hight of from 2,000 to 5,000 feet. 
Between these ranges of mountains are the arid plains, which deserve and receive 
the name of desert. From the snow on their summits and the showers of summer 
originate small streams of water from five to fifty feet wide, Avhich eventually lose 
themselves, some in lakes, some in the alluvial soil at their base, and some in dry 
plains. Among the most noted of these streams is Humboldt's or Mary's River, 
well remembered by every California emigrant, down which he pursues his course 
for three hundred miles, until it loses itself in the ground, at a place called St. 
Mary's Sink, where its waters are of a poisonous character. 

The Great Salt Lake and the Utah Lake are in this basin, toward its eastern 
rim, and constitute its most interesting feature — one a saturated solution of com- 
mon salt — the other fresh — the Utah about one hundred feet above the Salt Lake, 
which is itself about 4,200 above the level of the sea; they are connected by Utah 
River — or, as the Mormons call it, the Jordan — which is forty-eight miles in length. 
These lakes drain an area of from ten to twelve thousand square miles. 

The Utah is about thirty-five miles long, and is remarkable for the numerous and 
bold sti'eams which it receives, coming down from the mountains on the south-east, 
all fresh water, although a large formation of rock-salt, imbedded in red clay, is 
found within the area on the south-east, which it drains. The lake and its afiluents 
afford larj;;e trout and other fish in great numbers, which constitute the food of the 
Utah Indians during the fishing season. The Great Salt Lake has a very irrei;ular 
outline greatly extended at time of melting snows. It is about seventy ujiles in 
length ; both lakes ramjing north and south, in conformity to the range of the 
mountains, and is remarkable for its predominance of salt. The whole lake water 
seems thoroughly saturated with it, and every evaporation of the water leaves salt 
behind. The rocky shores of the islands are whitened by th*e spray, which loaves 
salt on everything it touches, and a covering like ice forms over the water which 
the waves throw among the rocks. The shores of the lake, in the dry season, when 
the waters recede, and especially on the south side, are whitened with incrusta- 
tions of fine white salt; the shallow arms of the lake, at the same time under a 



UTAH TERRITORY. 537 

Blight covering of briny water, present beds of salt for miles, resembling softened 
ice, into ■which the horses' feet sink to the fetlock. Plants and bushes, blown by 
the wind upon these fields, are entirely incrusted with crystallized salt, more than 
an inch in thickness. Upon this lake of salt the fresh water received, though great 
in quantity, has no perceptible effect. No fish or animal life of any kind is found 
in it. 

The Rio Colorado, with its branches, is about the only stream of note in Utah 
which is not within the Great Basin. The only valleys supposed to be inhal)itable 
in the vast country in the eastern rim of the Great Basin and the Kocky Moun- 
tains, are the valleys of the Uintah and Green Rivers, branches of the Colorado, 
and whether even these are so, is extremely problematical. The country at the 
sources of this great river is incapable of supporting any population whatever. 

The climate oT Utah is milder and drier in general than it is in the same parallel 
on the Atlantic coast. The temperature in the Salt Lake Valley in the winter is 
very uniform, and the thermometer rarely descends to zero. There is but little 
rain in Utah, except on the mountains, from the 1st of May until the 1st of Octo- 
ber; hence agriculture can only be carried on by irrigation. 

In every portion of the territory where it has been attempted, artificial irriga- 
tion has been found to be indispensable; and it is confidently believed that no part 
of it, however fertile, will mature crops without it, except perhaps on some small 
patches on low bottoms. But limited portions, therefore, of even the most fertile 
and warmest valleys, can ever be made available for agricultural purposes, and only 
such as arc adjacent to streams and are well located for irrigation. Small valleys 
surrounded by high mountains, are the most abundantly supplied with water, the 
streams being fed by melting snows and summer showers. 

The greater part of Utah is sterile and totally unfit for agriculture, and is unin- 
habited and uninhabitable, except by a few trappers and some roaming bands of 
Indians, who subsist chiefly upon game, fish, reptiles, and mountain crickets. The 
general sterility of the country is mainly owing to the want of rain during the 
summer months, and partly from its being elevated several thousand feet above the 
level of the sea. 

The whole country is almost entirely destitute of timber. The little which there 
is may be found on the side of the high, rocky mountains, and in the deep moun- 
tain gorges, whence issue the streams. On the table lands, the gently undulating 
plains and the isolated hills, there is none. There are, however, small groves of 
cotton-wood and box-alder on the bottoms of some of the principal streams. 

A species of artemisia, generally known by the name of wild sage, abounds in 
most parts of the country, where vegetation of any kind exists, but particularly 
where there is not warmth and moisture sufficient to produce grass. 

The Great Salt Lake V^alley is the largest known in the Great Basin, being about 
one hundred and twenty miles long, and from twenty to forty broad, but the Salt 
Lake occupies much of its northern portion. The surface of its center is level, 
ascending gently on either side toward the mountains. This valley is regarded as 
one of the healthiest portions of the globe; the air is very pure. Its altitude is 
forty three hundred feet above the level of the sea; and some of the mountains on 
the east of the valley are more than a mile and a quarter high, and covered with 
perpetual snow; while in the valley the thermometer frequently rises above one 
.hundred degrees. 

By means of irrigation, the Mormon valleys are made productive. Wheat, rye, 
barley, buckwheat, oats and Indian corn are their agricultural products, arKi all 
the garden vegetables peculiar to the middle and western states are grown. To- 
bacco and sweet potatoes can be produced in limited quantities. The system of 
irrigation prevents rust or smut striking the crop, and renders it sure. The terri- 
tory of the Mormons is a stock-raising country, and they are, to a great extent, a 
pastoral people. We find here that cereal anomaly, the bunch grass. It grows 
only on the bottoms of the streams, and on the table-lands of the warmest and most 
fertile valleys. It is of a kind peculiar to cold climates and elevated countries, and 
is, we presume, the same as the grmjia of New Mexico. In May, when the other 
grasses start, this fine plant dries upon its stalk, and becomes a light yellow straw, 
full of flavor and nourishment. It continues thus through what are the dry months 



538 



UTAH TERRITORY. 



of the climate until January, and then starts with a vigorous growth, like that of 
our own winter wheat in April, which keeps on until the return of another May. 
Wliether as straw or grass, the cattle fatten on it the year round. The numerous 
little dells and sheltered spots that are found in the mountains are excellent sheep 
walks. Hogs fatten on a succulent bulb or tuber, called the seacoe or seegose root, 
which is highly esteemed as a table vegetable by the ]\Iormons." 

The population of Utah has been nearly stationary for many years, and is 
composed almost entirely of Mormons. Population of Utah, in 1860, was 
5U,UU0. 




View in Salt Lake Citij. 

The large block oq the left contains the Church, Store, and Tithing Office, where one tenth of all the 
produce is contributed to the Church Fund. On the extreme right is the Harem of Brighiim Young, the 
famous " Lion House," so called from the statues of lions in front. The Wasatch Mouutains are seen iu 
the back ground. 

Salt Lake City is pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity near the base 
of a mountain, about two miles east of the Utah outlet, or the River Jordan, 
and about twenty-two miles south-east of the Salt Lake. " It is nearly on 
the same latitude with New York City, and is, by air lines, distant from New 
York 2,100 miles; from St. Louis, 1,200; from San Francisco, 550; and 
from Oregon City and Santa Fe, each 600. During five months of the year 
it is shut out from all communication with the north, east, or west, by moun- 
tains rendered impassable from snow. Through the town runs a beautiful 
bro^ of cool, limpid water, called City creek. The city is laid out regu- 
larly, on an extensive scale; the streets crossing each other at right angles, 
and being each eight rods wide. Each lot contains an acre and a quarter of 
ground, and each block or square eight lots. Within the city are four public 
squares. The city and all the farming lands are irrigated by streams of 
beautiful water, which flow from the adjacent mountains. These streams 
have been, with great labor and perseverance, led in every direction. In the 
city, they flow on each side of the different streets, and their waters are let 
upon the inhabitants' gardens at regular periods, so likewise upon the exten- 
sive fields of grain lying to the south. The greater part of the houses which 



UTAH TERRITORY. 539 

had been built up to the close of 1850, were regarded as merely temporary; 
most of them were small but commodious, being, in general, constructed of 
adobe or sun-dried brick. Among the public buildings are a house for pub- 
lic worship, a council-house, a bath-house at the Warm Spring; and they 
are erecting another temple more magnificent than that they formerly had at 
Nauvoo. Public free-schools are established in the different wards into 
which the city is divided. East of the city a mile square is laid off for a 
State University." 



Hon. John Cradlebaugh, late assistant judge of the Territory of Utah, 
gives this sketch of the Mormons, their origin, doctrines, practices, and 
crimes : 

Extent of Mormonism — The Mormon people have possessed themselves of this 
country, and although their history has been but a brief one, yet their progress 
has been so great as to attract the attention of the world. Although they have 
not existed more than the third of a century, yet we find that they have been 
enabled to encompass the globe itsfelf with missionaries. Although they have ex- 
isted but a few years, we find them rising from a single family to be now what they 
call a great nation. They claim to be a nation independent of all other nations. 
They have set up a church government of their own, and they desire no other gov- 
ernment to rule over them. 

It becomes necessary to know what this Mormonism is, that has thus attracted 
these deluded people to that country, to seize this empire and to attempt to estab- 
lish for themselves a government independent of the world. 

Moi-monism, in the view that I take of it, is a religious eccentricity, as well as 
one of the great monstrosities of the age. It is not the fii-st, however, of the reli- 
gious monstrosities and impositions that we have had. Other religious impositions 
have been invented by men expert in tricks. Knowledge and civilization go mov- 
ing on at a slow pace, and yet make gradual progress ; and every ray of light that 
is shed shows us the gross absurdity of these frauds in religion. The idols of 
wood and stone have fallen from the sacred places which they formerly occupied, 
to be trampled under the feet of their former worshipers, and the cunning devices 
of a more enlightened age have given way to a purer creed. The majority of the 
heathen practices of the dark ages have disappeared before an enlightened Chris- 
tianity. But an epoch came when mankind were fast relapsing into a painful state 
of ignorance; and about that time arose that boldest and most successful of all im- 
posters, Mohammed, who, incorporating old and cherished doctrines into a volup- 
tuous ci'eed, went abroad with his sword in one hand and the Koran in the other, 
conquering and to conquer. This was done when darkness reigned on the earth ; 
but in this nineteenth century, favored as it is by the light of a true religion, dis- 
tinguished as it is by its general knowledge, and refined as it is beyond all pre- 
cedent and parallel, a religious imposture grosser than all its predecessors, is being 
successfully palmed off on mankind; not in the deserts of some unknown land; 
not in a secret corner of the earth ; but in free America, where every man can 
worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and under his own 
vine and fig tree. • ^ 

Mormon Doctrines. — This grotesque, absurd, and monstrous system, thus openly V^"^ 
paraded before the world, is Mormonism. It is a conglomeration of illy cemented 
creeds from other religion.s. It repudiates the celibacy imposed by the Catholic 
religion upon its priesthood, and takes instead the voluptuous imposition of the 
Mohammedan Church. It preaches openly that the more wives and children its 
men have in this world, the purei-, and more influential and conspicuous they will 
be in the next; that his wives, his property, and his children will be restored to 
him, and even doubled to him at the resurrection. It adopts the use of prayei-s for 
the dead and baptism as parts of its creed. They claim to be fiivored with mar- 
velous gifts, the power of speaking in tongues, of casting-out devils, of curing the 
sick and healing the lame and the halt; they also claim to have a living prophet, 



5^0 



UTAH TERRITORY. 




A BIoKMON Harem. 



seer, or revelator; they recoo;nize the Bible, but they interpret it for themselves, 
and hold that it is subject to be changed l)y new revelation, -which they say super- 
sedes old revelation. One of their doctrines is that of continued progression to 
ultimate perfection. They say that God was but a man who went on developing 
and increasing until he reached his present high capacity; and they teach that 
good Mormons will be equal to Him — in a word, that good Mormons will become 

gods. Their elders 
teach the shedding of 
blood for the remis- 
sion of sins; or, in 
other words, that if a 
Mormon apostatises, 
that his throat shall 
be cut and his blood 
poured on the ground 
to save him from his 
sin. They also prac- 
tice other most un- 
natural and revolting 
doctrines, such as are 
only carried out in 
polygamous countries. 
They hold that the 
prophet's revelations 
are binding on their 
consciences, and tliat 
they must obey him 
in all things. They 
claim to be the people peculiarly chosen of God, and have christened themselves 
" I'he Church of Jesus — the Latter Day Saints." They claim tliat iMormonism is 
to go on spreading until it overthrows all the nations of the earth; and that, if ne- 
cessary, it shall be propagated by the sword; and that, in progress of time, all the 
world shall be subject to it. Jackson county, ]\lissouri, Avhence they were 
driven for their great crimes, is called their Zion, and their prophets have prophe- 
sied that there shall the saints from throughout all the world be assembled, and 
from that Zion shall proceed a power that shall dethrone kings, subvert dynasties, 
and subjugate all the nations of the earth. 

Origin. — This wretched sect had its origin in an eccentricity of a man named 
Spaulding, who had failed as a preacher and as a shopkeeper, and who thought he 
would write an historical novel. He had a smattering of Biblical knowledge, and 
he chose for his subject "the history of the lost tribes of Israel." The whole was 
supposed to be communicated by Indians, and the last of the series was named 
Mormon, representing that he had buried the book. It was a large, ponderous vol- 
ume, dull, tedious and interminable, marked by ignorance and folly. Spaulding 
made many efforts to get it printed, but the work was so utterly flat, stupid and 
insipid, that no publisher would undertake to bring it before the world. Poor 
Spaulding at length went to his grave, and his manuscript remained a neglected roll 
in the possession of his widow. 

But now arose Joe Smith, more ready to live by his wits than by the labor of his 
hands. This Smith early in life manifested a turn for pious frauds. He had been 
engaged in several wrestling matclies with the devil, and had been conspicuous for 
his wonderful e.xperiences in religion at certain revivals. He announced that he 
had dug up the book of Mormon, that taught the true religion, and this was none 
other but the poor Spaulding manuscript, which he had purloined from the house 
of the widow. In his unscrupulous hands tlie manuscript of Spaulding was de- 
signed to cause an august apostacy; he made it the basis of Mormonism. 

Polyyamy Introduced. — Before the death of Smith, he had made polygamy a 
dogma of the Mormon creed, and made it known to a few of the le.aders, and he 
and they proceeded to put it to practice. It was only after they had placed the 
desert and the Kocky Mountains between them and civilization that they confessed 



UTAH TERRITORY. 541 

it. Then they not only confessed it, but openly and boldly advocated it as a part 
of the religion of Utah. Polygamy then is now the rule, monogamy is the excep- 
tion to the rule among them. This doctrine is preached from the pulpit — it is 
taught everywhere. 

Education and Habits. — The little education the children get consists in pre- 
paring them for the reception of polygamy. To prepare the women for the recep- 
tion of the revolting practice it is necessary, to brutalize them by destroying their 
modesty. The sentiment of love is ridiculed, cavalier gallantry and attenticns are 
laughed at, the emblematic devices of lovers and the winning kindness tliat with 
us they dote on are hooted at in Utah. The lesson they are taught, and that is in- 
culcated above all others, is "increase and multiply," in order that Zion may be 
filled. The young people are familiarized to indecent exposures of all kinds ; the 
Mormons call their wives their cattle. 

A man is not considered a good Mormon that does not uphold polygamy by pre- 
cept and example, and he is a suspected Mormon tbat does not practice it. 'J"he 
higher the man is in the church the more wives he has. Brigliam Young and 
Heber Kimball are supposed to have each between fifty and a hundred. The rev- 
erend Mormon bishops, apostl'fes, and the presidents of states have as many as they 
desire, and it is a common thing to see these hoary-headed old Turks surrounded 
by a tro(»p of robust young wives. The common people take as many as they can 
support, and it is not uncommon to see a house of two rooms inhabited by a man, 
his half dozen of wives, and a proportionate number of children, like rabbits in a 
warren, and resembling very much the happy family that we read of— the prairie 
dog, the oAvl, and the rabbit. Incest is common, t^ometimes the same man has a 
daughter and her mother for wives at once; some have as wives their own nieces, 
and Aaron Johnson, of Springville, one of the most influential men in his parts, 
has in his harem of twelve women no less than five of his brothers' daughters. 
One Watts, a Scotchman, who is one of the church reporters, is married to his 
own half sister. 

The ill-assorted children — the offspring of one father and many mothers — run 
about like so many wild animals. The first thing they do, after learning vulgarity, 
is to wear a leather belt with a butcher-knife stuck in it; and the next is to steal 
from the Gentiles; then to ride animals; and as soon as they can, "by hook or by 
crook," get a horse, a pair of jingling Mexican spurs and a revolver, they are then 
Mormon cavaliers, and are fit to steal, j-ob, and murder emigrants. The women 
and girls are coarse, masculine and uneducated, and are mostly drafted from tho 
lowest stages of society. It is but seldom you meet handsome or attractive women 
among them. 

The foreign element largely predominates in Utah. The persons emigrating to 
the territory are generally from the mining, manufacturing and rural districts of 
England. The American portion of the Mormons are generally shrewder than the 
rest, and are chiefly from the New England states. Most of these men are no 
doubt fugitives from justice, and most of them are bankrupt in both fortune and 
character. 

The three presidents of the church, or rather the president, Rrigham Youpg, 
j,nd his two council, Kimball and Grant, jire all Americans; eleven of the twelve 
apostles are Americans. The foreigners are generally hewers of wood and the 
drawers of water for the church and its dignitaries. The church is everything. 
It is not only an ecclesiastical institution, but it is a political engine ; it not only 
claims to control Mormons in their spiritual matters, but to dictate to them as to 
the disposition of their temporal affairs. The church, by its charter, can receive, 
hold or sell any amount of property ; the charter provides for one trustee, and 
twelve assistant trustees, and Brigham Young is trustee, president of the church, 
prophet, seer, revelator, and, the commission of the United States to the contrary 
notwithstanding, he is the real governor of the territory. All Mormons are re- 
quired to yield to him implicit obedience: 

Each Mormon has to pay into the church one tenth part of all he produces, so 
that if a good Mormon sow bears ten pigs, one is a pious pig, because it belongs 
to the church. To collect these tithes officers have to be appointed, and to gather 
the results together a great central depot has to be maintained, and it is situated 



542 UTAH TERRITORY. 

in Great Salt Lake City, within Brigham's own walls ; and the corn, butter, egg8, 
and all sorts of produce that is conveyed there and stored would spoil unless it was 
disposed of; and so we find that they need stores, and in Salt Lake City we find 
an enormous store, with the sign " Deseret Store." So it is, the church is a trader. 

The Angelic Host. — Connected with the Mormon church is a band of men known 
as "the Danites," or "the avenging angels." This band is composed of the bold- 
est of the Mormon ruffians. They arfe bound together by dreadful oaths; they are 
the executioners of the church, carrying out its vengeance against apostates and 
offenders against the church discipline; and all church enemies are dealt Avith by 
these men, generally in a secret and terrible manner. None but God, Brigham 
Young and themselves know the names of their victims, or the number. 

Missions and Missionaries. — The Mormon Church is recruited by means of mis- 
Bionaries yearly sent out in large numbers throughout the earth, to preach and 
propagate the Mormon religion. These missionaries are not selected, as are the 
missionaries of other sects, for their piety and devotion, or for their general fitness, 
but as a punishment for some offense against the discipline of the church. The 
doctrine is that they are good enough to go into the world, for if they send good 
men they will not believe them, and on that account they send their bad men oflf 
as teachers and missionaries. 

The missionaries are usually supported by voluntary contributions raised from 
the ignorant proselytes that they make. They picture Utah as a paradise, the Mor- 
mons as saints, and Brigham Young as their prophet; they promise their prophet 
will heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and comfort to the afflicted; to the 
wealthy they promise wealth, and preferment is for the ambitious, while social 
standing is to be given to the degraded of both sexes, and polygamy is the paradise 
of all. 

Receiving Proselytes. — These missionaries, when sent on missions, if successful, 
are commanded to bring their proselytes with them to Zion. They are generally 
taken in large trains, and the arrival of one of these emigrant trains is hailed as a 
great event. Women that are young and pretty are greedily caught up by the 
apostles and dignitaries to swell their harems. 

The Foreign Element. — As I have said, the Mormons are chiefly foreigners; and 
rude, ignorant foreigners they are. They have not the first conceptions of their 
duties to our government, or of their duties as American citizens. They come to 
Zion, but they do not come to America. What do they care for our government 
or for our people ? The first lesson taught them is to hate our people for their 
oppression, and to hate all other people for they are Gentiles. They are next sworn 
to support the church and the government established in Utah, and bear an eter- 
nal hostility against every other government on the face of the earth. Their next 
lesson is to revere Brigham Young as both the religious and political head and 
ruler. Their allegiance is alone due to him; he tells them they are separate and 
distinct from all other nations — made up from many nations; and he said but th«< 
other dav, " we have been looked upon as a nation by our neighbors, independent 
of all otFier people on the face of the earth, and in their dealings thoy have dealt 
with us as such." He tells them the present connection of Utah with the United 
States is only nominal, and it is barely permitted by God until things shall be fitted 
for the universal establishment of Mormon ascendency. 

All these things considered, is it to be wondered at that the Mormons are dis- 
loyal to this government, and that treason should insolently rear its crest in Utah? 
The ignorant of the Mormons do not know what treason is. They obey their 
leaders, and these leaders are alone re.'^ponsible for their acts. If Brigham Young, 
his counselors and bishops, and twelve apostles, and his generals had been seized 
and hung, you would never more have heard of treason in Utah; but while the Mor- 
mon captains were at the head of their troops, while the Danites were armed with 
their butcher knives, and while the prophet hurled anathemas against the presi- 
dent, the government, and the people of the United States, and while the Mormon 
people were in arms against the people of the United States, came a free pardon 
to all the traitors, big and little. 

Three thousand of the federal troops were sent [in 1858] to Utah, and they have 
been kept there at a great expense to the government. The government has not 



UTAH TERRITORY. 543 

only refrained from punishing, but it has, through the vast amounts expended for 
the troops, which went into the Mormon coffers, enriched and built up the terri- 
tory. When the troops went to Utah, the Mormons were naked and almost starv- 
ing', poor and wrangling; but now they are clothed, and money circulates freely 
among them. Treason is lucky, and traitors prosper. Not only are they freely 
pardoned, but they are rewarded with pockets full of gold. When treason is thus 
dealt with, traitors will be numerous indeed. 

An In-epresdble Conflict. — Attempts to administer the laws of the United States 
have been made by the three sets of the United h^tates judges. These experiments 
have all proved to be failures. The concurrent testimony of all the judges is that 
the Federal constitution and laws can not be successfully administered. There is 
a complete repugnance and antagonism between our institutions and the Mormon 
institutions. The church, through its rulers, claims to supervise the spiritual and 
temporal relations of the people. Whether it be in the place of business, in the 
jury-box, on the witness stand, on the judge's bench, or in the legislative chair, 
the Mormon is bound to obey the heads of the church. If the constitution of the 
United States, or the organic law of the territory conflicts, the constitution is 
treated as a nullity ; if the laws of the United States contravene the ordinances 
of Utah, the law is disregarded. The will of the prophet is the supreme law in 
Utah. 

jMormon grand and petit juries, on being impanneled, would go through the 
forms of business, but do nothing, while murder and other felonies abounded. 
When warrants are issued for the parties accused, they can not be arrested, for the 
entire church and the whole community united in concealing and protecting the 
offender. Witnesses are prevented by church orders from appearing before the 
grand jury, or are forcibly detained. Grand juries refuse to find bills upon testi- 
mony the most conclusive, fur most of the crimes have been committed by the 
order of the church ; and to expose them would be to expose and punish the church 
and the functionaries of the church. 

The most noted of all the atrocities committed by the Mormons was the 
'■^Mountain Meadow Massacre.'' This event occurred in the autumn of 1857, 
when about 140 emigrants, inoffensive, peaceful men, women and children, 
on their way overland from Arkansas to California, were waylaid by the 
Danite band of Mormons and their Indian allies, and butchered in cold blood. 
Some of the little children were spared, and afterward recovered from the 
Mormons; and from their lips these particulars were gathered. A corres- 
pondent of Harpers' Weekly, for August 13, 1859, presents this narrative, 
which is substantially true, and otherwise indubitably corroborated: 

"A train of Arkansas emigrants, with some few Missourians, said to number 
forty men, with their families, were on their way to California, through the Terri- 
tory of Utah, and had reached a series of grassy valleys, by the Mormons called 
the Mountain ^leadows, where they remained several days recruiting their animals. 
On the night of Sept. 9, not suspecting any danger, as usual they quietly retired 
to rest, little dreaming of the dreadful fate awaiting and soon to overtake them. 
On the morning of the 10th, as, with their wives and familes, they stood around 
their camp-fires passing the congratulations of the morning, they were suddenly 
fired upon from an ambush, and at the first discharge fifteen of the best men are 
said to have fallen dead or mortally wounded. To seek the shelter of their corral 
was but the work of a moment, but there they found but limited protection. 

The encampment, which consisted of a number of tents and a corral of forty 
wagons and ambulances, lay on the west bank of, and eight or ten yards distant 
from, a large spring in a deep ravine, running southward ; another ravine, also, 
branching from this, and facing the camp on the south-west; overlooking them on 
the north-west, and within rifle-shot, rises a large mound commanding the corral^ 
upon which parapets of stone, with loop-holes, have been built. Yet another ra- 
vine, larger and deeper, faces them on the east, which could be entered without 
exposure from the south and far end. Having crept into these shelters in the dark- 
ness of the nighty the cowardly assailants fired upon their unsuspecting victims, 



544 UTAH TERRITORY. 

thus making a beginning to the most brutal butchery ever perpetrated upon this 
continent. 

Surrounded by superior numbers, and by an unseen foe, wo are told tho little 
party stood a siege within the corral of five or seven daj's, sinking their wagon 
wheels in the ground, and during the darkness of night digging trenches, within 
which to shelter their wives and children. A large spring of cool water bubbled 
up from the sand a few yards from them, but deep down in the ravine, and so well 
protected that certain death marked the trail of all who dared approach it. The 
wounded were dying of thirst ; the burning bi'ow and parched lip marked the de- 
lirium of fever; they tossed from side to side with anguish; the sweet sound of 
the water, as it murmured along its pebbly bed, served but to highten their keen- 
est suffering. But what was this to the pang of leaving to a cruel fate their helpless 
children ! Some of the little ones, Avho though too young to remember in after 
years, tell us that they stood by their parents, and pulled the arrows -from their 
bleeding wounds. 

Long had the brave band held together; but the cries of the wounded sufferers 
must prevail. For the first time, they are (by four Mormons) offered their lives if 
they will lay down their arms, and gladly they avail themselves of the proffered 
mercy. Within a few hundred yards of the corral faith is broken. Disarmed and 
helpless, they are fallen upon and massacred in cold blood. The savages, who had 
been driven to the hills, are again called down to what was denominated the 'job,' 
which more than savage brutality had begun. 

Women and children are now all that remain. Upon these, some of whom had 
been violated by the Mormon leaders, the savage expends his hoarded vengeance. 
By a Mormon who has now escaped the threats of the Church we are told that the 
helpless children clung around the knees of the savages, offering themselves as 
slaves ; but with fiendish laughter at their cruel tortures, knives were thrust into 
their bodies, the scalp torn from their heads, and their throats cut from ear to ear." 

Beside Salt Lake City, the other principal Mormon settlements are Fill- 
more City, the capital, Brownsville, Frovo, Oc/den, Manti, and Farovan. 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 



New Mexico is older than any English settlement in North America. It 
was a Spanish province in the century before the cavaliers had landed at. 
Jamestown, and the Puritans liad trod the snow-clad rock of Plymouth. In 
1530, Nuno de Guzman, president of Mexico or New Spain, had in his ser- 
vice an Indian, a native of a country called Tejos or Texos, probably the 
present Texas, who informed him that when a boy he used to accompany his 
ftither, a merchant, on trading expeditions to a people in a country in the far 
interior, when the latter, in exchange for handsome feathers to ornament 
their heads, obtained great quantity of gold and silver; that, on one occa- 
sion, he had seen seven large towns, in which were entire streets occupied by 
people working in precious metals. That to get there, it was necessary to 
travel forty days through a wilderness, where nothing was to be obtained ex- 
cepting short grass, and then penetrate into the interior of the country by 
keeping due north. Fired by these reports, Gruzman organized an army of 
400 Spaniards and 20,000 Indians, to penetrate this land of gold. He 
started from Mexico and went as far as Culiacan, the limit of his govern- 
ment, when the obstacles were such, in passing the mountains beyond, that 
his people deserted in great numbers. Moreover, he heard that his personal 
enemy, Hernando Cortez, was returning to Mexico, loaded with titles and 
f\ivors. He gave up the expedition, and was soon after thrown into prison ; 
and the Tejos Indian died. 

In 1528, Pamphilo Narvaez, the unfortunate rival of Hernando Cortez, 
being appointed governor of Florida, set sail from St. Domingo with 400 
men in live ships, for that coast. The expedition was tragic in its results. 
Soon after discovering the mouth of the Mis.sissippi, all had perished but 
three; some from hunger, some by shipwreck, and some by the hostility of 
the natives. 

'' There only survived Cabeza de Vaca, boatmaster, Esteva Dorantes, an 
Arabian negro, and Castillo Maldonado. At the end of ei»ht years, these 
three men reached Mexico, having traversed on foot the American continent 
from the I\Iississippi to the Pacific Ocean. They related their adventures, 
declared that they had met with Indian tribes, some of whom cultivated 
maize, while others lived on fish and the produce of the chase; that they 
had heard of large towns with loft}' houses containing many stories, and sit- 
uated in the same direction as those spoken of by the Tejos Indian." 
35 545 



546 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

Mendosa, the viceroy of New Spain, had these three travelers brought be- 
fore him, and communicated the information they gave him to Francisco 
Vasquez Coronado, governor of the province of Culiacan, the chief town of 
which, Culiacan, was 68 miles west of Mexico. In March, 1539, Coronado 
sent forward an exploring expedition under Father Marcos, in company with 
two other monks, the negro Esteva above spoken of, and some friendly In- 
dians. 

As he journeyed along, Father Marcos met entire populations, who re- 
ceived him with pleasure, and presented him with provisions and flowers. 
Hei passed into the valley of the Sonora. "The inhabitants of this valley 
were numerous and intelligent; the women wore petticoats of tanned deer- 
skin. Every morning the caciques ascended little eminences, and, for above 
an hour, would indicate aloud what each was to do during the day. At their 
religious ceremonies they stuck arrows around their temples, resembling in 
this the Zunis of the present day, who sometimes stick them round their 
altars and tombs. Father Marcos found, on the borders of this desert, other 
Indians, who were greatly surprised to see him, for they had not the slight- 
est idea of the Christians. Some of them would try to touch his garments, 
and would call him Soyota, which signifies, Man come down from heaven. 
Those Indians told him that, should he continue his route, he would soon 
enter a very extensive plain, full of large towns, which were inhabited by 
people clad in cotton, wearing gold rings and earrings, and making use of 
little blades of the same metal to scrape the perspiration off their bodies. 

Although the information given by Father Marcos is rather vague, and 
though it is scarcely possible to state precisely the route he followed, or to 
indicate the geographical positions of the countries he passed through, it is 
probable that the plain here spoken of is that of the Rio de Las Casas 
Grande, situated 150 miles east of the Rio Sonora, which is to this day all 
covered with imposing ruins, reminding one of handsome and populous 
cities." 

After a few days march. Father Marcos arrived at Vacapa, now known as 
Magdalena, in Sonora, near the American line, a short distance below Tubac, 
Arizona. Here Father Marcos remained to rest himself, among a friendly 
people; but finding the negro, Esteva, was abusing hospitality, by miscon- 
ducting himself toward the native women, he sent him forward to make dis- 
coveries and report. Four days afterward, the negro dispatched to Marcos 
an Indian messenger, who related wonderful things of a large town, called 
Cibola, known in the present day as Zuni, and westward of Santa Fe. "Ac- 
cording to the fashion of his tribe, the messenger's face, breast, and arms, 
were painted. Those Indians, whom the Spaniards called Pintados, lived on 
the frontiers of the seven towns forming the kingdom of Cibola; their de- 
scendants, now called Papagos and Pimas, still reside in the same country, 
which extends from the valley of Santa Cruz to the Rio Gila. Cibola, the 
first of the seven towns and capital of the kingdom of that name, was situ- 
ated thirty days' journey from Vacapa. The Pintados said they often went 
there, and were employed in tilling the ground, and received for their wages 
turquoises and •tanned hides. 

An Indian of this town told Father Marcos, that 'Cibola was a great city, 
densely peopled, with a great number of streets and squares; that in some 
quarters there were very large houses, with ten stories, where the chieftains 
assembled, at certain times of the year, to discuss public afiairs. The doors 
and fronts of those houses were adorned with turquoises. The inhabitants 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 547 

had white skin, like the Spaniards, and wore wide cotton tunics that reached 
to their feet. These garments were fastened round the neck by means of a 
button, and were ornamented at the waist with a belt studded with very fine 
turquoises. Over those tunics some wore excellent cloaks, and others very 
richly wrought cow-hides.' The same Indian added: 'that toward the 
south-east, there existed a kingdom called Marata, with large populations 
and considerable towns, the houses of which had several stories ; that these 
peoples were continually at war with the sovereign of the seven towns; and 
that, in the direction of the south-west, on the Bio Verde, was another king- 
dom, called Totonteac, which was as wealthy as it was densely peopled, and 
whose inhabitants were dressed in fine cloth.' Although these narratives 
were exaggerated, it is not less a fact that all those countries were thickly 
peopled, intersected with roads, and studded with towns." 

Having rested himself, Father Marcos pushed forward to rejoin his negro, 
and was everywhere welcomed by the natives until he had reached, on the.. 
9th of May, the last desert that separated him from Cibola. He there had 
stopped to dine at a farm house, when he was astonished by the entrance of 
Esteva's companions, covered with perspiration, faint and trembling from 
fatigue and fear. He reported that Esteva had been imprisoned, and then 
killed by the people of Cibola, together with several of his Indian followers. 
The negro, probably, had been guilty of some misconduct. Marcos, in con- 
sternation, took the back track to Culiacan. 

" Captain-General Vasquez Coronado, encouraged by the accounts given by 
Father Marcos, and hoping to discover new territories, at once organized in New 
Spain a little army, which assembled at Compostella, and on the day following 
Easter, 1540, he put himself at the head of his troops, composed of 150 horsemen, 
200 archers, and 800 Indians. Having reached Culiacan, the army halted to take 
rest At the end of a fortnight, Coronado moved forward, accompanied by fifty 
horsemen, a few foot soldiers, and his best friends, among whom was Father Mar- 
cos. The command of the remainder of the troops was confided to Don Tristan 
d' Arellano, with orders to leave fifteen days after, and to follow the same route aa 
the captain-general. 

After a month of fatigue and of privations of all kinds, Vasquez Coronado ar- 
rived at Chichilticale. This name, which signifies Red Town, was given to this 
locality because a large house of that color was to be seen there, which was in- 
habited by an entire tribe that came from Cibola, where the last desert begins. At 
this place the Spaniards lost several horses, and even some men, from want of food. 
Nevertheless, encouraged by their chief, they continued their march, and, a fort- 
night after they had left Chichilticale, they arrived within twenty-six miles of Ci- 
bola. They saw for the first time the natives of this singular kingdom; but the 
latter immediately took to flight, spreading the alarm throughout the country by 
means of great fires which they kindled on the high mountains — a custom in use 
to this day among the tribes of New Mexico. 

Next day, Coronado came within sight of Cibola ; the inhabitants of the provincft 
had all assembled and awaited the Spaniards with a steady attitude. Far from 
accepting the proposals of peace which were offered to them, they threatened the 
interpreters with death. The Spaniards then, crying out, ' San Jago ! San Jao-o ! ' 
attacked the Indians with impetuosity, and notwithstanding a vigorous resistance 
Coronado entered the town of Cibola as conqueror." 

The remainder of the troops, under d'Arellano, after a march of 975 miles by 
a diiferent route, in which they crossed many rivers flowing into the California 
Gulf, rejoined the main army at Cibola. On their way they founded the town of 
San Hieronymo, and in that vicinity found Indian agricultural tribes who tamed 
eagles, as is yet the custom among some tribes of New Mexico. 

Coronado now sent Alvarado, his lieutenant, to conquer the province of Tio^uex 
on the Rio Grande, which he subdued after a campaign of fifty days. "It^con- 



548 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

tained twelve towns governed by a council of old men. The whole community 
nelped to construct each house ; the women m.ade the mortar and built up the walls, 
and the men brought the wood and prepared the timbers. Underneath the houses 
and the court-yards were subterraneous stoves, or drying-places, paved with large 
polished flagstones. In the middle was a furnace on which they threw, from time 
to time, a handful of thyme, which was sufficient to keep up an intense heat there, 
so that one felt as if in a bath. The men spent a considerable part of their time 
in those places; but the women could not enter there, except to carry food to their 
husbands or sons. The men spun, wove, and attended to the tillage of their 
grounds; the women occupied'themselves with the care of their children and house- 
hold affairs; they were the mistresses of the house and kept it remarkably clean. 
]u the large houses, each family had several rooms; one served as a sleeping-room, 
another as a kitchen, and a third for the purpose of grinding wheat. In the latter 
was an oven and thi-ee large stones; three women would seat themselves before 
these stones; the first would crush the grain, the second bruise it, and the third 
pulverize it completely. While they were thus employed, a man, seated at the 
.door, played on a kind of bagpipes, and the women worked to measure, all three 
singing together, and marking the rhythm by striking with their tools the wheat 
they were grinding." 

The young girls went wholly naked during even the most severe weather, and 
were not allowed to cover themselves until tliey were married. The object of this 
was that their shame might be exposed in case they misbeliaved — a kind of a guard 
to chastity. " The young people could only enter the married state with the per- 
mission of the old men who governed the town. The young man had then to spin 
and weave a mantle ; when completed, the girl who was destined to become his 
bride was brought to him; he wrapped the mantle round her shoulders and she 
thus became his wife. 

From Tiguex, the Spaniards went to Cicuye — now called Pecos — which they also 
subdued. From thence, Coronado started for Quivira, with a few men chosen 
among his best soldiers, postponing, until the following spi-ing, the conquest of the 
whole province. In 1542, the Spaniards found themselves masters of almost all 
New Mexico, whose center was formed by the province of Tiguex, around which 
were grouped seventy -one towns distributed among fourteen provinces, viz: Cibola, 
which contained seven towns; Tucayan, seven ; Acuco, one; Tiguex, twelve ; Cu- 
• tahaco, eight; Quivix, seven ; the Snowy Mountains, seven; Ximena, three; Cicuye, 
one; Hemes, seven ; Aquas Calientes, three; Yuque-yunque, six; I5raba, one, and 
Chia, one. Besides these seventy-one towns, there were many others scattered 
outside this circle ; as also several tribes living in tents." 

In April, 1543, Coronado returned with his followers to Culiacan. "Juan de 
Padilla, of the order of Saint Francis, preferred remaining at Quivira to preach the 
gospel to the Indians, and became a martyr. Brother Luis, of the same order, 
went to Cicuye, but was never more heard of Such was the end of this expedi- 
tion, which, instead of having a favorable result for the Spaniards, only tended to 
arouse against them the profound antipathy of the natives, who had been very ill- 
treated by the conquerors. 

In 1581, a band of adventurers, commanded by Francisco de Leyva Bonillo, took 
possession of part of the province of Tiguex, and finding its productions, riches, 
and inhabitants very like those of Mexico, they called it New Mexico."^^ 

"In the year 1595, Don Juan de Onate de Zacatecas, at the head of a band of 
two hundred soldiers, established the first legal colony in the province, over which 
he was established as governor. He took with him a number of Catholic priests 
to establish missions among the Indians, Avith power sufficient to promulgate the 
gospel at the point of the bayonet, and administer baptism by the force of arms. 

The colony progressed rapidly; settlements extended in every quarter; and, as 
tradition relates, many valuable mines were discovered and worked. The poor In- 

♦Abridged from Domenech's Seven Years' Residence in the Deserts of North America. 
The Abbe Domenech derived this history mainly from the " Narrative of the E.xpedilion to 
Cibola ; by Pedro do Castaneda Nagera." He was in Coronado's army, and this narrativa 
wag published in Paris in 1837. 



NEW MEXICO TERRITOBV. 5 i9 

dians were enslaved, and, under the lash, were forced to most laborious tasks in 
the mines, until goaded to desperation. In the summer of 1680, a general insur- 
rection of all the tribes and Pueblos took place throughout the province. General 
hostilities having commenced, and a large number of Spaniards massacred all over 
the province, the Indians laid siege to the capital, Santa Fe, which the governor 
, was obliged to evacuate, and retreat south three hundred and twenty miles, where 
the refugees then founded the town of El Paso del Norte. For ten years the coun- 
try remained in possession of the Indians, when it was reconquered by the Span- 
iards. In 1698, the Indians rose, but the insurrection was soon quelled. After 
this they were treated with more humanity, each pueblo being allowed a league or 
tv.'O of land, and permitted to govern themselves. Their rancorous hatred for their 
conquerors, however, never entirely subsided ; yet no further outbreak occurred 
until 1837. In that year a revolution took place, by which the government of the 
country was completely overthrown, and most atrocious barbarities committed by 
the insurgents, including the Pueblo Indians. The governcr, Perez, was savagely 
put to death — his head cut off and used as a football by the insurgents in their 
camp. The ex-governor, Abrew, was butchered in a more barbarous manner. His 
hands were cut off; his? tongue and eyes were pulled out ; his enemies, at the same 
time, taunting him with opprobrious epithets. The next season Mexican authority 
was again established over the province." 

The first American wlio ever crossed the desert plains, intervening between 
New Mexico and the settlements on the Mississippi River, was one James 
Parsley. While wandering over the wild and then unexplored regions west 
of the Mississippi, he fell in with some Indians near the head-waters of the 
Phitte River, in the Rocky Mountains, whom he accompanied, in 1805, to 
Santa Fe, where he remained several years. In 1804, a merchant of Kas- 
kaskia, named Morrison, having heard by the trappers, through the Indians, 
of this isolated province, dispatched a French Creole, named La Lande, with 
some goods, up the Platte, with directions to make his way to Santa Fe. La 
Laude never returned to his employer, to account for the proceeds of his 
adventure, but settled in Santa Fe, grew rich by trading, and died some 20 
years after. In 1806, the celebrated Captain Pike visited this country: his 
exciting descriptions, as given in his narrative, roused the western country, 
and eventually led to the overland trade, by caravans, with western Missouri, 
known as the Santa Fe trade, which finally grew into an immense business, 
employing an army of wagoners, and amounting in annual value to four or 
five millions of dollars. Santa Fe was not entirely the consumer of these 
importations, but rather the depot from whence they were distributed to 
Chihuahua and other portions of northern Mexico. 

When Texas achieved her independence she included New Mexico withiu 
the statutory limits of the republic, although Santa Fe had never been con- 
quered or settled by Texans. A desert or uninhabited country of 600 miles 
intervened between Austin, the Texan capital, and Santa Fe. The Texans 
wished to divert the overland trade which was going on between the Mis- 
sourians and the New Mexicans to their country, and their secretary of war 
proposed, as a preparatory step, the construction of a military road from 
Austin to Santa Fe. In the spring of 1841, extensive preparations were 
made in Texas for an armed visit to Santa Fe, the objects being to induce 
the New Mexicans to acknowledge the right of Texas to complete jurisdic- 
tion over them, and io open a trade with the people. On the 20th of June, 
270 armed Texans, under Gen. Hugh M'Leod, started from Brushy creek, 
near Austin, en route for Santa Fe. This expedition, known as the " Santa 
Fe expedition," was unfortunate in its results. The upshot of it was, that 
they encountered great hardships on the deserts, and were •finally, when in a 
half starved condition, near San Miguel, induced by treachery to surrender 



550 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

to the Mexicans under Armijo, governor of New Mexico. Some few were 
shot, but the great body of them, to the number of 187, were sent to Mexico, 
and thrown into the prisons of Santiago, Puebla and Perote. 

In 1846, at the commencement of the war with Mexico, the army of the 
west was organized, to conquer New Mexico and California. This army was 
composed of a mounted regiment of Missourians, and a battalion each of 
infantry, dragoons, and light artillery. After a fifty days' march from Fort 
Leavenworth, of nearly 9U0 miles, they entered Santa Fe on the 18th of 
August. 

"On their arrival, the American commander, General Kearney, in accordance 
with his directions, proclaimed himself governor of New Mexico. 'You are now,' 
said he, 'American citizens; you no longer owe allegiance to the Mexican govern- 
ment' The principal men then took the oath of allegiance to the United States, 
and whoever was false to this allegiance, the people were told, would be punished 
as traitors. It was questioned whether the administration had not transcended 
its powers in thus annexing a territory to the Union without the permission of con- 
gress. 

General Kearney, having appointed Charles Bent governor of New Mexico, on 
the 25th of September, took a small force with him and proceeded overland to Cal- 
ifornia. Col. Price arrived soon after at Santa Fe with recruits. The Navajo In- 
dians having commenced hostilities against the New Mexicans, ' new inhabitants 
of the United States,' Col. Doniphan, who had been left in command, set oat west- 
ward with the Missouri regiment to make peace with them. Winter was fast ap- 
proaching, and after suffering incredible hardships in crossing the mountains, 
poorly clad as they were, among snows and mountain storms, they finally 
accomplished their object. Capt. Keid, of one of the divisions of thirty men, vol- 
unteered to accompany Sandoval, a Navajo chief, five days through the mountain 
hights, to a grand gathering of the men and women of the tribe. They were com- 
pletely in the power of the Indians, but they won their hearts by their gayety and 
confidence. Most of them had never seen a white man. Reid and his compan- 
ions joined the dance, sung their country's songs, and, what pleased the Navajoes 
most, interchanged with them their costume. On the 22d of November, a treaty 
was made in form, by which the three parties, Americans, New Mexicans and Na- 
vajoes, agreed to live in perpetual peace. 

By the middle of December, Col. Doniphan, leaving Col. Price in command at 
Santa Fe, commenced his march with his regiment south to Chihuahua, and on his 
route met and defeated superior forces of the enemy at Bracito, and at the Sacra- 
mento Pass. 

In the meantime, the New Mexicans secretly conspired to throw off the yoke. Sim- 
ultaneously, on the 19th of January, in the valley of Taos, massacres occurred at 
Fernandez, when were cru*elly murdered Governor Bent, Sheriff Lee, and four 
others; at Arroyo Hondo, five Americans were killed, and a few others in the 
vicinity. Col. Price, on receiving the intelligence, marched from Santa Fe, met 
and defeated the insurrectionists in several engagements in the valley, with a loss 
of about three hundred. The Americans lost in killed and wounded about sixty. 
Fifteen of the insurrectionists were executed." 

f New Mexico was ceded to the United States by the treaties with Mexico of 1848 
and of 1854. The cession of 1854 included that narrow strip of territory south 
of the Gila and west of the Jlio Grande, known as the "Gadsden Purchase," or 
Arizona. In 1850, a territorial government was established over New Mexico. 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 551 

The present American territory of New Mexico comprises but a small 
part of the original Spjinish province of that name. This territory, con- 
sidered as a whole, " is a region of high table lands, crossed by moun- 
tain ranges, and barren to the last degree." It has scai-cc a siiiiile wa- 
ter communication of consequence with the rest of the world. The famous 




The Giant Cactus. 

Piio Grande is shallow, full of sand bars, and at times almost too low to float 
an Indian canoe. Many of the streams run in deep, frightful chasms, down 
which it is impossible, for days of travel, to penetrate. There is not enough 
fertile land ever to support any but a slight agricultural population, and ver}' 
little timber excepting the mesquit — a thorny, disagreeable tree, that does 
most of its growing underground: its roots being multitudinous, twisting 
and burrowing in all directions, and of no use but for fuel. Beside this is 
the cactus, in many varieties, that shown in the engraving being confined 
within narrow lines of latitude. Mescal, a kind of whisky, of a most pun- 
gent, acrid flavor, is made from some varieties of this plant. 

" The climate of New Mexico is unsurpassingly pure and healthy. A sultry day 
is very rare. The summer nights are cool and pleasant. The winters are long, 
but uniform, and the atmosphere of an extraordinary dryness; and there is but 
little rain, except from July to October. The general range of the thermometer is 
from 10 deg. to 75 deg. above Fahrenheit. Fevers are uncommon, and instances 
of remarkable longevity are frequent. Persons withered almost to mummies are 
met with occasionally, whose extraordinary age is shown by their recollection of 
certain notable events, which have taken place in times far remote. 

Agriculture is in a very primitive «and unimproved state, the hoe being alone 
used by a greater part of the peasantry. Wheat and Indian corn are the princi- 
pal staples; cotton, flax, and tobacco, although indigenous, are not cultivated : the 
soil is finely adapted to the Irish potato. The most important natural product of 
the soil is its pasturage. !Most of the high table plains afford the finest grazing, 
while, for want of water, they are utterly useless for other purposes. That scanty 
moisture which suffices to bring forth the natural vegetation, is insufficient for agri- 



552 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

cultural productions, without the aid of irrigation. The high prairies of all this 
region, diBer greatly from tliosc of our border in the general character of their 
vegetation. They are remarkably destitute of tlie gay flowering plants for which 
the former are so cele))rated, being mostly clothed with different species of a highly 
nutritious grass called grama, which is of a very short and curly quality. The 
highlands, upon which alone this sort of grass is produced, being seldom verdant 
until after the rainy season sets in, the grama is only in perfection from August to 
October. But being rarely nipped by the frost until the rains are over, it cures 
upon the ground and remains excellent hay — equal, if not superior, to that which 
is cut and stacked from our western prairies. Although the winters are rigorous, 
the feeding of stock is almost entirely unknown in New Mexico; nevertheless, the 
extensive herds of the country, not only of cattle and sheep, but of mules and 
horses, generally maintain themselves in excellent condition upon the dry pastur- 
age alone through the cold season, and until the rains start up the green grass 
again the following summer. 

The mechanic arts are very rude, even sawed lumber being absolutely unknown. 
The New Mexicans are celebrated for the manufacture of a beautiful scrape or 
blanket, which is woven into gaudy, rainbow-like hues. Their domestic goods are 
nearly all wool, the manufacture of which is greatly embarrassed for the want of 
adequate machinery. 

The system of Peon slavery existed under the Mexican dominion. By the local 
laws, a debtor was imprisoned for debt until it was paid ; or, if the creditor chose, 
he took the debtor as a servant to work oyt his claim. This S3'stem operated with 
a terrible severity upon the unfortunate poor, who, although they worked for fixed 
wages, received so small a compensation, that if the debt was of any nmount, it 
compelled them to a perpetual servitude, as he received barely sufficient for food 
and clothing." 

Evidences of volcanic action abound in various parts of New Mexico, and 
the country is rich in gold, silver, and copper. Anthracite coal of an excel- 
lent quality is found near Santa Fe. Through its mineral wealth it may 
eventually have a considerable population; but most of the food to support 
it will require to be transported thither from the agricultural districts of the 
Mississippi valley. 

The population of New Mexico has been nearly stationary foj; a long 
period. In 1860, it wasascertainedto beabout93,000, viz: 42,(100 Indians, 
about half civilized; 41,000 peons; and 7,300 white native citizens, mostly 
of Mexican blood. The number of Americans in the whole country, is less 
than is contained in ordinary agricultural townships with us. 



Santa Fk, the capital of New Mexico, sometimes written Santa Fe de 
San Francisco — i. e. Holy Faith of St. Francis — is the only town of import- 
ance. It is, by air lines, 060 miles west of the Arkansas frontier, 450 south- 
easterly from Salt Lake City, 900 east-south east of San Francisco, and 260 
north of El Paso, the nearest point in Mexico. " It is on the site of an 
ancient Indian pueblo, some fifteen miles east of the Eio del Norte, at the 
base of a snow-clad mountain, and contains a little over three thousand souls, 
and with its corporate surrounding villages about double that number. The 
town is irregularly laid out, and is a wretched collection of mud houses, 
much scattered with intervening corn-fields. The only attempt at architec- 
tural compactne.ss, consists of four tiers of buildings around the public 
square, comprising the governor's house, the custom house, barracks, etc." 

In the center of the public square "all the neighboring rancheros assemble to 
sell the produce of tlieir farms and industry. All day long files of donkeys may 
be seen arriving there, laden with barrels of Taos whiskj', bales of goods, forage, 
wood, earthen jars, melons, grapes, red and green pimentos, onions, pastequcs, egga, 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 553 

cheese, tobacco, and pinones (fruit of the pine), Finns monophjlla. Tliese pinones 
are generally baked in the oven, or-roasted on cinders, as a means of preserving 
them better. Besides those provisions, the Santa Fe market also aflords a great 
variety of bread and meat. The Indians of the pueblos, too, carry quantities of 
fish there, either fresh or dried in the sun. In the evening, after the Angelas^ the 
square is filled with loungers, who chat, play, laugh, and smoke, until the hour for the 
fandango; for be it known, the young people of Mexico could not live if they did 
not dance at least 365 fandangos every year. At Santa Fe, as in Texas, and in 
all the provinces of Mexico, the women go to the fandangos, with their rebozo 
(mantilla), and arrayed in a light cool costume appropriate to the occasion ; seated 
round the garden, or hall, where the dance is to take place, they smoke cigarettes 
and chat very loudly while awaiting the cavaliers' invitation." 








An Imlian Pueblo or Town. 



In Spanish the term jniehlo means the people and their towns; and in 

New Mexico it is applied to the Christianized Indians and to their villages. 

" When the country was first discovered, these Indians lived in comfortable 

houses, and cultivated the soil. Indeed, now they are the best horticulturists in 

New Mexico, furnishing most 
of the fruits and vegetables to 
be found in the markets. They 
also cultivate the grape, and 
have extensive herds of cattle, 
horses, etc. They are remark- 
able for sobriety, honesty, mor- 
ality, and industry, and are 
much braver than the other 
classes of Xew Mexicans, and in 
the war with Mexico, fought 
with desperation compared to 
those in the south. At the time 
of the conquest, they must have 
been a very powerful people, 
iniiubering near' one hundred 
villages, as their ruins Avould 
indicate. The population of their villages or pneblos, average about five hundred 
souls. They assert that they are the descendants of ^lontezuma. They profess 
the Catholic faith, but this, doubtless, reaches no farther than understandino- its 
formalities, and at the same time, they all worship the sun. 

They were only nominally under the jurisdiction of the Mexican government, 
many features of their ancient customs, in both government and religion, being 
retained. Each pueblo was under the control of a cacique chosen by themselves, 
who, with his council, had charge of the interior police of the village. One of their 
regulations was to appoint a secret watch to suppress vice and disorder of every 
description, and especially to keep an eye over the young men and women of the 
village. 

Their villages are built with adobes, and with great regularity ; sometimes they 
have but one large house, with sevei-al stories, each story divided into apartments, 
in which the whole village reside. Instead of doors in front, they use trapdoors 
in the roofs of their houses, to which they mount up on a ladder, which is drawn 
up at night for greater security. Their dress consists of moccasins, short breeches, 
and woolen jackets or blankets; they generally wear their hair long. Bows and 
arrows and a lance, and sometimes a gun, constitute their weapons. Thev manu- 
facture blankets, as well as other woolen stuffs, orockery ware, and coarse pottery. 
The dress of many is like the Mexican; but the majority retain their aboriginal 
costume. 

Among the villages of the Pueblos Indians, was that of the Pecos tribe, twenty- 
five miles east of Santa Fe, which gradually dwindled away under the inroads of 
the Comanches and other causes, until about the year 1838, when having been re- 
duced to only about a dozen souls of all ages, they abandoned the place. 



554 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

Many tales are told of the singular habits of this ill-fated tribe, which must, no 
doubt, have tended to hasten its utter annihilation. A tradition was prevalent 
among them that Montezuma had kindled a holy fire, and enjoined their ancestors 
not to sulfer it to be extinguished until he should return to deliver his people from 
the yoke of the Spaniards. In pursuance of these commands, a constant watch 
had ijeen maintained for ages to prevent the fire from going out; and, as tradition 
further informed them, that Montezuma would appear with the sun, tlie deluded 
Indians were to be seen every clear morning upon the terraced roofs of their 
houses, attentively watching the appearance of the 'king of light,' in hopes of 
peeing him accompanied by their immortal sovereign. This consecrated fire was 
down in a subterranean vault, where it was kept silently smouldering under a cov- 
ering of ashes, in the basin of r, small altar. Some say that they never lost hope 
in the final coming of Montezuma until, by some accident or other, or a lack of a 
sufficiency of warriors to watch it, the fire became extinguished ; and that it was 
this catastrophe that induced them to abandon their villa<re. No other pueblo ap- 
pears to have adopted this extraordinary superstition ; like Pecos, however, they 
nave all held Montezuma to be their perpetual sovereign.- It would likewise appear 
that they all worsliip the sun; for it is asserted to be their regular practice to turn 
the face toward the east at sunrise. 

The wild tribes who inhabit or extend their incursions into New Mexico, are 
the Navajoes, the Apaches, the Yutas, the Kiawas, and the Comanches. The 
Navajoes are estimated at about ten thousand, and reside in the main range of tl>e 
Cordilleras, two hundred, miles west of Santa Fe, on the Rio Colorado, near the 
region from whence historians say the Aztecs emigrated to ^Mexico. They are sup- 
posed to be the remnants of that justly celebrated nation of antiquity who re- 
mained in the north. Although living in rude wigwams, they excel all Indian na- 
tions in their manufactures. They are still distinguished for some exquisite styles 
of cotton textures, and display considerable ingenuity in embroidering with feath- 
ers the skins of animals. The serape Navajo (Navajo blanket) is of so dense a 
texture as to be frequently waterproof, and some of the finer qualities bring sixty 
dollars each, among the Mexicans. Notwithstanding their wandering habits, they 
cultivate the different grains and vegetables, and possess extensive and superior 
herds of horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and goats. 

The Apaches are mainly west of the Kio del Norte, and are the most powerful 
and vagrant of the Indian tribes of northern Mexico, and number, it is estimated, 
fifteen thousand souls, of whom two thousand are warriors. They cultivate and 
manufacture nothing, and appear to depend entirely upon pillage for suljsistence. 
The depredations of the Apaches have been of so long a duration that beyond 
the immediate vicinity of the towns, the whole country, from New Mexico to the 
borders of Uurango, is almost entirely depopulated." 

m 



The population of New Mexico, other than the savage tribes, is mostly 
east of tlie Rocky Mountains, in the valley of the Rio Grande and its tribu- 
taries. It is almost exclusively confined to towns and villages, the suburbs 
of which are generally farms, a mode of living indispensable for protection 
against the savages. 

Taos, north of Santa Fe, is a beautiful valley of nine miles in length, and 
includes several villages and settlements. The valley grows wheat of an ex- 
cellent quality, produced on irrigated land. 

La Gran Qia'vira, about 100 miles south of Santa Fe, are ruins of an 
ancient town, which was supposed to have been reared for mining purposes. 
The style of architecture is superior to anything at present in New Mexico. 
To be seen are the remains of Catholic churches, and aqueducts leading to 
tlie mountains, eight or ten miles distant. Tradition says, that, in the gen- 
eral massacre of 1680, every soul save one perished. 

El Placer, 27 miles ^outh of Santa Fe, is an important mine, from which, 
since its discoverv in 1828, half a million of gold has been taken out. 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 555 

Albuquerque is in the most fertile locality of the Rio Grande, and although 
not as important a place as Santa Fe, it is more central. Including the neigh- 
boring rancheros, it has a population of 1,000 souls. "Albuqurque for a 
Mexican town, is tolerably well built. Its buildings, like those inhabited by 
Mexicans, are of a right parallelopipedon shape, constructed of adobes 
(blocks of sun dried mud), and arranged generally on the four sides of a 
rectangle, thus creating an interior court (pateo), upon which nearly every 
one of the apartments opens. There is generally but one exterior or street 
entrance; and this is generally quite wide and high, the usual width beino- 
about six feet, and the hight seven. They appear to be made thus wide, at 
least as -far as I have been able to discover, to enable the burros (asses) and 
other animals to go through with their packs. They are generally strongly 
secured by double doors. There are two or three buildings in the town with 
extensive fronts and portalles (porches), which look, for this country, very 
well — one of them being the house, formerly occupied by Governor Armijo. 
There is a military post at this place, garrisoned by U. S. troops." 

Acoma, in the same vicinity, is one of the most ancient and extraordinary 
of the Indian pueblos. "Acoma is situated on an isolated rock which rises 
perpendicularly to a hight of 360 feet above the plain, and appears like an 
island in the middle of a lake. The summit of this rock is perfectly hori- 
zontal, and its superficies is about sixty acres. To reach it you must climb 
over hillocks of sand, heaped up by the wind to a third of the hight; the 
two other thirds of the route are hewn in the rock in the shape of a spiral 
staircase. The town is composed of blocks, each of which contains sixty or 
seventy houses, and a large Catholic church, with two towers and very pretty 
spires. The houses are three stories high, and have windows only in the 
upper one; in construction, they are quite similar to those of the other 
pueblos of New Mexico. Acoma is in all probability the Acuco spoken of 
by the ancient Spanish historians, which, according to them, was situated 
between Cibola and Tiguex, and built at the top of perpendicular rocks, whose 
summits could only be reached by means of 300 steps hewn in the rock, at 
the end of which steps was a kind of ladder eighteen feet high, also formed 
by holes cut in the rock. Although this pueblo was deemed impregnable, 
yet the inhabitants placed huge stones around it, that they might roll them 
down on any assailant who was bold enough to scale this extraordinary 
stronghold. Near the dwellings might be seen arable lands suflBcient to grow 
the necessary quantity of maize for the wants of the population ; also large 
cisterns to save the rain waters. The Acucos were called banditti in all the 
surrounding provinces, into which they made frequent excursions." 

Lacfuna, a few miles north of Acoma, is another ancient Indian pueblo, 
and contains about a thousand inhabitants, noted for their honesty, sobriety, 
and industry. "It has the appearance of one of those old German cities on 
the banks of the Rhine perched on a mountain peak. The houses, with 
their graduated stories, seem piled one above the other, producing the effect 
of an immense amphitheater; the river bathes the foot of the eminence on 
which Laguna is built, and flows in tortuous windings through the plain." 

Zuni, perhaps the most important of all the pueblos, is west of Laguna. 
Its present population is about 2,000. "The houses are of the same style 
as those of the other Indian pueblos; their graduated stories are almost all 
festooned with long garlands of red pimentos, that dry in the sun. The 
town possesses a Catholic church thirty-three yards in length, by nine in 
width, it is built of adobes, and behind its sole altar is suspended a paint- 



556 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

ing representing Our Lady of Guadaloupe, the patroness of Mexico; a few 
statues surround the painting, but the Uiteral walls are completely bare. The 
governor lives in a house three stories high, wherein the caciques or chiefs 
of the government frequently assemble. The Zunis have a mania for taming 
eagles, which they catch while yet very young on the neighboring moun- 
tains; multitudes of these birds are to be seen on the terraces of the houses, 
spreading their enormous wings as they bask in the sun." 

Zuni Vieja, or Old Zuni, the ancient Cibola, stood in the immediate vicin- 
ity. The ruins are yet to be seen. They are in the center of a plateau, 
elevated more than 900 feet above the plains, to which access is gained only 
by climbing almost inaccessible rocks. It was only in 1694, that i-t became 
definitely conquered by the Spaniards. 



ANTIQUITIES OP NEW MEXICO. 

Much of New Mexico is as yet unexplored; but the various expeditions 
of the scientific corps of the U. S. army have, of late years, given us the 
unexpected information of the existence of antiquities in the heart of our 
continent, as surprising and worthy of curiosity as those in Central America. 
In the region north and east of the Gila, and east of the Rio Colorado, in a 
space of some few hundred square miles, the ruins of ancient walled cities 
to the number, it is estimated by an officer of the topographical corps of en- 
gineers, of 1,000, are found at this day. These show that the country, at 
some very remote and unknown era, perhaps thousands of years since, was 
densely populated, and by a race to a considerable degree civilized. The 
natives living in the pueblos of that region, can give no information respect- 
ing them. Their builders were far in advance of any people found when 
the country was conquered by the Spaniards, more than 300 years ago. 
Their masonry and carpentery show much skill. Beautiful and highly orna- 
mented pottery also is found in the vicinity of these cities ; but in every in- 
stance it is in fragments, not a single perfect utensil having ever been dis- 
covered. The immense amount of this broken pottery strewn around would 
indicate, at some time or other, a regular sacking of these places. The cli- 
mate and soil must liave changed since this mysterious race dwelt here; for 
it is now a barren, rainless region, incapable of supporting anything like the 
population these ruins indicate. The extreme dryness of the climate has, 
doubtless, preserved the woodwork to our time. 

The journal of Lieut. James H. Simpson, of the corps of U. S. topographi- 
cal engineers, of a military reconnoissance from Santa Fe to the Navajo coun- 
try, in the year 184:9, and published by government, first gave to the world 
detailed descriptions of some of these ruined cities. Others on a larger scale 
and more important have been found farther west, of which descriptions have 
not as yet been published. We derive the facts and illustrations given below 
from the work alluded to. 

The command, consisting of 175 men under Col. J. M.Washington, left Santa 
Fe on the 16th of August. They passed southerly and westerly, and on 
the 26th came to the highest point of land dividing the tributaries of the 
Gulf of Mexico from those of the Pacific, when they commenced gradually 
descending the western slope, and reached the Rio Chaco, a tributary of the 
San Juan. Here, upon the Rio Chaco, were found a number of the ancient 
towns or pueblos, named respectively, Pueblo Pintado, Weje-gi, Una Vida, 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 



557 



Hungo Pavie, Chettro Kettle, Del Arroyo, and De Penasca Blanca. These 
ruins are between 36° and 37° N. lat., aud near 108° W. long. "They are 
evidently," says Simpson, "from the similarity of their style and mode of 
construction, of a common origin. They discover in the materials of which 

they are composed, as well as 
in the grandeur of their de- 
sign and superiority of their 
workmanship, a condition of 
architectural excellence be- 
yond the power of the Indians 
or New Mexicans of the pres- 
ent day to exhibit." He fur- 
ther adds there is a great deal 
to strengthen the hypothesis 
that they are of Aztec origin. 
The largest was De Penasca 
Blanca, which in circuit was 
1,700 feet, and the number of 
rooms on the first floor 112. 
It differed in its walls from the other pueblos: the stones composing them 
being of one uniform character; but in this there is a regular alternation of 
large and small stones, the effect of which is unique and beautiful. The 
first pueblo examined was Pintado. Wo annex Simpson's description: 




Ancient Puebi.o."^ 

The engraving shows Hungo Pavie, i. e. Crooked Nose, in 
its original conJition. 



■ifi^&i- 







Open *'\z Court. 

GBOUMD PLAN 
OF THE 

Pdeplo Hpngo Pavie, (Crooked Nose). 
Carion de Chaco. 



Rums of wall enclosing court. 



Scale of feet 

t I I 1 1 ' I I I l =fa 




"After partaking of some refreshments, I started off, with high expectations — my assist- 
ants, the Messrs. Kern, accompanying me — to examine the ruins of Pueblo I'iidndo. We 
found them to more than answer our expectations. Forming one structure, and built of 
tabular pieces of bard, fine grained, compact gray sandstone (a material entirely unknown 



. *• " Unwittingly the artist," says Lieut. Simpson, " has fallen one story short of the num- 
ber the ruins exhibited. In their restored state, four storie.° should appear." 



558 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

in tho jiresent architecture of New Mexico), to which the atmosphere has imparted a red 
dish tinge, the layers or beds being not thiclcer than tliree inches, and sometimes as thiu 
as one t'ourtb of" an incli, it discovers in the masonry a combination of science and art 
wliich can only be referred to a higher stage of civilization and refinement than is discov- 
erable in the works of Mexicans or Pueblos of the present day. Indeed, so beuutiiully 
diminutive and true are the details of the structure as to cause it, at a little distance, to 
have all the appearance of a magnificent piece of mosaic work. 

In the outer face of the buildings there are no signs of mortar, the intervals between 
the beds being chinked with st(uies of the minutest thinness. The tilling aiul backing are 
done in rubble masonry, the mortar presenting no indications of the presence of lime. 
The thickness of the main wall at base is within an inch or two of three feet; higher up, 
it is less — diminishing every story by retreating jogs on the inside, from bottom to top. 
Its elevation, at its present highest point, is between twenty -five and thirty feet, the series 
of floor beams indicating that there must have been originally at least three stories. The 
ground plan, including the court, in exterior development, is about 40.3 feet. On the 
ground floor, exclusive of the outbuildings, are fifty-lour apartments, some of them as 
small as five feet square, and the largest ab )Ut twelve by six feet. These rooms commu- 
nicate with each other by very small doors, some of them as contracted as two and a half 
by two and a half feet; and in the case of the inner suite, the doors communicating with 
the interior court are as small as three and a half by two feet. The principal rooms or 
those most in use, were, on account of their having larger doors and windows, most prob- 
ably tiiose of the second story. The system of flooring seems to have been large trans- 
verse unhewn beams, six inches in diameter, laid transversely from wall to wall, and then 
a number of smaller ones, about three inches in diameter, laid longitudinally upon them. 
What was placed on these does not appear, but most probably it was brush, bark, or slabs, 
covered with a layer of mud mortar. The beams show no signs of the saw or axe; on the 
contrary, they appear to have been hacked off by means of some very imperfect instru- 
ment. On the west face of the structure, the windows which are only in the second story, 
are three feet two inches by two feet two inches. On the north side, they are only in the 
second and third stories, and are as small as fourteen by fourteen inches. At different 
points about the premises were three circular apartments sunk in the ground, the walls 
being of masonry. These apartments the Pueblo Indians call estuffas, or places where the 
people held their political and religious meetings. 

. . . .Not finishing our examinations at the ruins of Pueblo Pintado yesterday afternoon, 
we again visited them early this morning. On digging about the l^aseof the exterior wall, 
we find that, for at least two feet (the depth our time would permit us to go), the same 
kind of masonry obtains below as above, except that it appears more compact. We could 
find no signs of the genuine .irch about the premises, the lintels of the doors and windows 
being generally either a number of pieces of wood laid horizontally side by side, a single 
stone slab laid in this manner, or occasionally a series of smaller ones so placed horizon- 
tally upon each other that, while presenting the fn-m of a sharp angle, in vertical longi- 
tudinal section, they would support the weight of the fabric above. Fragments of pottery 
lay scattered around, the colors showing taste in their selection and in the style of -their 
arrangement, and being still quite bright." 

Simpson, in his description of the Pueblo Hungo Pavie, of which both ground 
plan and elevation are herein pictorially given, says: 

These ruins show the same nicety in the details of their masonry as already described. 
The ground plan shows an extent of exterior development of eight hundred and seventy- 
two feet, and a number of rooms upon the ground floor equal to seventy-two. The struc- 
ture .«;hows the existence of but one circular estuffa, and this is placed in the body of the 
north portion of the building, midway from either extremity. This estuffa. differs from the 
others we have seen, in having a number of interior counterforts. The main walls of the 
building are at base two and three quarter feet through, and at this time show a hight of 
about thirty feet. The ends of the floor beams, which are still visible, plainly showing 
that there was originally, at least, a vertical series of four floors, there must then also have 
been originally at least a series of four stories of rooms; and as the debris at the base of 
the walls is very great, it is reasonable to infer that there may have been even more. The 
floor beams, which are round, in transverse section, and eleven inches in diameter, as well 
as tl)e windows, which are as small as twelve by thirteen inches, have been arranged hori- 
zontally, with great precision and regularity. Pottery, as usual, was found scattered about 
the premise*. . . . 

The question now arises, as we have seen all the ruins in this quarter, what was the form 
of these buildings? — I mean as regards the continuity or non-continuity of its front and 
rear walls. Were these walls one plain surface from bottom to top, as in the United States, 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 



559 





or were they interrupted each story by a terrace, as is the case with the modern pueblo 
buildiiif^s in New Mexico? 

Tlie front or exterior walls were evidently one plain surface from bottom to top; because 
whenever we found them in their integrity, which we did for as many as four stories in 
higlit, we always noticed them to be uninterruptedly plain. 

The rear walls, however, were, in no instance that I recollect of, found to extend higher 
than the commencement of the second story; and the partition walls were, if my memory 
^ ^ is not at fault, corres- 

pondingly steplike in 
their respective alti- 
tudes. The idea, then, 
at once unfolds itself, 
that in elevation the 
inner wall must have 
been a series of retreat- 
ing surfaces, or, what 
would make this neces- 
sary, each story on the 
inner or court side 
must have been ter- 
raced. This idea also 
gathers strength from 
the fact that we saw 
no indications of any 
internal mode of ascent 
from story to story, 
and therefore that some 
exterior mode must 
have been resorted to 
— such as, probably, 
ladders, which the ter- 
race form of the sev- 
erjjl stories would ren- 
der very convenient. 
Again, the terrace form 

of the stories would best conduce to light and ventilation for the interior ranges of apart- 
ments. The idea then, Avhich Mr. R. H. Kern was the first to suggest — that these pueblos 
were terraced on their inner or court sid^^— is not without strong grounds of probability; 
and it is in consonance with this idea that, in his restoration of the Pueblo Hungo Pavie, 
he has given it the form exhibited in the drawing. 

It is a curious fact, that in no single instance did we find in these ruins either a chimney 
or a fireplace, unless, indeed, the recesses described as existing in some of the rooms were 
used as fireplaces, which their slight hight, as well as deprivation of chimney flues, would 
scarcely authorize. Neither were there any indications of the use of iron about the 
premises." 

A few days later the command came to the renoAvned Canon of Chelly. This 
gorge has long had a distinguished reputation among the natives of this region, 
from its great depth and impregnability. It is inhabited by the Navajoes, who, 
although they possess the skill to manufacture one of the most beautiful kind of 
blankets in the world, possess no better habitations than the conical pole, brush 
and mud lodge. This was explored for a distance of over nine miles; and the 
further they ascended it the greater was the altitude of the inclosing walls : at their 
furthest point of progress it was 502 feet high, and the average width 600 feet. 
The total length of the canon was judged to be about 25 miles. In ascending it 
they saw some fine caves here and there ; also small habitations made up of over- 
hanging rock, and artificial walls laid in stone and mortar — the latter forming the 
front portion of the dwelling. Some four miles from the mouth, they came to the 
ruins of a small pueblo, like those already described. It stood on the shelf of the 
left hand wall, about 50 feet up from the bottom, and the wall being very nearly 
perpendicular, it could only be approached by ladders. Seven miles from the 
mouth they fell in with the ruins shown in the engraving, with the stupendous 
rocks in rear and overhanging them.' 

" These ruins are on the left or north side of the canon, a portion of thera being 
situated at the foot of the escarpment wall, and the other portion upon a shelf in 



C^NOK OF CllEI.LY. 

About 500 feet deep. 



KuiNS OF AN Ancient I'i'edlo. 
In the Canon of Clielly. 



5(50 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

the wall iinTuediately back of the other part, some fifty feet above the bed of the 
canon. 'J'he wall in front of this latter portion being vertical, access to it could 
only have been obtained by means of ladders. The front of these ruins measures 
one hundred and forty five feet, and their depth forty-five. The style of structure 
is similar to that of the pueblos found on tiie Chaco — the Ijuilding material being 
of small, tliin sandstones, from two to four inches thick, imbedded in mml mortar, 
and chinked in the fiicade with smaller stones. The present bight of its walls is 
about eighteen feet. Its rooms are exceedingly small, and the windows only a foct 
square. One circular estuifa was all that was visible." 

In speaking of this canon, Simpson says: "What appears to be singular, the 
sides of the lateral walls are not only as vertical as natural walls can well lie con- 
ceived to be, but they are perfectly free from a talus of debris, the usual concom- 
itant of rocks of this description. Does not this point to a crack or natural fissure 
as having given origin to the canon, rather than to aqueous agents, which, at least 
at the present period, show an utter inadequacy as a producing cause?" 

Although the canon of Cbelly was, at the time, considered a great curios- 
ity, later explorers in the wild waste country between the Rocky Mountains 
and Calilbruia have found numerous other of these fissures, to which this 
can bear no comparison. Some of them are entirely inaccessible, without 
outlet or inlet, deep, gloomy cracks, descending far down into the earth, lower 
than the bottom of the I'acific Ocean, bounded by forbidding, perpendicular 
walls, at the base of which the foot of man has never penetrated. Others 
foi'm the valleys of streams, which, as one stands on their verge, are seen 
winding their serpentine course down in a gorge thousands of feet below. 
The canon of the Rio Colorado is of this character: Lieut. Ives, in his ex- 
plorations ascertained it to be about 11,000 feet, or more than two miles in 
depth. 

About 200 miles westerly from Santa Fe, and near the town of Zuni, tlio com- 
mand came to a stupendous mass of rock, about 250 feet in hight, and strikingly 
peculiar from its massive character, and the Egyptian style of its natural but- 
tresses and domes. "Skirting this stupendous mass of rock," states Simpson, " on 
its left or north side, for about a mile, tlie giride, just as we had reached its eastern 
terminus, was noticed to leave us, and ascend a low mound or rampart at its base, 
the better, as it appeared, to scan the face of the rock, which he bad scarcely 
reached before he cried out to us to come up. We immediately went up, and, 
sure enough, here were inscriptions, and some of them very beautiful; and, 
although, with those which we afterward examined on the south face of tl)e rock, 
there could not be said to be half an acre of them, yet the hyperbole was not near 
so extravagant as I was prepared to find it. Tlie fact then being certain that here 
were indeed inscriptions of interest, if not of value, one of them dating as far 
back as 1606, all of them very ancient, and several of them very deeply as well as 
beautifully engraven, I gave directions for a halt — Bird at once proceeding to get 
up a meal, and Mr. Kern and myself to the work of making fac similes of the in- 
scriptions The greater portion of these inscriptions are in Spanish, with 

some little sprinkling of what appeared to be an attempt at Latin, and the remain- 
der in hieroglyphics, doubtless of Indian origin." 



We copy a few of the inscriptions from Simpson, to present an idea of 
their general character. The engraving is made from one in the work of 
Domenetdi : 

" Biirtolonie Narrso, Governor and Captain General of the Provinces of New Mexico, for 
our Lord the King, passed by this place, on his icturn from the Pueblo of Zuni, on Ihe 29th 
of July, of the year 1620, and put thcin in peace, at their petition, asking the favor to be- 
oome subjects of his majesty, and anew they gave their obedience; all which they did with 
free consent, knowing it prudent, as well as very Christian (a word or two efl'aced), to so 
distinguished and gallant a soldier, indomitable and famed; we love "(the remainder 
effa?ed.) 



NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 561 

" By this place passed Second Lieutenant Joseph de Payba Basconzelos, in the year in 
which the council of the kingdom bore the cost, on the 18th of February, in the year 1726." 



" Pcro Vacu (possibly intended for vaca — cow) ye Jarde." 
"Alma." 
"Leo." 

"Captain Jude Vubarri, in the year of our Lord 1," (probably meaning 1701. The 
hieroglyphics, excepting what appears to designate a buffalo, not decipherable.) 




Jiisrrijititm Eocl-, near the Pvehlo of Zvvi. 

On tlie higlits above the inscription are the ruins of an ancient pueblo, 
similar to the others described, though inferior in the style of masonry. 

Mr. Simpson was not enamored with New Mexico. In his journal he 
.states that he had not seen a rich, well timbered, and sufficiently watered 
country since he had left the confines of the states on the borders of the 
Mississippi valley. He makes these remarks upon this part of New iMexico. 
The portion farther west, to the California line, according to other observers, 
is no more alluring. Says he : 

"The idea I pertinaciously adhered to, before ever having seen this country, 
Wits, that, beside partaking of the bold characteristics of the primary fonnationi«, 
rocks confusedly piled upon rocks, deep glens, an occasional cascade, green fertile 
vrtlleyfl — the usual accompaniments of such characteristics with us in the states — 
it was also, like the country of the states, generally fertile, and covered with ver- 
dure. lUit never did I have, nor do I believe anybody can have, a full apprecia- 
tif>n of the almost universal barrenness which pervades this country, until they 
oorue out, as I did, to 'search the land,' and behold with their own eyes its general 

36 



562 NEW MEXICO TERRITORY. 

nakedness. The primary mountains present none of that wild, rocky, divorflified, 
pleasing aspect which they do in the United States, but, on the contrary, aro 
usually of a rounded form, covered by a dull, lifeless-colored soil, and generally 
destitute of any other sylva than pine and cedar, most frequently of a sparse and 
dwarfish character. The sedimentary rocks, which, contrary to my preconceived 
notions, are the prevalent formations of the country, have a crude, half-made-up 
appearance, sometimes of a dull buff color, sometimes white, sometimes red, and 
sometimes these alternating, and being almost universally bare of vegetation, ex- 
cept that of a sparse, dwarfish, sickening-colored aspect, can not be regarded as a 
general thing — at least, not until familiarity reconciles you to the sight — without 
a sensation of loathing. The face of the country, for the same reason — the gen- 
eral absence of all verdure, and the dead, dull, yellow aspect of its soil — has a 
tendency to create the same disagreeable sensation." 



ARIZONA TERRITORY. 



Arizona originally comprised a long, narrow strip of territory, south of 
the Gila River, extending from the Rio Grande on the east to the Rio Col- 
orado on the west, just above its entrance into the Gulf of California. It 
was purchased, in 1854, of Mexico, from the northern part of the state of 
Sonora, for ten millions of dollars. It was for some time styled the Gads- 
den Purchase, out of compliment to General Gadsden, the American minis- 
ter, who negotiated the treaty. It was temporarily attached, by congress, to 
the territory of New Mexico. It was about 500 miles long, with a width 
ranging from 20 to 130 miles, and comprising 31,000 square miles. It wa8 
separated from Texas by the Rio Grande ; from Lower California by the 
Rio Colorado ; and on the south of it were the Mexican states of Chihuahua 
and Sonora. 

When it was purchased of Mexico there was scarcely any inhabitants, ex- 
cept a few scattered Mexicans in the Mesilla valley, on the Rio Grande, and 
at the old town of Tucson, in the center of the purchase. The marauding 
Apache Indians had gradually extirpated almost every trace of civilization 
in what was once an inhabited Mexican province.* 

In 1854, congress formed the present territory of Arizona from the west 
halves of New Mexico and the Gadsden Purchase ; and the east half of the 
latter is now the southern part of New Mexico. Arizona has an area of 
131,000 square miles. The capital, named Prescott, is in the center of the 
territory. 

"Much interesting information upon the early history of this compara- 
tively little known part of the United States, was obtained from the archives 
of the Mexican government, by Capt. C. P. Stone, late of the U. S. army. 
It appears that afi early as 1687, a Catholic missionary from the province of 
Sonora, which, in its southern portion, bore already the impress of Spanish 
civilization, descended the valley of "Santa Cruz River to the Gila, which he 



« The following extract from the report of Col. Chas. D. Poston, agent of the Sonora Ex- 
ploring and Mining Company, under date of Jan. 31,1857, will give a fair idea of the con- 
dition of the country at the period when it came into the possession of our people : " It 
may not be amiss, in these desultory remarks, to note the improvement in Tubac and the 
adjacent country since our arrival. When we forced our wagons here, over the under- 
growth on the highway, in September last (1856), no human being was present to greet our 
coming, and desolation overshadowed the scene. It was like entering the lost city of 
Pompeii. The atmosphere was loaded with the malaria of a rank vegetation, the under- 
growth in the bottom served as a lurking place for the deadly Apache, and the ravens in 
the old church window croaked a surly welcome. Now the highroads are alive with trains 
and people. Commerce, agriculture, and mining are resuming their wonted prosperity under 
the enterprise, intelligence, and industry of our people. The former citizens of Tubac have 
returned to the occupation of their houses, set to work vigorously upon their milpaa, and 
are loud in their praises of American liberty and freedom." 

563 



564 ARIZONA TERRITORY. 

followed to its mouth, now the site of Fort Yuma. From this point he 
ascended the valley of the Gila, the Salinas or Salt lliver, and other branches. 
Proceeding east, he explored the valley of the San Pedro and its branches, 
reached the Mimbres, and probably the Rio Grande and the Mesilla valley. 
Filled with the enthusiasm of his sect, he procured authority from the head 
of the order in Mexico, and established missions and settlements at every 
available point. In a report to the viceroy of Spain, made during the early 
settlement of the province, we find the following statement: 'A scientific 
exploration of Sonora, with reference to mineralogy, along with the intro- 
duction of families, will lead to a discovery of gold and silver, so marvelous, 
that the result will be such as has never yet been seen in the world.' A map 
of this and the adjoining territories was drawn by some of the Spanish mis- 
sionaries in 1757, and dedicated to the king of Spain. The reports of the 
immense mineral wealth of the new country made by the priests, induced 3 
rapid settlement." 

The sites of various villages, ranches, and missions, as indicated on tliis map. 
were principally in the valleys of the San Pedro, Santa Cruz, and on the Mimbres. 
''The missions and settlements were repeatedly destroyed by the Apaches, and the 
priests and settlers massacred or driven off. Tlie Indians, at length thoroughly 
aroused by the cruelties of the Spaniards, l)y whom they were deprived of tlieir 
liberty, forced to labor in the silver mines with inadequate food, and barbarously 
treated, finally rose, joined with the tribes who had never been subdued, and gracl- 
ually drove out or massacred their oppressors. Civilization disappeared before 
their devastating career, and in its place we now find, with few exceptions, only 
ruins and decay, fields deserted, and mines al)andoned. The mission of San Xavier 
del Bac, and the old towns of Tucson and Tubac, are the most prominent of these 
remains. The mission of San Xavier del Bac is a grand old structure, which, from 
its elegant masonry and tasteful ornaments, must have been erected in times of 
great prosperity. From 1757 down to 1820, tiie Spaniards and Mexicans continued 
to work many valuable mines near Barbacora, and the ancient records and notes 
mention many silver mines most of which contain a percentage of gold. The 
most celebrated modern localities are Arivaca (also anciently famous as Aribac), 
Sopori, the Arizona jMountains, the Santa liita range, the Cerro Colorado, the en- 
tire vicinity of Tubac, the Del Ajo, or Arizona copper mine, the Gadscmia copper 
mine, and the Gila River copper mines. As late as 1820, the Mina Gihre de la 
Plata (silver and copper mines), near Fort Webster, north of the Gila, were 
worked to great advantage; and so rich was the ore that it paid for transportatiop 
on mule-back, more than a thou.sand miles, to the city of Mexico. 

The silver mining region of Arizona is, in fact, the north-we.><tern extension ol 
the great silver region of Mexico. The mountain ranges are the prolongations ol 
those which southward in Sonora, Chihuahua, and Durango, liave yielded silver 
by millions for centuries past. The general direction of tlie mountains and the 
veins, is north-west and south-east, and there are numerous parallel chains or ranges 
which form long and narrow valleys in the same direction. Like most mineral re- 
gions, Arizona is of small value for agriculture, possessing in comparison with its 
extent hut little arable land, and in most parts is nearly destitute of water, and 
desert like. Some of this forbidding and arid surface would, however, prove fertile 
if irrigated." 

The population of Arizona, aside from the Indians, amounted in 1860 to 
but a few thousand souls. In the whole territory, persons of the Anglo-Saxon 
race, aside from the U. S. soldiers in garrison, numbered, at the outside, but 
a few hundred souls; the remainder of the inhabitants consisted of Mexi- 
cans, mostly of the .peon class. The Pimos Indians live in villages on the 
Gila River, in the north-western part of the country, and are a friendly, in- 
offensive race, who raise corn and wheat, and supply emigrants who traverse 
the southern route to California. The Apaches are a wild, thieving tribe, 



ARIZONA TERRITORY. 



565 



of murderers, who live on the head streams of the Gila, beyond the reach 

of the white man. 

The southern boundary of Arizona was so run as to exclude any part of 

^he Gulf of California from American jurisdiction, so that she has not there 

a single seaport. 
Tucson, the 
principal town, is 
a miserable col- 
lection of adobe 
houses, in the 
valley of the San- 
ta Cruz. It con- 
tains about 700 
inhabitants, near- 
ly all of them 
degraded Mexi- 
cans. The en- 
graving shows 
the church of the 
place, an adobe or 
sun-burned brick 
structure; it is 
from a drawing 
in outline, taken 
on San Antonio's 
day, in 1860. 
Among the fisr- 




Chuuch at Tucson. 
On San Antonio's Day, 18G0. 



ures are one or two of the wild Apache Indians and numerous females, etc. 

Tubac, 52 miles south of Tucson, is the business center of the silver 
mining district of Arizona, and contains a few hundred souls. The princi- 
pal mines worked in its vicinity are the Heintzelman and those of the Santa 
Rita Company. With the pecuniary success of these mines, appears to be 
connected the immediate progress of the territory, as, aside from the mines, 
it has no resources ; but in these Arizona has a great future. 

When our pioneers poured in upon the gold placers of California, the in- 
trepid gold-hunter could, alone and single handed, work his way to wealth, 
with a jack-knife and tin-pan ; and, at the end of a day's labor, tie up the 
avails in a rag, place it under his pillow, and then dream pleasantly of wife, 
and children, and home, far away on the other side of the continent. 

Silver mining is a different business. The eager novice might collect his 
tuns of silver ore ; and then would come the tantalizing discovei;y — it was 
labor lost. To extract the silver from its ores, is often one of the most dif- 
ficult of all chemical processes, requiring practice with a peculiar aptness 
for metallurgy, so diversified and intricate are the combinations of this metal 
with other minerals. No college professor, however fine a metallurgist he 
might be, could successfully manage the reduction works of a silver mine ; 
Americans, until they learn the art, and " improve upon it," as is their na- 
tional bent, will be compelled to procure their talent of this kind from those 
bred from youth to this branch, in Mexico and Germany. Aside from this 
difficulty, enormous outlays are required to start and work a silver mine : 
this can generally only be obtained by associated capital. With this comes 



566 



ARIZONA TERRITORY. 



the cumbrous, awkward revolving machinery of corporations, and its attend- 
ant evils of mismanagement, in which the interests of the small, confiding 
stockholder are too apt to be the last thing attended to by directors and 
agents. Could the amount of money lost in our Union, within the last ten 




Reduction Worlcs of the Heintsclman Silver Mine. 

The engraving is from a drawing by H. C. Grosvenor. This establishment is on the famous ArivacaKanche. 
The Reduction Works are in front, where the ore is reduced to silver by the German (Freybiirg) amalgam • 
ation barrel process. On the extreme right of the inclosiire is the corral for the mules. In the rear is 
seen the officers' quarters and store houses ; on the left and also in the rear of the store-houses are the 
huts of the Mexican laborers or peons, of whom here and in the mine several hundred are employed. The 
buildings are all adobes. 

years alone, by the selfishness and mismanagement of men in charge of cor- 
porations be ascertained, it would probably sum up many fold the value of 
all the property more courageously stolen by the united labor of all the bur- 
glars who have been thrust into the cells of our penitentiaries, from the 
foundation of the government to the present day. Thus multitudes, orphans 
and widows, have been wronged, and the hard-earned accumulations of vig- 
orous manhood, laid by in a spirit of self-denial, as a resource for old age, 
irretrievably and shamefully lost. The suspicious and selfish carry in theii 
own bosoms a defense against such allurements: the single-hearted and inno- 
cent fall victims. The hard lesson taught to individuals is, that money ip 
seldom safely spent, excepting by the hand that earns it. Yet it is only bj 
associated capital great enterprises can be consummated ; and so, through 
more or less of personal risk and loss, the general welfare is promoted. 

Such are the enormous returns of successful silver mines, that capital and enter- 
prise have always been ready to embark in the development of even veins of mod- 
erate promise. In Mexico, where silver mining has been, for over two hundred 
years, the great staple business of the country, the most enormous fortunes have 
been realized in working mines. The famous Real Del Monte, near the city of 
Mexico, is now 1,500 feet deep, and yielded in 1857, $3,750,000 of silver from ore 
which averaged $56 per tun. The Biscaina vein, in the 12 years immediately suc- 
ceeding 1762, in which the adit of Moran was completed, yielded to its owner, 
Tereros, a clear profit of $6,000,000. The produce of Catorce, taking the average 
of the five years from 1800 to 1804, was $2,854,000. Santa Eulalia, near Chihua- 
hua, from 1705 to 1737, yielded $55,959,750, or an average of $1,748,742 per an- 
num. These and numerous other instances of successful ruining, as published in 
Ward's History of Mexico, show silver mining to be a business of great vicissitudes, 
involving large expenditures, with a prospect of gains correspondingly large. The 



ARIZONA TERRITORY. 667 

whole produce of the Mexican mines was estimated by Humboldt, in 1803, at nearly 
two thousand millions of dollars. 

By many, and especially the Mexicans, the Gadsden Purchase is regarded as the 
richest portion of the continent, for mines of silver, copper and lead. Silver ore 
has already been reduced there which yielded, in large quantities, $1,000 to the 
tun. The average of the Heintzelman mine has been $250, although much of the 
ore taken from it yielded from $1,000 to $5,000 per tun, and some at the rate of 
over $20,000. 

The copper mines worked on the Mimbres River, yield large quantities of ore 
which is 95 per cent, copper, while the lead mines of the Santa Rita and Santa 
Cruz Mountains, are really inexhaustible. With these mineral treasures, placed 
by nature for the use of man, it is not at all probable that Arizona will long remain 
in its present condition. When once the mining enterprises already begun shall 
have demonstrated, either in the hands of their present proprietors or some others, 
that the precious metals not only exist there, but may become profitable, a new 
impetus will be given to this kind of industry, and the silver country of Arizona will 
become as widely known as the golden fields of California 

Various modes are practiced of reducing silver from its ores. 1. The 
Furnace. 2. The Mexican or patio (floor) amalgamation, with quicksilver. 
3. The caza (or kettle) amalgamation. 4. The Freyberg or German barrel 
amalgamation. 5. Augustin's method, by salt, without mercury. 6. Zier- 
vogel's method, with salt or mercury, These modes can not be indiscrimin- 
ately applied. The character of the ores, climate, and other circumstances 
will alone determine it. If the ore of a mine, in its mineralogical consitu- 
ents, is not adapted to the mode of operation to which the operator is bred, 
he is generally powerless to reduce it. One experienced in smelting ores, 
can not reduce those which are adapted to "the patio;" or one accustomed 
to " the patio," can not reduce by the German barrel, or by the Augustin 
process, and vice versa. 



The States 

of the 

SOUTH-WEST. 



569 



ALABAMA. 




Abms or Alabama. 



Alabama is an Indian expression, said to signify "here we rest." It ia 
supposed that its soil was first visited by white men in 1540, that being the 

year when its territory was traversed 
by the followers of De Soto, in his 
celebrated expedition through Florida 
to the Mississippi. After a long and 
disastrous march, De Soto arrived 
with his cavalcade by the waters of 
the Coosa, having made his entry into 
Alabama from the northern part of 
Georgia, where he had been searching 
for gold. The country of the Coosa 
tribe embraced the present counties 
of Cherokee, Benton, Talladega and 
Coosa. 

From Coosa the expedition ad- 
vanced toward Tallapoosa. Crossing 
the Tallapoosa, they were received by 
Tuscaloosa, an Indian chieftain, who 
was "lord over many territories and 
much people, and was feared by his neighbors and subjects." Passing 
down the western side of Alabama River with Tuscaloosa, De Soto arrived at 
Maubila, the capital of the country. This place consisted of eighty handsome 
houses, each sufficiently capacious to contain a thousand men. They were 
encompassed by a high wall made of immense trunks of trees, set deep in the 
ground and close together, strengthened with cross-timbers and interwoven 
with large vines. This place is supposed t6 have occupied the present site 
of Choctaw Bluff, in Clarke county, about twenty-five miles above the con- 
fluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee. 

It appears that Tuscaloosa had taken measures after De Soto came within 
his capital, to seize him and his men as prisoners. De Soto havino- discov- 
ered the plot took measures of defense. The attack was begun by an Indian 
chief, who rushed out of a house and loudly denounced the Spaniards as rob- 
bers, thieves and assassins. A murderous conflict ensued. The Indians, sup- 
posed to have been upward of ten thousand in number, joined by many of 
their young women, fought desperately, and for a time the conflict seemed 
doubtful. De Soto, mounted upon his horse, calling loudly upon "owr Lady 
and Santiago," rushed boldly upon the enemy, and forced his way over hun- 

571 



572 ALABAMA 

dreda of fighting men and women. Followed by his troops, prodigies of 
valor were performed, and the ground was covered with the slain. Tlie con- 
flict lasted nine hours. Although victory was on the side of the Spaniards 
it was dearly bought. Eighty of their number were slain or died of their 
wounds; forty-five horses were killed, an irreparable loss in their condition. 
Nearly all their camp equipage and baggage were consumed by the flames. 
Maubila was laid in ashes ; at least six thousand Indians were slain, and the 
tribe almost annihilated. De Soto now proceeded northward, crossed the 
Black Warrior and Tombigbee, and proceeded westward to the Mississippi, 
having many conflicts with the Indians on his route. 

"At the time of De Soto's expedition, Alabama was inhabited by the 
Coosas, Talassees, Mobilians and Choctaws. Being nearly destroyed by his 
invasion, the Muscogees and Alabamas, who had been driven out of Mexico 
by Cortez, occupied their places. The Muscogees were a warlike race, and 
conquered the tribes with whom they came in contact. They extended their 
conquests, and overrun Georgia to the Savannah River. They received into 
their tribe the relics of the Alabamas, Tuskegees, and several other tribes. 
The Muscogee confederacy at length became the most formidable in the 
country. They received the name of "Creeks," from the number of beautiful 
streams flowing through their country. 

After the invasion of De Soto, the soil of Alabama appears to have been 
untrodden by Europeans for nearly a century and a half. In 1702, Bien- 
ville, the governor of Louisiana, sailed up the bay of Mobile, and at the 
mouth of Dog River commenced the erection of a fort, a warehouse, and other 
public buildings. The fort was long designated as Fort St. Louis de la Mo- 
bile. Here was the seat of government for nine years. At the end of this 
period, in 1711, the French moved up to the mouth of Mobile River, where 
they founded the present city of Mobile. 

Bienville, the French governor, pursued a friendly policy with the natives, 
and endeavored to secure the friendship and alliance of the various tribes 
upon the Mobile River and its tributaries. Mobile being the seat of govern- 
ment, various delegations of Indian chiefs, Spaniards from Vera Cruz, and 
Canadians from the northern lakes and rivers, repaired there to see Governor 
Bienville upon business. The English ti-aders from Virginia and Carolina 
were a source of great annoyance to the French. During the wars between 
France and England, the latter power instigated the Indians against the 
French colonists. To stop their expeditions, Bienville located a fort upon 
the Alabama at Tuskegee. In 1721, three French war-ships, loaded with 
African slaves, arrived at Mobile. Ultimately the disasters of the colonists 
caused the abandonment of Mobile to a later period. 

At the treaty of Paris, in 17G3, the French gave up their possessions on 
the continent of America. The western bank of the Mississippi, from its 
source to its mouth, but including the island of New Orleans on the other 
bank, passed into the hands of Spain, while Great Britain acquired Canada, 
a\\ the territory east of the Mississippi as far south as the Bayou Iberville, 
and the whole of Florida. The whole of Alabama and Mississippi, and that 
portion of Louisiana north of a line drawn through the Bayou Iberville, the 
Amite, lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, to the sea, and east of the Missis- 
sippi River, became thus a British possession, known until 1781 as West 
Florida and the province of Illinois. Alabama was divided on the parallel 
of 32° 28' between West Florida and Illinois, in nearly equal divisions, and 
Montgomery and Wetumpka, which are but fifteen miles apart, were in difi'er- 
ent jurisdictions. 



ALABAMA. 573 

George Johnson, the first British governor, organized a military govern- 
ment, garrisoned the fort at Mobile, and that of Toulouse, up tlie Coosa. 
The first English inhabitants of Mobile died in great numbers, from habits 
of intemperance, exposure, and contagious disorders, introduced by the mili- 
tary. The exports of 3Iobile, in 1772, were indigo, raw hides, corn, cattle, 
tallow, rice, pitch, bear's oil, lumber, fish, etc. Cotton was cultivated in small 
quantities. The charter granted to Georgia comprised within its limits all 
the territory westward to the Mississippi. That state, considering its title to 
these lands as perfect, made grants to various companies, for the purpose of 
settlement. Two sets of these, known as the " Yazoo Grants,^' have acquired 
a celebrity in history. By the first, five millions of acres in Mississippi were 
granted to the South Carolina Yazoo Company; seven millions to the Virginia 
Yazoo Company; and 3,500,000 acres in Alabama to the Tennessee Compa- 
ny. The United States authorities opposed these grants, and the several 
companifts having failed to pay the purchase money, Georgia rescinded her 
patents. Several years afterward, Georgia made other and more considerable 
grants. These sales raised a storm throughout the country; they were de- 
nounced by Gen. Washington, in his message to congress, and, eventually, 
they were declared null and void. 

Alabama, at this period, was almost entirely in the occupation of the na- 
tives. There was a garrison of Spanish troops at Mobile, and also at St. 
Stephens, on the Tombigbee, with trading posts upon the Oconee, and on 
other points in the south and west. The whole country west of the present 
limits of Georgia, to the Mississippi, was now purchased by the United States, 
and, in 1817, was erected into the "Mississippi Territory." Fort Stoddard 
was built near the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee, and the county 
of Washington laid out, embracing a space out of which 20 counties in Ala- 
bama and 12 in Mississippi have since been made. 

At the period of the second war with Great Britain, Alabama was a thea- 
ter of Indian warfare, as a great part of the state was then inhabited by a 
number of tribes of Indians, of whom the Creeks were the principal. In 
1812, the Creeks having been stirred up to war by Tecumseh, the celebratedi 
Shawnee warrior, commenced hostile operations. In August, they fell on 
Fort Mimms; the garrison made a desperate resistance, but out of three 
hundred men, women and children, only seventeen survived the massacre. 
The adjoining states were now roused to action. In November, Gen. Jack- 
son, assisted by Generals Coffee, Floyd, and Claiborne, entered the Indian 
country, and defeated the Indians at Talladega, where 290 of their warriors 
were slain. In November, Gen. Floyd attacked the Creeks on their sacred 
ground, at Autossee. Four hundred of their houses were burned, and 200 
of their bravest ^men killed, among whom were the kings of Autossee and 
Tallahassee. 

The last stand of the Creeks was at Tohopeka, a place called the " Horse- 
shoe Bend." Here the Indians fought desperately, but were entirely del'eated 
with the loss of nearly GOO men. The victory ended in the submission of 
the remaining warriors, and in 1814, a treaty of peace was concluded, and 
the Creel;s have now removed westward of the Mississippi. In 1816, a ces- 
sion was obtained from the Indians of all the territory from the head waters 
of the Coosa westward to Cotton Gin Point, and to a point running thence 
to Caney Creek on the Tennessee. The territorial government being estab- 
lished, the seat of government was located at St. Stephens. William W. 
Bibb was appointed governor, and the first legislature was convened in 1818. 



574 ALABAMA. 

" The flood-gates of Virginia, the two Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and 
Georgia were now hoisted, and the mighty streams of emigration poured 
through them, spreading over the whole territory of Alabama." In 1819, 
Alabama was admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. The general 
assembly convened at Huntsville, and William W. Bibb was inaugurated 
governor. 

Alabama lies between 31° and 35° N., and 8° 8' and 11° 29' W. from 
Washington. It is 317 miles long from north to south, and 174 miles broad, 
bounded N. by Tennessee, E. by Georgia and Florida, S. by Florida and the 
Gulf of Mexico, and W. by Mississippi. The north-eastern part of the 
state, being the region of the termination of the range of the Alleghany 
Mountains, is hilly, broken, and somewhat mountainous. The southern part, 
bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, is low and level, and mostly covered with 
pines. The soil and climate of Alabama varies with the position and eleva- 
tion of its parts. In tlie north the soil is moderately fertile; in the* central 
part, which is less elevated and undulating, it is well watered, and in the 
river bottoms, the land is extremely rich and productive. The most promi- 
nent productions of the state are cotton — of which in yield it stands first in 
quantity of any state in the Union — corn, wheat, and rice. Tobacco and sugar 
are also raised to some extent. 

Alabama is rich in mineral productions. The whole central region is 
underlaid with vast beds of iron ore, or occupied by coal measures of great 
thickness and extent. The coal is of a bituminous character, and well adapted 
for steamboats and factories. A^arious establishments for manufacturing iron 
have been erected, and their products have become extensive and valuable. 
The river navigation in the state is quite extensive, in its various windings 
measuring at least 2,000 miles. The great body of the products of Ala- 
bama find their way to Mobile, the commercial emporium, by means of the 
Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers and their branches. The Baptists and 
Methodists tire the most numerous religious denominations in the state. 
Population in 1820, was 127,901, of whom 41,879 were sl^-ves; in 1850, it 
bad increased to 771,671, of whom 342,892 were slaves. In 1860, the pop- 
ulation was 955,917, of whom 435,473 were slaves. 



Mobile, the principal city and. commercial emporium of Alabama, is sit- 
uated on the west bank of Mobile River, just above its entrance into Mobile 
Bay, 330 miles S.W. of Montgomery by the river, 166 N.E. from New Or- 
leans, and 1,566 from New York. Population is about 25,000. The city is 
built on an extended plain, dry and sandy, and elevated about 15 feet above 
the highest tides. It has a fine prospect of the bay, extending about 30 
miles, with an average width of 12 miles, to the Gulf of Mexico. Immedi- 
ately opposite the city is a low island, covered with high grass and rushes, 
known as "the marsh." Above, on the banks of the river, is a large swamp; 
back from the city the dry, sandy hills commence, afl"ording a delightful and 
healthy retreat from the heat and sickness during the .summer. 

The streets of Mobile are generally wide, and, of late years, have been much 
improved by shade trees. The warm season, though tempered by the sea breezes, 
is somewhat relaxing to the system. During the coldest season the ground is but 
seldom frozen. Next to New Orleans, Mobile is the largest cotton market in the 
United States. 

In 1702, Bienville, the French governor of Louisiana, with forty sailors and 
epme ship carpenters, began the construction of a warehouse on Dauphin Island, 



ALABAMA. 



575 



at the entrance of Mobile Bay. He then sailed up the bay, and, at the mouth 
of Dog River, began the erection of a fort, a warehouse, and other buildings. 
This place was called Mobile, from the spacious bay upon which it was situated, 
BO named after a tribe of Indians who had resolutely fought De Soto upon the 
field of Maubila. 




North View of St. Louis Wharf, Mobile. 

Sho%ving one of tne principal wharves for the unlading of cotton and other articles ; some of the storei 
and warehouses appear on the right and the shipping in the distance. 

In 1711, all the inhabitants, excepting the garrison at the fort, removed to the 
Mobile River, and established themselves on the present site of Mobile. In 1763, 
Mobile was ceded by France to Great Britain. In 1780, it was surrendered to 
Spain, and in April, 1813, it became a portion of the United States. It was in- 
corporated as a city in 1819. 

Fort Morgan, formerly Fort Bowyer, stands at the mouth of Mobile Bay. In 
September, 1814, a British fleet, under Com. Percy, made an attack on the fort, 
which was defended by Major Lawrence, with 130 men. The British were re- 
pulsed with a total loss of 232 men — the American loss 4 killed and 4 wounded. 
The victory of the Americana at New Orleans forced the British to abandon the • 
banks of the Mississippi, after which they hovered about Mobile Point. Five 
thousand men landed from their ships and prepared to reduce the fort. Major 
Lawrence, agreeably to a council of officers, negotiated for a surrender, and the 
next day, February 12, 1815, marched out of the fort with his little garrison, with 
colors flying and drums beating. They took quarters on board the British ships- 
of-the line as prisoners of war. Soon after the news of peace was received. Great 
mortality prevailed among the British shipping at this time, from wounds and 
disease, and hundreds of British soldiers were entombed among the white sands 
of Mobile Point and Dauphin Island. 

Montgomery City, the capital of Alabama, is on an elevated bluff on the 
Alabama River, at the head of steamboat navigation, 118 miles southeasterly 
from Tuscaloosa, the former capital. There is a continuous line of railroads to 
New York, Savannah, and Charleston, being 483 miles from the latter place. It 



576 



ALABAMA. 



ia connecterl hv steamboat navigation witli Mol.ile, from which place it is uistant, 
bv the course of the river, 328 miles. P.eside the state house, the city contains a 
court-house, cliurches for various detiomiuatioiis, and several splendid public 
edifices It is in the midst of a fertile cotton re^'ion, and commands an extensive 
trade. Population about 8,0U0. It was laid out and became the capital of the 
state in 1817. 




Fort Murrjan^ Mobile Point. 




Western View in the Central part of Montgomery. 



■ e of» watr^r from tlip Arti'Hian well is spon in the foroRrouii'l, in Court Sqnar«. 

T,?eStaTrHre:oH;SHoTa^^^^^^^^ 

•bout half a mile distant from the Ueservoir. 

The territory of the present county of Montgomery contained a few white in- 
hatftants as eLly as 1?.)2. The ancient Indian name lor the location on wh. . 
the city of Montgomerv is now built, was hconrhaie or 7?^'/ Ka> .. I l.c lir. t 
settlers were traders, who located atthe southern suburbs of the city. 



ALABAMA. 577 

The following account of some of the principal events, in this region of 
country, during the Creek war of 1813-14, is extracted from Perkins' His- 
tory. The massacre at Fort Mimms, in Aug., 1813, spread consternation 
and dismay throughout all the settlements in Alabama, and the inhabitants 
fled without delay to various places for safety. The neighboring states of 
Tennessee and Georgia were roused to vigorous exertions. A body of 1,800 
volunteers, under Gen. Floyd, were marched into the southern section of the 
Creek Nation, from the state of Georgia. The legislature of Tennessee passed 
an act to raise 3,500 men to act against the Indians, and $300,000 were voted 
to be used to defray the expenses. Generals Jackson and Cocke were ap- 
pointed commanders. 

" The first object to which the troops under General Jackson were directed, was 
their encampments at the Tallustaches towns, on the Coosa river, a northern branch 
of the Alabama. On the 2d of November, General CoflPee was detached with a 
part of his brigade of cavalry, and a corps of mounted riflemen, amounting to nine 
hundred, against this assemblage. He arrived on the morning of the third, and 
encircled the encampment with his cavalry; when he had approached within half 
a mile, the Creeks sounded the war-whoop and prepared for action. Captain Ham- 
mond's and Lieutenant Patterson's companies advanced within the circle and gave 
a few shots for the purpose of drawing out the enemy. The Creeks formed and made 
a violent charge. Captain Hammond, according to his orders, gave way, and was 
pursued by the Indians, until they met the right column, which gave them a gen- 
eral fire, and then charged. The Indians immediately retreated within and behind 
their buildings, and fought with desperation; but their destruction was soon ac- 
complished. The soldiers rushed up to the doors of their houses, broke them open, 
and in a few minutes killed the last warrior of them: not one escaped to carry the 
new.s. None asked for quarters, but fought as long as they could stand or sit, and 
met death in various shapes without a groan. Two hundred warriors were killed, 
ciglity-four women and children taken prisoners and discharged ; of General Coffee's 
troops only five were killed, and forty-one wounded. 

General Jackson established his head-quarters at the Ten Islands on the Coosa, 
and fortified his position, giving it the name of Camp 8trother. On the evening of 
t!ie 7th of November, a runner arrived from the friendly Indians at the Tallageda 
fort, thirtj^ miles below on the same river, giving information that the hostile Creeks 
had encamped in great force near that place, and were preparing to destroy it, ear- 
nestly soliciting immediate assistance. General Jackson determined on commenc- 
ing his march the same night, and dispatched a runner to General AVhite, inform- 
ing him of his movement, and urging him to hasten his- march to Camp Strother, 
to protect it in his absence. He had previously ordered General White to form a 
junction with him as speedily as possible, and received his assurances that he 
would be with him on the 7th. General Jackson immediately commenced crossing 
the river at the Ten Islands, leaving his baggage Avagons and whatever might retard 
his progress in the camp, and halted at midnight within six miles of the Tallageda. 
Here a runner arrived with a note from General White informing him that he had 
altered his course, and was on his march back to join General Cocke at the mouth 
of the Chataga. 

Battle of Tallageda. — It was then too late for the general to change his plan of 
operations, or make any new arrangements. He renewed his march at three 
o'clock, and at sunrise, came Avithin half a mile of his enemy, whom he found en- 
camped a quarter of a mile in advance of the fort. He immediately formed the 
line of battle; the militia on the left, the volunteers on the right, and the cavalry 
on the wings; and advanced in a curve, keeping his rear connected with the ad- 
vance of the infantry line, so as to inclose the enemy in a circle. The advance 
guard met the attack of the Indians with intrepidity, and having poured upon them 
four or five rounds, fell back to the main body. The enemy pursued, and were 
met by the front line. This line was broken, and several companies of militia re- 

37 



578 ALABAMA. 

treated. At this moment a corps of cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel Dyer, which 
was kept as a reserve, Avcrc ordered to dismount and fill the vacancy. The order 
was promptly executed, the militia soon rallied, and returned to the charfje. The 
fire now became general along the first line and the contiguous wings. The Indi- 
ans fled, and were met and pursued in every direction. The right wing followed 
them with a destructive fire to the mountains, three miles distant. Two hundred 
and ninety of their warriors Avere found dead, and a large number killed in the 
pursuit, who were not found. General Jackson lost fifteen men killed, and eighteen 
wounded. In consequence of the failure of General White to proceed to Camp 
Strother, General Jackson was obliged to give up further pursuit, and immediately 
return to his camp to protect his sick, Avoundcd, and baggage." 

Gen. AVhite, who considered himself as under the command of Gen. Cocke, 
was ordered by that officer to attack the Hillabee towns. On the morning 
of the ]8th of November, he surrounded and surprised the town of the Hil- 
labees, killed 60 warriors, took 256 prisoners, and returned to Fort Arm- 
strong without the loss of a man, either killed or wounded. While the 
Tennessee forces were performing these operations in the northern sections 
of the Creek country, the Georgia troops, under Gen. Floyd, entered their 
territory from the east. 

" The general, having received information that a number of hostile Indians had 
assembled at the Autosee tOAvns, on the southern bank of the Talapoosa, eighteen 
miles from the Hickory ground, and tAventy above the junction of that river with 
the Coosa, proceeded to that place with a corps of nine hundred and fifty militia, 
and four hundred friendly Indians ; and on the morning of the 29th of November, 
at half past six, appeared in line of battle, in front of the principal town. The 
Indians presented themselves at every point, and fought Avith desperate fury. The 
well directed fire of the artillery, and the charge of the bayonet, soon drove them 
from the ground, and obliged them to take shelter in the copses, thickets, and out- 
houses in rear of the toAvn. Many concealed themselves in caves previously pro- 
vided as places of retreat, along the high bluffs on the river, Avhich were thickly 
covered with reeds and brush-wood. The friendly Indians A\'ere divided into four 
companies, under leaders of their OAvn choice, and directed to cross Canhabee 
Creek, and occupy that flank to prevent escapes from the Tallisee toAA'n, situated 
about one hundred rods beloAV the Autosee. Instead of obeying this order, soon 
after the action commenced, most of them thronged in disorder into the rear of the 
lines ; but the Covetans under M'Intosh, and the Tookabotchians, under Mad Dog's 
son, joined the flanks of the militia, and fought Avith a bravery equal to disciplined 
troops. At nine o'clock, the Indians AA'ere completely driA'en from the plain, and 
the houses of both tOAvns were in flames. Warriors from eight tOAvns had assem- 
bled at Autosee, Avhich their prophets had taught them to believe was holy ground, 
on which no white man could tread Avithout Inevitable destruction. Four hundred 
buildings were burned, some of which Avere of a superior cast for the dAvellings of 
savages. The loss of the Indians VA^as estimated at tAvo hundred killed ; among 
whom were the Autosee and Tallisee kings. The number of wounded could not 
be ascertained, as they were taken off by their friends, but must have been very 
considerable. General Floyd was severely wounded, and Adjutant General NeAV- 
man slightly. The whole loss of the Georgians Avas eleven killed, and fifty-four 
wounded. The friendly Indians lost several killed and wounded, but their loss was 
not great, as most of them sought places of safety at the commencement of the 
action. From the Autosee towns. General Floyd, after resting seA^eral days, pro- 
ceeded to Camp Defiance, fifty miles further to the west, into the enemy's country. 
At this place, at 5 o'clock in the morning of the 2d of January, his camp Avas as- 
sailed by a desperate band of hostile Indians, who stole unobserved upon the sen- 
tinels, fired on them, and immediately rushed on the lines. In tAventy minutes the 
troops Avere formed in order of battle, and the action became general. The front 
and both flanks Avere closely pressed once, but the skillful conduct of the officers, 
and firmness of the men, repulsed the enemy at eA'ery point." 

On January 17, 1814, Gen. Jackson, finding himself in a situation to com- 



ALABAMA. 579 

mence further offensive operations, marclied from his encampment at Fort 
Strother, with 900 volunteers, who were soon afterward joined by 300 friendly 
Indians. Marching against the Creeks, collected at the great bend of the 
Tallapoosa, he was attacked by the Indians, on Jan. 22d, at Eimickfau, with 
great fury. Gen. Jackson, being on the alert, encamped his men in a hollow 
squ'iro, stood his ground, and forced the enemy to retire. Being somewhat 
crippled, and rather short of provisions, Jackson began a retreat to Fort 
Strother. When at Enotocliopko Creek, he was again attacked, and he once 
more succeeded in putting his enemies to flight. In these two conflicts, the 
American loss was 20 killed and 75 wounded; among the killed were Maj. 
Donaldson and Capt. Hamilton. The Indians lost at least 189 warriors. 

The Creeks still continued to concentrate their forces at the great bend of 
the Tallapoosa, usually called Horse Shoe by the whites, and Tohopeka by the 
Indians, a word in their language said to signify a horse shoe. The penin- 
sula formed by the bend contained about 100 acres, on which was a village 
of some 200 houses. About 1,000 Indians, from the adjoining districts, had 
fortified themselves on the peninsula with great skill, having a formidable 
breastwork built of large logs. They had also an ample supply of provis- 
ions and ammunition. 

"On the 16th of March, 1814, General Jackson, having received considerable 
reinforcements of volunteers from Tennessee, and friendly Indians, left Fort Stro- 
ther with his whole disposable force, amounting to about three thousand of every 
description, on an expedition against this assemblage of Indians. He proceeded 
down the Coosa sixty miles to the mouth of Cedar Creek, where he established a 
post called Fort Williams, and proceeded on the 24th across the ridge of land di- 
viding the waters of the Coosa from the Tallapoosa; and arrived at the great bend 
on the morning of the 27th, having the three preceding days opened a passage 
through the wilderness of fifty-two miles. On the 26th he passed the battle ground 
of the 22d of January, and left it three miles in his rear. General CoSee was de- 
tached with seven hundred cavalry, and mounted gunmen, and six hundred friendly 
Indians, to cross the river below the bend, secure the opposite banks, and prevent 
escape. Having crossed at the Little Island ford, three miles below the bend, his 
Indians were ordered silently to approach and line the banks of the river, while 
the mounted men occupied the adjoining bights, to guard against reinforcements, 
■which might be expected from the Oakfusky towns, eight miles below. Lieutenant 
Bean, at the same time, was ordered to occupy Little Island, at the fording-place, 
to secure any that might attempt to escape in that direction. In the mean time, 
General Jackson, with the artillery and infantry, moved on in slow and regular 
order to the isthmus, and planted his guns on an eminence one hundred and fifty 
yards in front of the breastwork. On perceiving that General Cofi"ee had completed 
his arrangements below, he opened a fire upon the fortification, but found he could 
make no other impression with his artillery than boring shot-holes through the logs. 
General Coffee's Indians on the bank, hearing the roaring of the cannon in front, 
and observing considerable confusion on the peninsula, supposing the battle to be 
nearly won, crossed over and set fire to the village, and attacked the Creeks in the 
rear. At this moment General Jackson ordered an assault upon the works in front. 
The regular troops, led by Colonel Williams, accompanied by a part of the militia 
of General Dougherty's brigade, led on by Colonel Russell, presently got possession 
of a part of the works, amid a tremendous fire from behind them. The advance 
guard was led by Colonel Sisler, and the left extremity of the line by Captain Gor- 
don of the spies, and Captain M'Marry of General Johnson's brigade of West 
Tennessee militia The battle for a short time was obstinate, and fought musket 
to musket through the port-holes ; when the assailants succeeded in getting posses- 
sion of the opposite side of the works, and the contest ended. The Creeks were 
entirely routed, and the whole margin of the river strewed with the slain. The 
troops under General Jackson, and General Coffee's Indians, who had crossed over 
into the peninsula, continued the work of destruction as long as there was a Creek 



580 



ALABAMA. 



to be found. General Coffee, on soeinj:!; his Indians crossing over, had ordered their 
phvces to be sui)plied on the bank by his riflemen; and every Indian that attempted 
to escape by swiniming the river, or crossing the Little Island below, was met and 
8h\in by General Cofi'ee's troops. The battle, as long as any appearance of resist- 
ance remained, lasted five hours; the slaughter continued until dark, Jind was re- 
newed the next morning, when sixteen more of the unfortunate savages were 
hunted out of their hiding-places and slain. Five hundred a!id fifty-seven warriors 
Avere found dead on the peninsula; among whom was their famous prophet Jlana- 
hell, and two others, the principal instigators of the war; two hundred and fifty 
more were estimated to have been killed in crossing the river, and at other places, 
which were not found. General Jackson's loss was twenty-six \thite men, and 
twenty three Indians, killed; and one hundred and seven white men, and forty- 
seven Indians, wounded. 

This decisive victory put an end to the Creek war. In the short period of five 
months, from the first of November to the first of April, two thousand of their 
warriors, among Avhom were their principal prophets and kings, had been slain, 
most of their towns and villages burned, and the strong places in their territory 
occupied by the United States troops. After this battle, the miserable remnant 
of the hostile tribes submitted. Weatherford, the principal surviving chief and 
prophet, who led the Indians at Fort Minims, accompanied his surrender with this 
address to General Jackson: 

'I foiijiht at Fort Minims — I finisht the (ieortjia army — I did yim all the injury I could. Had I been 
supported as I was promised, I would have dune you more. But my warriors are all killed. I can fight 
no longer. I look back with sorrow that I have brought destruction ui)on my nation. I am now in your 
jovver. Do with mo as you please. I am a soldier.' " 




Eastern View of Selma. 

The above shows the appearance of Solmi steanboat laniliiig, as it is approached sailing down the river; 
«n the right, on the elevated limestone banks, is se>'n the conimtMiccnient of the .\labama and T'liuossea 
Kailroad, also the apparatus for conveying coal to the boats below The warehouses for cotton, etc., from 
which cotton bales are conveyed by slides to the steamboats, appear in the central part. 

Selma, Dallas county, on the rii^ht bank of the Alabama Elver, is 
situated 82 miles westward of Mont<(omery, bj the river, and 10 miles 
above Caliaba, and about 150 above Mobile. It has about 4000 in- 
habitants, and several iron foundries and otlier manufacturin<? estab- 
lishments. Two railroads, the Alabama and Mississippi and the Ala- 
bama and Tennessee River, diverge from this place. It is situated in 
the midst of a fertile cotton growing section, and large quantities of " 
cotton are shipped at this point. 



ALABAMA. 581 

Marion, the capital of Perry county, is situated 26 miles N. from 
Selma, with which it is connected by raih'oad. It is in an elevated, 
broken, and dry region, distant froni any river, creek, or swamp, and 
is remarkable for salubrity. The village contains about three thous- 
and inhabitants. * 

At the commencement of hostilities with Great Britain in 1812, Te- 
cumseh,the celebrated Shawnee chieftain, visited the southern Indians, 
and by his arts of persuasion induced them to take up arms against 
the United States. Gen. Ciaiboi-ne, who was appointed to the de- 
fense of the countrj' in the vicinity of Mobile, proceeded to Fort Stod- 
dart, situated on the Mobile liiver. upward of forty miles above its 
mouth. From this point lie sent the soldiers under his command to 
defend the settlements. The inhabitants of the Tensaw district, on 
the Alabama, fled to Fort Mimms, on that river, about 16 miles above. 
This fort was built about the residence of Samuel Mimms, a mile east 
from the Alabama River, and two miles below the cut-off. It was gar- 
risoned by 150 soldiers, under Major Beasly; these, with the white 
settlers, the friendly Indians, and negroes, amounted to 553 jjersons, 
who were crowded together in an Alabama swamp, in the month of 
August. About 1000 Creek warriors stole up near the fort, and 
there lay in ambush, read}^ for a bloody onset: among their leaders 
was the celebrated Weatherford. On the 30th of August, 1813, in an 
unsuspecting moment, while the soldiers were about dining, the In- 
dians issued from theirhiding-places and advanced to within a few rods 
before the alarm was given. 

"As the sentinel cried out ' Indians,' they gave a war-whoop, and rushed in at 
the gate before the garrison had time to shut it. This decided their fate. Major 
Beasly was mortally wounded at the commencement of the assault; he ordered 
his men to secure the ammunition, and retreat into the house ; he was himself 
carried into the kitchen, and afterward consumed in the flames. The fort was 
originally square, but Major Beasly had enlarged it by extending the lines upon 
two sides about fifty feet, and putting up a new side, into which the gate was re- 
moved; the old lines of pickets were standing, and the Indians, on rushing in at 
the gate, obtained possession of the outer part, and through the port holes of the 
old line of pickets, fired on the people who held the interior. On the opposite 
side of the fort was an offset or bastion made round the back gate, which, being 
open on the outside, was occupied by the Indians, who, with tlie axes that lay 
scattered about, cut down the gate. Tlie people in the fort kept possession of the 
port holes on the other lines, and fired on the Indians who remained on the out- 
side. Some of the Indians ascended the blockdiouse at one of the corners, and 
fired on the garrison below, but were soon dislodged; they succeeded, however, in 
getting fire to a house near the pickets, which communicated to the kitchen, and 
from thence to the main dwelling-house. When the people in the fort saw the 
Indians in full possession of the outer court, the gate open, the men fast falling, 
and their houses in flames, they gave up all for lost, and a scene of the most dis- 
tressing horror ensued. The women and children sought refuge in the upper 
story of the dwelling house, and were consumed in the flames, the Indians dancing 
and yelling round them with the most savage delight. Those who were without 
the buildings were murdered and scalped without distinction of age or sex; sev- 
enteen only escaped. The battle and massacre lasted from eleven in the forenoon 
until six in the afternoon, by which time the work of destruction was fully com- 
pleted, the fort and buildings entirely demolished, and upward of four hundred, 
men, women, and children massacred. 

" General Claiborne dispatched Major Joseph P. Kennedy, with a strong detach- 
ment to Fort Mimms, from his headquarters at Mount Vernon, for the purpose 



582 



ALABAMA. 



of burying the dead. Upon arriving tliere, Kennedy found the air darkened with 
buzzards, and hundreds of dogs, which had run wild, gnawing upon the human 
carcasses. The troops, with lieavy hearts, succeeded in interring many bodies in 
two large pits, which they dug. "Indians, negroes, wiiite men, women, and cliil- 
dren, lay in one promiscuous ruin. All were scalper^ and the females of every 
age were butchered in a manner which neitiier decency nor language permit me 
to describe. The main building was burned to ashes, which were filled with bones. 
The plains and woods around were covered with dead bodies. All the houses were 
consumed by fire, except the block-house, and a part of the pickets. The soldiers 
and officers, with one voice, called on Divine Providence to revenge the death of 
our murdered friends.' " 



^'^^^. 




Ouilliie Vleiv of ihe University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. 

William Wcaiherforrl, one of the most conspicuous war chiefs of the Creek 
Confederacy, was born in the Creek Nation : his father was an itinei-tint pedlar and 
his mother a full blooded Indian of the Seminole tribe. He is said to have pos- 
sessed the bad qualities of both his parents, combined with many traits peculiarly 
his own. In person he was tall, strait, and well proportione(]. His judgment and 
eloquence had secured the respect of tlie old ; his vices made him the idol of the 
young and unprincipled. During the war of 1812 he entered fully into the views 
of Tecumseh, and was the principal leader at the massacre at P^ort Mimms. After 
the final defeat, at the battle of the Horseshoe, he voluntarily came into the caii*t> 
of Gen. Jackson ; it was on this occasion that he made his celebrated speech 

" / nm in your power — do with me as you please — / am a soldier. J have done Ihe whites all 
the harm I could. I have fouyht them, and fought them bravely. If J had an army, J would yet 
fiijht — / would, contend to the last : but I have none. My people are all gone. J can only weep 
over the misfortunes of my nation." 

General Jackson was pleased with his boldness, and told him that though he was 
in his power, yet he would take no advantage ; that he might yet join the war party, 
and contend against the Americans, if he chose, but to depend upon no quarter if 
taken afterward; and that unconditional submission was iiis and his people s only 
safety. Weatherford replied, in a tone as dignified as indignant: 

" You can safely address me in such terms now. There was a time when I could have ansteered 
you — there teas a time when I had a choice — / have none now. I have not even a hope. J could 
once animate my warriors to battle — but I can not animate the dead. My warriors can no lonijer 
hear my voice. Their hones are at Talladega, Tallushatches, Emnckfaw, and Tohopeka. I have 
itot surrendered myself without thought. While there was a single chance of success, I never left 
my post, nor supplicated peace. But my people are gone, and I now ask it for my nation, not for 
myself. I look back with deep sorrow, and icish to avert still greater calamities. If I had been 
left to contend icith the Georgia army, I icoxdd have raised my com on one bank of the river, and 
fought them on the other. But your people have destroyed my nation. You are a brave man. I 
rely upon your generosity. You icill exact no terms of a conquered people, but such as they should 
accede to. W hatever they may be, it would now be madness and folly to oppose them. If they are 
opposed, you shall find me amongst the sternest enforcers of obedience. Those who would still 
hold out, can he infiitenced only by a mean spirit of revenge. To this they must not, and shall not 
tacrifice the last remnant of their country. Yoii have told our nation where we might go and be 
aafe. This is good talk, and they ought to listen to it. They shall listen to it." 

After the war was over, he became a citizen of Monroe county. 



ALABAMA. 



583 



Tuscaloosa is situated on the S. E. side of Black Warrior River, 94 N. W. of 
Montgomery, 120 S. W. of Huntsville, and 217 from Mobile. It is regularly 
built, on an elevated plain at the lower falls of the river, at the liead of steamboat 
navigation, and until 1847 was tlse capital of the state. It contains the old state 
house, the University of Alabama; population about 3,000. The University of 
Alabama went into operation in 1831. 




View of ike Pub/ic Square, IIiini.ioi.lIe. 

Tiie engraving shows the Court House in the center; <iu the riglit, iu the distance, apiiears the fiunt i^f 
the Northeru Bank of AUtbania. 

Huntsville, the shire town of Madison county, one of the most beautiful and 
well built places in the gouthern States, is on the line of the Charleston and Mem- 
phis railroad, about 10 miles X. of the Tennessee River, 217 N. from Montgomery, 
and 211 from Memphis, 'J'enn. It has many handsome private dwellings, and 
presents many attractions for a permanent residence. Population about 5,000. 
Huntsville received its name from Capt. John Hunt, a revolutionary soldier, the 
first settler, who located himself near the spring wliich supplies the city. 

Wetumpka is on the E. side of Coosa River, 13 miles northeasterly from Mont- 
gomery. It has a fine site, at the head of steamboat navigation, and is a place 
of considerable trada The state penitentiary was located here in October, 1851. 
Population about 3,000. The Harrowgate Springs, in the south border of the city, 
are much resorted to during the summer months. 

Florence, the capital of Lauderdale county, was laid out in 1818. It is on the 
N. side of the Tennessee River, immediately below the Muscle Shoals, and 197 
miles N. W. of Montgomery. It is on an elevated plain, 100 feet above the river, 
which, when full, is navigable for steamboats to the Ohio. Population about 
2,000. 

TiiscumUa is on the left bank of the Tennessee, five miles below Florence, and 
346 miles N. from Mobile. It is on the line of the Charleston and Memphis 
railroad, 144 miles east from Memphis. Population 3,000. 



MISSISSIPPI. 




The name of this state is from the Indian words Afeach-Chassippi, signi- 
fying "Father of Rivers." The first Europeans who traversed its soil were 

De Soto and his followers, in their 

celebrated expedition in search of 
gold, about the year 1540. The In- 
dians inhabiting its territory were the 
Chocfaics, Chickasaics, Natchez, etc. 
For a great part of the time until the 
cession of 17G3, most of these tribes 
or nations were in a state of warfiire 
with the white intruders. La Salle, 
descending ihe rivers from the Illinois 
country, in 1681, visited the part of 
the state bordering on the Mississippi, 
but the first attempt fo found perma- 
nent settlements en this river were 
made, in 1698, by Ibberville, the gov- 
ernor of Louisiana. His colony ar- 
rived at Ship Island in 1700, and after 
exploring along and beyond the Mis- 
sissippi, the parties returned, and built a fort at Biloxi, at the mouth of a 
river of that name, about 20 miles N. of the island. 

In 1716, Bienville, one of the governors of Louisiana, sailed up the Mis- 
sissippi as far as Natchez, erected and garrisoned a fortification, which he 
called '■'■Fort Rosalie." This spot had been marked down by Ibberville, in 
1700, as an eligible site for a town, of which he drew a plan, and which he 
called Rosalie, the maiden name of the Countess Ponehartrain, of France. 

In 1729, the Natchez Indians formed a conspiracy against the French col- 
onists, by whom they considered themselves aggrieved. On the 28th of 
November, they fell upon the inhabitants by surprise, and about 700 hun- 
dred Frenchmen were massacred. The French governor of Louisiana, M. 
Perier, resolved on avenging the massacre, sent to the Choetaws, who fur- 
nished a body of about 1,600 warriors to assist the French against the 
Natchez. The Natchez, being besieged in their fort by the French, had the 
address,' during the night, to make their escape. Learning afterward, that 
they had fortified themselves west of the Mississippi, the French followed 
them thither, and compelled them to surrender. They were taken to New 

585 



AitJia OF Mississippi. 



58(3 MISSISSIPPI. 

Orleans, and afterward transported as slaves to St. Domingo. Thus perished 
the Natchez nation, "the most illustrious in Louisiana." 

The Chickasaws were the dread of the French colonists, as they had incited 
the Natchez against them. They occupied a large and beautiful tract east 
of the Mississippi, at the head of the Tombigbee. This they would not allow 
the French to settle, but maintained their independence. In 1736, a force 
from New Orleans, under Bienville, sailed for Mobile in thirty barges and 
thirty large pirogues. Proceeding up the Tombigbee, they were joined by 
1,200 Choctaw warriors, and the combined force moved up to the present site 
of Cotto»-gin Port, nearly five hundred miles, by the river, from Mobile, to 
within about 27 miles of the stronghold of the Chickasaws, in the present 
county of Pontotoc. Having completed a stockade, and left a guard, Bien- 
ville advanced against the enemy. As they came in sight of the Chickasaw 
ibrt, on the 26th of May, the British flag was seen waving over its walls, and 
jt was known that British traders were in the fort conducting the defense. 

The French column advanced to the assault, with the cheering shout of 
'' Vive le Koi." Twice during the day was the assault renewed with fire and 
sword, but Ihey were repulsed by the terrible fire from the fort, and having 
lost about 100 men, in killed and wounded, Bienville soon after broke up 
his encampment and took up the retrograde line of march. Having dis- 
missed the Choctaws with presents, he threw his cannon into the Tombigbee, 
and floated down the river to Fort Conde, and from thence to New Orleans. 

One important part of the plan of the campaign against the Chickasaws, 
was to have the co-operation of a force of French and Indians from Canada. 
D'Artaguette, the pride and flower of the French at the north, procured the 
aid of '-Chicago," the Illinois chief from the shore of Lake Michigan. His 
lieutenant was the gallant Vincennes, from the settlement on the Wabash. 
These heroes came down the river unobserved to the last Chickasaw bluiF, 
and from thence penetrated into the heart of the country. On the 10th of 
May, they encamped, it is supposed, about six miles east of the present town 
of Pontotoc, near the appointed place of rendezvous with the force of Bienville. 
Having waited for some time in vain for intelligence from the chief commander, 
the Indian allies of D'Artaguette became impatient for war and plunder, and 
could not be restrained, when D'Artaguette consented to lead them to the 
attack. He drove the Chickasaws from two of their ibrtified villages, but 
was severely wounded in his attack on the third. His allies, the red men of 
Illinois, dismayed at this check, fled precipitately, and D'Artaguette was 
left weltering in his blood. Vincennes, his lieutenant, and the Jesuit Senat, 
their spiritual guide and friend, refusing to fly, shared the captivity of their 
gallant leader. They were treated with great care and attention by the 
Chickasaws, who were in hopes of obtaining a great ransom from Bienville, 
then advancing into their country. After his retreat, the Chickasaws, de- 
spairing of receiving anything for their prisoners, tortured and burnt them 
over a slow fire, leaving but one alive to relate their fate to their country- 
men. 

In 1763, France relinquished to Great Britain all her possessions east of 
the Mississippi, and to Spain all west of that river, and also the Island of 
Orleans. Spain, at the same time, gave up Florida to the British. In 1783, 
the country north of the parallel of 31° north latitude, wa« included in the 
limits of the United States, by the treaty acknowledging their independence, 
and the Floridas reverted to the Spanish crown. By its charter, the Georgia 
limits extended to the Mississippi. In 1795, its legislature Sold 22,000,000 



MISSISSIPPI. 587 

acres of land in Mississippi, called the Yazoo purchase, to four companies, 
for $500,000, who afterward sold it, at advanced prices, to various persons, / 
mostly in the eastern and middle states. The next year the legislature de- 
clared the sale unconstitutional, and ordered the records of it to be burnt. 
The southern section of the state was within the limits of Florida, and was 
purchased of Spain in 1821. In 1798, a large part of the area now com- 
prising the states of Mississippi and Alabama, constituted the " Mississippi 
Territory." In 1817, the state of Mississippi was admitted into the Union. 

Mississippi is situated between 30° 10' and 35° N. Lat., and between 80° 
30' and 81° 35' W. Long. It is 339 miles long from N. to S., and 150 
broad, containing 47,151 square miles. The southern part of the state, for 
about 100 miles from the Gulf shore, is mostly a sandy level pine forest, in- 
terspersed with cypress swamps, open prairies, and a few slight elevations. 
There are no mountains within the limits of the state, only numerous ranges 
of hills of moderate elevation, some of which terminate abruptly upon a 
level plain, or upon the banks of a river, bearing the name of "bluffs," or 
river hills. The Mississippi River, in its various windings, forms the entire 
western boundary of the state, and most of the lands bordering it, from the 
northern line to the entrance of Yazoo River, consist of inundated swamps, 
covered with a large growth of timber. From Memphis, just above the 
northern line of Mississippi to Vicksburg, a distance of 450 miles by the 
river, the uplands, or river hills, are separated by inundated bottom lands 
of greater or less width, and aiford no site suitable for a port. Below Vicks- 
burg, the only eligible port is Natchez, 100 miles south. 

The country in the south part of the state is rolling, healthy, and produc- 
tive. The Yazoo is the largest river that has its whole course in the state, 
and the lands drained by it are very fertile. The coast, which extends along 
the Gulf of Mexico for about 60 miles, has no harbor for large vessels. A 
chain of low sand islands, six or seven miles from the shore, inclose several 
bays or sounds: the largest are Pascagoula Sound and Lake Borgne. Ship 
and Cat Islands are eligible for ocean steamers. The ports on the Missis- 
sippi are Vicksburg, Grand Gulf, and Natchez. The great staple of the 
state is cotton. Indian corn, rice, tobacco, hemp, etc., are also important 
productions. The fig and orange grow well in the lower part of the state, 
and the apple tree flourishes in the higher hilly regions. Population, in 
1800, 8,850; in 1820, 75,448; in 1840, 375,651; in 1850, 606,555; and in 
1860, 887,258, of whom 479,607 were slaves. 

Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, is about 40 miles eastofVicks- 
burg-, with which it is connected by a railroad. It is on the left bank 
of Pearl River, which is navigable to this place for small steamboats. 
It contains the state buildings, and has about 4,000 inhabitants. 

Natchez is on the E. bank of the Mississippi, 87 miles S. W. from 
Jackson, the capital of the state, and from New Orleans, by the river, 
309 miles, but in a direct line 127 miles. This is usually consid- 
ered the principal city of the state, its importance arising from Its 
being the depot of cotton, the product of the lands ai'ound it, and 
from being also one of the main entrepots of the internal commerce 
of Mississippi. The principal part of the city is built on a clayey 
bluff, about 150 feet high. Natchez under the Hill, as it is called, is 



588 



MISSISSIPPI. 



that part which lies upon the mariijin of the ri\-cr, consisting of ware- 
houses, stores, shops, etc., fur the accommoihxtion of the landing-. The 
city contains about 7,000 inhabitants. It lias long been considered 
one of the most beautiful ^Jhices on the Lower Mississippi. 




Tho view shows tlie southern front of tlio St;ite 
also the Cowman House. 



Suii/heni ^ lew (ij Jaclsou {Central j'(tiL) 

;. The Guveruor's Ilousf is soc-ii a little to the left 




Western view of Natchez. 

Thn buildings near the shore comprise " Natchez under the Hill": part of the city above appears on the 
bluff. The City Hotel and part of the promenade grounds on the edge of the precipitous cliffs are been on 
the left. The passage to the lauding appears in the central part. 

Natchez wasa very important point in the early histoiy of Mississippi. 



MISSISSIPPI. 589 

In the year 1700, Iberville, the first colonist of Louisiana, ascended tlie 
Mississippi 400 miles, as ftxr as the Natchez tribe, on a voyage of explora- 
tion. Here he selected an elevated bluff as the site fbr the future capital of 
the province. It was the bluff where the city of Natchez now stands: this 
place he named Rosalie. He was highly pleased with the Natchez tribe and 
their country. This tribe was very powerful and highly improved, and in 
many particulars differed from the neighboring tribes with whom they were 
in alliance. 

"Their religion, in some respects, resembled that of the fire-worshipers of Per- 
sia. Fire was the emblem of their divinity ; the sun was their god: their chiefs 
were called "suns," and their king was called the "Great Sun." In their princi- 
pal temple a perpetual fire was kept burning by the ministering priest, who like- 
wise ofl'ered sacrifices of the first fruits of the chase. In extreme cases, they offered 
sacrifices of infant children, to appease the wrath of the deity. When Iberville 
was there, one of the temples was struck by lightning and set on fire. The keeper 
of the f\ine solicited the squaws to throw their little ones into the fire to appease 
the angry divinity, and four infants were thus sacrificed before the French could 
prevail on them to desist from the horrid rites. 

After Iberville reached the Natchez tribe, the Great Sun, or king of the con- 
federacy, having heard of the approach of the French commandant, determined 
to paj^ him a visit in person. As he advanced to the quarters of Iberville, he was 
borne upon the shoulders of some of his men, and attended by a great retinue of 
his people. He bade Iberville a hearty welcome, and showed him the most 
marked atiention and kimlness during his stay. A treaty of friendship was con- 
cluded, widi permission to build a fort and to establish a trading-post among them ; 
which was, however, deferred for many years." 

A few stragglers soon after took up their abode among the Natchez ; but 
no regular settlement was made until 1716, when Bienville, governor of Lou- 
isiana, erected Fort Rosalie, which is sup})osed to have stood near the east- 
ern limit of the present city of Natchez. 

Grand or Great Sun, the chief of the Natchez, was at first the friend of 
the whites, until the overbearing disposition of one man brought destruction 
on the whole colony. The residence of the Great Sun was a beautiful vil- 
lage, called the White Apple. This village spread over a space of nearly 
three miles, in extent, and stood about twelve mites south of the fort, near 
the mouth of Second Creek, and three miles east of the Mississippi. M. de 
Chopart, the commandant, was guilty of great injustice toward the Indians, 
and went so far as to cx)mniand the "Great Sun" to leave the village of his 
ancestors, as he wanted the ground for his own purposes. The Great Sun, 
finding Chopart deaf to all his entreaties, formed a plot to rid his country of 
Ihe tyrant w"ho oppressed them. Previous to the tragedy, the Sieur de Mace, 
ensign of the garri.son, received advice of the intention of the Natchez, 
through a young Indian girl who loved him. She told him, crying, that her 
nation intended to massacre the French. Amazed at this story, he ques- 
tioned his mistress. Her simple answers, and her tender tears, left him no 
room to doubt of the plot. He informed Chopart of it, who forthwith put 
him under arrest for giving a false alarm. The following is from Monette's 
History of the Valley of Mississippi: 

" A4 length the fatal day arrived. It was Nov. 29, 1729. Early in the morning 
Great Sun repaired, with a few chosen Avarriors, to Fort Rosalie, and all were well 
armed with knives and other concealed weapons. 

The company had recently sent up a large supply of powder and lead, and pro- 
visions for the use of the post. The Indians had recourse to stratagem to procure 
a supply of ammunition, pretending that they were preparing for a great hunting 
oscursion. Before they set out they wished to purchase a supply of ammunition, 



590 MISSISSIPPI. 

and they had brought corn and poultry to barter for powder and lead. Having 
placed the garrison off their iviard, a number of Indians were permitted to enter 
the fort, and others were distributed about the company's warehouse. Upon a 
certain signal from the Great Sun, the Indians immediately drew their concealed 
weapons, and commenced the carnage by one simultaneous and furious massacre 
of the garrison, and all who were in and near the warehouse. 

Other parties, distributed through the contiguous settlements, carried on the 
bloo'^ly work in every house as soon as the smoke was seen to rise from the houses 
near the fort. 

The massacre commenced at nine o'clock in the morning, and before noon the 
whole of the male population of the French colony on St. Catharine (consistin<r of 
about seven hundred souls) were sleeping the sleep of death. The slaves were 
spared for the service of the victors, and the females and children were reserved 
as prisoners of war. Chopart fell among the first victims ; and, as the chiefs dis- 
dained to stain their hands with his despised blood, he was dispatched by the hand 
of a common Indian. Two mechanics,, a tailor and a carpenter, were spared, be- 
cause they might be useful to the Indians. 

While the massacre was progressing, the Great Sun seated himself in the spa- 
cious warehouse of the company, and, with apparent unconcern and complacency, 
sat and smoked his pipe while his warriors were depositing the heads of the 
French garrison in a pyramid at his feet. The head of Chopart was placed in the 
center, surmounting (hose of his officers and soldiers. So soon as the warriors in- 
formed the Great Sun that the last Frenchman had ceased to live, he commanded 
the pillage to commence. The negro slaves were employed in bringing out the 
plunder for distribution. The powder and military stores were reserved for pub- 
lic use in future emergencies. 

While the ardent spirits remained, the day and the night alike presented one 
continued scene of savage triumph and drunken revelry. With horrid yells they 
spent their orgies in dancing over the mangled bodies of their enemies, which lay 
strewed in every quarter where they had fallen in tlie general carnage. Here, 
unburied, they remained a prey for dogs and hungry vultures. Every vestige of 
tli: houses and dwellings in all the settlements were reduced to ashes. 

Two soldiers only, who happened to be absent in the woods at the time of the 
massacre, escaped to bear the melancholy tidings to New Orleans. As they ap- 
proached the fort and heard the deafening yells of the savages, and saw the col- 
umns of smoke and flame ascending ffom the buildings, they well judged the fate 
of their countrymen. They concealed tiiemselves until they could procure a boat 
or canoe to descend the river to New Orleans, where they arrived a few days after- 
ward, and tokl the sad story of the colony on the St. Catharine. 

The same fate was shared by the colony on the Yazoo, near Fort St. Peter, and 
by those on the Washita, at Sicily Island, and near the present town of Monroe. 
Dismay and terror were spread over every settlement in the province. New Or- 
leans Avas filled with mourning and sadness for the fate of friends and country- 
men. 

The whole number of victims slain in this massacre amounted to more than, two 
hundred men, besides a few women and some negroes, who attempted to defend 
their masters. Ninety-two women and ope hundred and fifty-five children were 
taken prisoners. Among the victims were Father Foisson, the Jesuit missionary; 
Laloire, the principal agent of the company; M. Kollys and son, Avho had pur- 
chased i\I. Hubert's interest, and had just arrived to take possession." 

When the news of this terrible disaster reached New Orleans, the French, 
commenced a war of extermination against the Natchez. The tribe eventu- 
ally were driven across the Mississippi, and finally scattered and extirpated. 
The Great Sun and his principal war chiefs, f;illing into the hands of the 
French, were shipped to St. Domingo and sold as slaves. Some of the poor 
prisoners were treated with excessive cruelty, four of the men and two of 
the women were publicly burned to deatli at New Orleans. Some Tonica 
In<lians, who had brought down a Natchez woman, whom they had discov- 



MISSISSIPPI. 591 

ered in tlie woods, were allowed to execute lier in the same manner. The 
unfortunate woman was led forth to a platform erected near the levee, and, 
surrounded by the whole population, was slowly consumed by the flames! 
She supported her tortures with stoical fortitude, not shedding a tear. "On 
the contrary," says Gayarre, ''she upbraided her torturers with their want 
of skill, flinging at them every opprobrious epithet she could think of." 

"The scattered remnants of the tribe sought an asylum among the Chickaaaws 
and other tribes who were hostile to the French. Since that time, the individual- 
ity of the Natchez tribe has been swallowed up in the nations with whom they 
were incorporated. Yet no tribe has left so proud a memorial of their courage, 
their independent spirit, and their contempt of death in defense of their rights and 
liberties. The city of Natchez is their monument, standing upon the field of their 
glory. Such is the brief history of the Natchez Indians, who are now considered 
extinct. In rtfinement and intelligence, they were equal, if not superior, to any 
other tribe north of Mexico. In courage and stratagem they were interior to none. 
Their form was noble and commanding; their stature was seldom under six feet, 
and their persons Avere straight and athletic. Their countenance indicated more 
intelligence than is commonly found in savages. The head was compressed from 
the OS frontis to the occiput, so that the forehead appeared high and retreating, 
while the occiput was compressed almost in a line with the neck and shoulders, 
This peculiarity, as well as thfeir straight, erect form, is ascribed to the pressure 
of bandages during infancy. Some of the remaining individuals of the Natchez 
tribe were in the town of iS'atchez as late as the year 1782, or more than half a 
century after the Natchez massacre." 

By the peace of 1763, the Natchez District came into possession of Gi-eat 
Britain, and the next year it was included in West Florida. In 1783, when 
Florida was ceded to Spain, Natchez came under the dominion of that power. 
In 1796, by the treaty of Madrid, the Natchez district was ceded to the 
United States. That treaty defined the boundary of the Floridas to be the 
thirty-first parallel of north latitude, from the Mississippi eastward to the 
Chattahoochee River; thence along a line running due east from the mouth 
of Flint Elver to the head of St. Mary's Biver, and thence down the middle 
of that river to the Atlantic Ocean. This left to Spain, west of the present 
boundary of Florida, a narrow strip along the Gulf of Mexico, of about 60 
miles in width, of the present states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, 
to the Mississippi, beside all of the present Florida and a strip of about 25 
miles in width of the present southern part of Georgia. Spain was forced 
to this cession through her political embarrassments, and, from the delay in 
abandoning the territory, it was evident she had hopes that circumstances 
would arise which would enable her to retain possession. Foiled in her in- 
trigues to accomplish this end, the Spanish governor general at New Orleans, 
in January, 1798, ordered the evacuation of the only Spanish forts remain- 
ing, Natchez and Nogales. The post at the mouth of Wolf River, near the 
present site of Memphis, had been evacuated the preceding autumn. 

On the 29th of March, 1798, about midnight, the Spanish drums in the 
fort at Natchez sounded the note of preparation, and before morning the 
garrison had embarked on the Mississippi, on their way to New Orleans. 
On the 7th of the following month, the territory surrendered, comprising the 
present states of Mississippi and Alabama, north of the 31st parallel of 
north latitude, was erected into the Mississippi Territory, and on the 10th 
of May, organized a territorial government. Winthrop Sargent, the first 
territorial governor, and the territorial judges, arrived at Natchez the fol- 
lowing August, and proceeded to establish the government. General Wil- 
kinson also arrived with the Federal troops, and established his headquarters 



502 MISSISSIPPI. 

.it Natchez. Soon after lie founded tlie present Fort Adams, on the Missis- 
sippi, six miles above the Florida lino. 

In 1801, Gov. Sargent •fras succeeded by Wm. C. C. Claiborne as cjovcrnor 
of the territory, which at that time had about 12,000 inhabitants, of whom 
some 2,000 were slaves. The next year the seat of the territorial govern- 
nient Avas removed to the town of Washington. 

On the 10th of March, 1803, Natchez received a city charter from the 
territorial legislature. It was then a large village, consisting chiefly of small 
wooden buildings of one story, distributed over an irregular, undulating sur- 
face, with but little regard to system or cleanliness. The year previous, the 
Natchez Gazette, the first newspaper in Mississippi, was established by Col. 
Andrew Marschalk, who had been an officer in Wayne's army. This paper, 
under different forms and names, was published by this father of the press 
in Mississippi for nearly forty years afterward. 

Previous to the extension of the America., jurisdiction over the Natchez 
district, the Catholic powers forbade Protestant worship, hence publ'c preach- 
ing was unknown. The first Protestant pi-eacher was Tobias Gibson, of the 
South Carolina Conference, who arrived at Natchez in the summer of 1799, 
and proceeded to organize societies at Washington, Kingston, on Cole's 
Creek near Greenville, and on the Bayou Pierre. After his death he was 
succeeded, in 1806, by Learner Blackburti. Thus was Methodism first in- 
troduced into the territory. Rev. Mr. Bowman, also a Methodist, settled in 
Natchez in 1803. In 1802 came the first Presbyterian missionaries, Messrs. 
Hall and Montgomery, the first of whom labored several years at Natchez. 
In 1802 came David Cooper, the first Baptist missionary, to Natchez, and 
also, about the same time, Kev. Dr. Cloud, of the Episcopal church. 

"The Mississippi Territory, for several years afterward, with its wide extent of 
Indian country, was traversed by only three principal roads, or horse-paths. 
These were, first, the road from the Cumberland settlements through the ("hickii- 
saw and Choctaw nations to the Natchez District; second, fi'om Knosville through 
the Cherokee and Creek nations, bv way of the Tombigbee, to Natchez; third, 
that from the Oconee settlements of Georgia, by way^f Fort 8toddart, to Natchez 
and New Orleans. The Chickasaw, or Nashville Trace, was frequented more than 
any other, it being the traveled route for the return journeys of all the Ohio boat- 
m^en and traders from New Orleans and Natchez." 

Natchez v/as the residence of Hon. Sergeant S. Prentiss and Gen. John A. 
Quitman, each of whom, in their time, were men of national reputation. 
Mr. Prentiss was born in Portland, Maine, in 1810, and at eighteen years of 
ago settled in Natchez, where he studied law and became the acknowledged 
licad of his profession in this region. As a jury lawyer he had no equal in 
the southwest, and he was one of the most brilliant of stump orators. In 
1838 and 1839, he was a representative in congress. lie died in 1850, at 
the age of 40 years, and is buried near the city. Gen. Quitman was born in 
Dutcliess county, New York, in 1799, was educated for the bar, and when 
about twenty-one years of age he removed to Natchez. About the year 1840, 
he was appointed judge of the high court of errors and appeals. He was a 
major general in the Mexican war, and gained great credit in several battles. 
In 1850, he was elected governor of Mississippi, and afterward served in 
congress, where he was at the head of the committee on military affairs. His 
strict integrity and kindness of heart won him troops of friends among all 
parties. He was spoken of often as the Democratic candidate for vice pres- 
ident, and was the recognized leader of those favorable to the annexation of 
Cuba. He died in July. 1858. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



593 



VlCicsBURG, SO named from Mr. Vicks, an extensive landholder, is on the 
eastern bank of the Mississippi, 41 miles W. from Jackson, and by the river, 
513 from New Orleans. The city is principally built on a bluff, broken into 
several eminences, and elevated about 200 feet above the river. The build- 
ings are situated on and among the shelving declivities of the hills, and the 




T7t'!<? of Vicksbiiir/, fru.n the West hank of the Mississippi. 

Tlie view shows the appearan'^a of tho central part of Vicksbiirg, as seen from thu Louisiana siili' of the 
Mississippi. The Car House of the Jaclisoii Il.R. is on tlio right. The Catliolio and some other churches 
are seeo on the liights in the central part. 

many clusters of dwellings present a picturesque appearance. The city con.- 
tains the usual public buildings, several academies, five churches, and about 
4,500 inhabitants. It was incorporated as a town in 1825, and as' a city in 
1836. Great quantities of cotton are annually shipped from this place to 
New Orleans and elsewhere. The surrounding country is remarkably fertile, 
well adapted to the culture of cotton, grain, etc. The Walnut Hills, be- 
tween two and three miles from the city, rise to an elevation of 500 feet 
above the river. 

Oxford, the capital of Lafayette county, is on tho line of the Cen- 
tral railroad, in tho northeru part of the state. It is considered one 
of tlie healthiest places in Mississippi, and is noted as the scat of the 
University of xMississippi. This institution is about a mile from the 
village, and the buildings arc excellent. Its origin was a grant of 36 
sections of land given for this purpose, bj* Congress, in 1819. 

Columbus, the shire town of Lowndes county, is on the left bank of 
the Tonibigbce, at an elevation of 120 feet above the river, at the or- 
dinary iiead of steamboat navigation, 150 N. E. from Jackson, and, 
by the river, 480 miles from Mobile. It has about 4,000 inhabitants. 
Aberdeen, on the right bank of the Tombigbee, 25 miles from Col- 
umbus, is the center and shipping place for a fertile region. 

Canton is 25 miles N. from Jackson, on the line ef the railroad, and 
has about 2,000 inhabitants. 

Yazoo City is a large shipping point for cotton on the Yazoo Elver, 
38 



i94 



Mississipn. 



50 miles N. N. W. from Jackson. It is in a rich cotton district, and 
has about 2,500 inhabitants. 

Jlolhj Springs, the capital of Marshall county, is on the line of the 
Mississippi Central railroad, 210 miles north of Jackson, and has sev- 
ei-al educational institutions of fine repute, and about 4,000 inhabi- 
tants. 

The Lauderdale Springs, sulphur and chalybeate, are in liauderdale 
county, in the extreme northwestern corner of the state. Cooper's 
Well, 12 miles west of Jackson, is noted for its mineral qualities. 




Outline view of the Observatoiy of the University of Mississippi. 

THE LYMAN COLONY IN MISSISSIPPL 

Phineas Lyman, a major .c;enernl in the French Canadian war, was one of the 
first of the Anglo Saxon race who attempted a settlement in the present limits of 
Mississippi. He was a native of Durham, Conn., a graduate of Yale College, a 
distinguished lawyer, and became commander of the Connecticut forces in 1755. 
He visited England as the agent for an association, called the "Military Adventur- 
ers," whose design was the colonization of a tract of country upon the Mississippi. 
After sustaining a series of mortifications and delays from those in power, for more 
than ten years, the grant upon the Mississippi was made, and he returned home in 
1773. 

In Dec, 1773, Gen. Lyman sailed from New England, in two vessels, for New 
Orleans, accompanied by the following emigrants: Daniel and Roswell Magguet 
and Capt. Ladley, of Hartford; Thomas and James Lyman, of Durham ; Hugh 

White, Capt. Ellsworth, Ira Whitmore, and Sage, of Middletown; Thaddeus 

and Phineas Lyman, James Harman and family, Moses, Isaac Sheldon, Roger 

Harmon, Hanks, Elnathan Smith, and eight slaves, from Suffield; Thomas 

Comstock, Weed, of New Hartford; Capt. Silas Crane, Robert Patrick, Ash- 

bel Bowen, John Newcomb, and James Dean, of Lebanon ; Abram Knapp, and 
Capt. Matthew Phelps, of Norfolk; Giles and Nathaniel Hull, James Stoddart, and 
Thaddeus Bradley, of Salisbury; Maj. Easley, of Weathersfield ; John Fisk, and 
Elisha Hale, Wallingford, Timothy and David Hotchkiss, Waterbury; John Hyde, 

William and Jonathan Lyon, and William Davis, of Stratford or Derby; AI- 

cott of Windsor. All these were from Connecticut. The following were from 
Massachusetts: Moses Drake, Ruggles Winchel, and Benjamin Barber, of West- 
field; Scth Miller, Elisha and Joseph Flowers, William Hurlbut, and Elisha Leon- 
ard, with a number ^f slaves, of Springfield 

Gen. Lyman and his company arrived at New Orleans in 1774, and after a labori- 
ous passage up the Mississippi, reached the Big Black River, in the "Natchez 
Country," as it was called. Here he settled his grant, but was too old to cultivate 
it. Jn a abort time he and his son died. Capt. Phelps returned to Connecticut, 



MISSISSIPPI. 595 

and by his representations of the fertility of the new country, induced many of 
the citizens to return with him. After some delay, he sailed from Middletown in 
1776. Among the emigrants were Madame Lyman, the widow of the late general, 
with three sons and two daughters, Maj. Timothy, Sereno, and Jonathan Dwight, 
of Northampton ; Benjamin Day and family, Harry Dwight and three slaves, Jos- 
eph Leonard and Joshua Flowers, with their families, from Springfield; llev. Mr. 
Smith and his family, from Granville, Mass.; Mrs. Elnathan Smith and children, 
John Felt, with his family, Capt. Phelps and family, from SufiBeld, and many 
others. 

After a voyage of three months, they reached New Orleans on the 1st of Auc^ust. 
Here, having obtained boats, they proceeded up the Mississippi. Capt. Phelps and 
all his children becoming prostrated by disease, his boat was tied to the willows, 
while the others continued the voyage. The boat containing the Lymans and the 
Rev. Mr. Smith reached Natchez. Mr. Smith and Maj. Dwight died in a short 
time. Those of the party who were left arrived at the Big Black and the improve- 
ments made by (Jen. Lyman. Here Madame Lyman soon died, and was buried 
by the side of her husband. Capt. Phelps remained in his boat, which was an- 
chored fifteen miles above Point Coupee, where his son and daughter died and he 
•was compelled to bury them with his own hands : his wife soon after died, and he 
was left alone with two little children. These were subsequently drowned as he 
came in sight of the mouth of the Big Black Biver. 

Thje remaining members of the Lyman family continued in the country until 
it was invaded by the Spaniards in 1781-S2. With a number of their friends, they 
planted themselves in the neighborhood of Natchez. Being British subjects, and 
having everything to fear from the Spaniards, they determined to flee through the 
wilderness to Savannah, the nearest British post. Th« mother country and her 
colonies being at war, rendered a direct course to Savannah too perilous to be 
hazarded. To avoid danger they were compelled to take a very circuitous route, 
wandering, according to their reckoning, nearly fourteen hundred miles. Their 
journeyings occupied one hundred and forty-nine days. 

The caravan was numerous, including men, women and children, with some at 
the breast. They were mounted on horseback, but the ruggedness of the ground 
obliged such as were able to walk, to make a great part of their way on foot. They 
were in constant apprehensions from hostile Indians. Often they suffered from 
extreme thirst and hunger. The first Indian town they ventured to approach was 
on the "Hickory ground" — the site of Wetnmpka, Ala. Supposing the company 
were whigs, and enemies to King George, their "Great Father," theCreeks appear 
to have determined to put them to death. But, by the cunning and address of 
Paro, the black servant of McGillivray, the Creek chief, who understood the Eng- 
lish language, they escaped. The Indians told Paro that, if they were Knglish- 
men, " they could make the papei' talk^' i. e. they must have kept a journal. JParo 
took the hint, and as they had kept none, he told them any piece of paper tljat had 
writing upon it would serve the purpose. An old letter was produced, from which 
one of the company pretended to read the adventures of the company since they 
left Natchez. This was interpreted to the Indians by Paro, sentence by sentence. 
As the recital went on, their countenances began to relax, and before the reading 
was finished, their ferocity was succeeded by friendship, and all the wants of the 
wanderers kindly supplied. 



THE BANDIT MASON". 

" Among the incidents in the early history of the Mississippi Territory was the 
violent death of the notorious robber Mascm. This fearless bandit had become 
the terror of the routes from New Orleans and Natchez through the Indian na- 
tions. After the organization of the territorial government, and the opening of 
roads through the wilderness to Tennessee, the return of traders, supercargoes, 
and boatmen to the northern settlements, with the proceeds of their voyage, was 
on foot and on horseback, in parties for mutual protection, throijgh the Indian na- 
tions; and often rich treasures of specie were packed on mules and horses over 



596 MISSISSIPPI. 

these lono; and toilsome journeys. Xor was it a matter of surprise, in a dreary 
wildeDiess, that bandits should infest such a route. It was in the year 1802, when 
all trav'd and intercourse from New Orleans and the Mississippi Territory was ne- 
cessarily by way of this solitary trace, or by the slow-ascendiug barge and keel, 
that Mason made his appearance in the Mississippi Territory. 

Long accustomed to robbery and murder upon the Lower Ohio, during the Spnn- 
ish dominion on the Mississippi, and pressed by the rapid approach of the Anipri- 
caii population, he deserted the 'Cave in the Kock,' on the Ohio, and began to in- 
fest the great Natchez Trace, where the rich proceeds of the river trade were the 
tempting prize, and where he soon become the terror of every peaceful traveler 
through the wilderness. Associated with hira were his two sons and a few other 
desperate miscreants; and the name of Mason and his band was known and 
dreaded from the morasses of the southern frontier to the silent shades of the Ten- 
nessee Iliver. The outrages of Mason became more frequent and sanguinary. 
One day found him marauding on the banks of the Pearl, against the life and for- 
tune of the trader ; and before pursuit was organized, the hunter, attracted by the 
descending sweep of the solitary vulture, learned the story of another robbery and 
murder on the remote shores of the Mi.ssissippi. Their depredations became at 
last so frequent and daring, that the people of the territory were driven to adopt 
measures for their apprehension. But such was the knowledge of the wilderness 
possessed by the wily bandit, and such his untiring vigilance and activity, that for 
a time he bafSed every attempt for his capture. 

Treachery at last, however, effected what stratagem, enterprise and courage had 
in vain attempted. A citizen of great respectability, passing with his sons through 
the wilderness, was plundered by the bandits. Their lives were, however, spared, 
and they returned to the*settlement. Public feeling was now excited, and the gov- 
ernor of the territory found it necessary to act. Governor Claiborne accordingly 
offered a liberal reward for the robber Mason, dead or alive ! The proclamation 
was widely distributed, and a copy of it reached Mason himself, who indulged in 
much merriment on the occasion. Two of his band, however, tempted by the large 
reward, concerted a plan by which they might obtain it. An opportunity soon 
occurred; and while Mason, in oompanj'^ with the two conspirators, was counting 
out some ill-gotten plunder, a tomahawk was buried in his brain. His head was 
severed from his body and borne in triumph to Washington, then the seat of the 
territorial government. 

The head of Mason was recognized by many, and identified by all who read the 
proclamation, as the head entirely corresponded with the description given of cer- 
tain scars and peculiar marks. Some delay, however, o'ccurred in paying over the 
reward, owing to the slender state of the treasury. Meantime, a great assemblage 
from all the adjacent country had taken place, to view the grim and ghastly head 
of the robber chief They were not less inspired with curiosity to see and con- 
verse with the individual whose prowess had delivered the country of so great a 
scourge. Among thjose spectators were the two young men, who, unfortunately for 
these traitors, recognized them as companions of Mason in the robbery of their 
father. 

It is unnecessary to say that treachery met its just reward, and that justice was 
also satisfied. The reward was not only withheld, but the robbers Avere imprisoned, 
and, on the full evidence of their guilt, condemned and executed at Greenville, 
Jefferson county. 

The band of Mason, being thus deprived of their leader and two of his most 
efficient men, dispersed and fled the country. Thus terminated the terrors wliich 
had infested the route through the Indian nations, known to travelers as the 'Nat- 
chez and Nashville Trace.' " 



Cotton, jonly within the memory of man, has assumed much iijj^rtance in 
the agriculture and commerce of the world. With our fathers, cottow cloth was 
almost entirely unknown, linen being universally worn. This change has been 



MISSISSIPPI. 



597 



CAvIng t,o the invention of the cotton gin hy Whitney* in 1793. Prior to this time 
it was in vain to think of raising cotton for the market for separating the seed 
from a single "pound of cotton was a day's work for a single hand. At this period 
liie whole interior of the southern states was languishing, and the people emigrated 
for want of some object to engage their attention and employ their industry, wiieu 
tlie invention of this machine at once opened new views to them which set the 
whole country in motion. 



iiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiimiMMiiiiiiiiiiirFi'i w\^ 




Harvesting Cotton. 

In 1784, an American vessel arrived at Liverpool, having on board, for part of 
her car^o^ eight bags of cotton, w!;ich were seized by the officers of customs 
under the conviction that they could not be the growth of America, although 
the plant is natiiral to the soil. Now cotton is our great article of export, amount- 
ing in value, in 1859, to $161,000,000, and in total product to about $250,000,- 
OUO!! The demand is increasing in a greater ratio than we can supply; such 



*" Eli Whitney, the great benefactor of the south, in the invention of the cotton gin, waa 
Lorn in Massachusetts, and was early distinguished for his mechanical genius. After grad- 
uating at Yale CoJIege, he visited Georgia in the prospect of securing a situation of private 
tutor. He was disappointed in the hope, and was received, almost in charity, under the 
benevolent roof of Mrs. Green, the widow of General Nathaniel Green, of the Revolution. 
A party of gentlemen, conversing incidentally on the subject, were lamenting that there 
was no means of separating the seed from the cotton ; and remarked, that until ingenuity 
could devise some machine to effect the purpose, it was vain to think of raising cotton to 
exjiort. " Gentlemen," said Mrs. Green, " apply to my young friend, Mr. Whitney, he can 
make anything." When the matter was proposed to Whitney, he replied that he had never 
seen cotton or cotton seed in his life. The subject was thus, however, suggested to his 
mind, and with tools most inadequate, and much of the materials made by himself, in the 
course of a few months, he perfected a machine which answered every desired purpose. 
Thus, by the force of intuitive genius, one man called into practical being the staple of an 
entire country, revolutionized its affairs, and added millions to its wealth. When the fact 
of such a discovery was known, the populace was so determined to possess the machine, 
that they broke open his house and seized it. Before WlTitney was able to make his model 
and procure his patent, many machines were already in operation. This violent procedure 
i\)bbed the inventor of much of the benefit of his discovery. It was emphatically stated 
by Whitney, in a subsequent application to congress for remuneration, " that his invention 
had been the source of opulence to thousands of the citizens of the United States, and that 
as a labor-saving machine, it would enable one man to perform the work of one thousand 
mefl." 



. 598 MISSISSIPPI. 

are our advantages of soil and climate, that none can compete with us. Instead 
of measurinii; the value of this invention by hundreds of millions of dollars, thous- 
ands of millions could scarce compass it. But for it, it is probable that the cotton- 
growing states would have remained in a wilderness condition, and our country, 
as a whole, immeasurably behind her present state, in wealth, power, and popula- 
tion. 

The earliest seat of the cotton manufacture known to us was Hindostan, where 
it continues to be carried on by hand labor. America and Kurope are now pour- 
ing back upon Asia her original manufacture, and underselling her in her own 
markets. In the manufacture of no one article has the genius of invention been 
more called into exercise. It has not only built up our own Lowell and other 
thriving towns, but large cities in other lands, as Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, 
Paisley, etc. It is estimated to give employment to over a million of persons, and 
an amount of capital of millions upon millions of dollars. 

" Cotton goods, to a great extent, may be seen freighting every vessel, from Chris- 
tian nations, that traverses the globe; and filling the warehouses and shelves of 
the merchants, over two thirds of the world. By the industry, skill, and enter- 
prise employed in the manufacture of cotton, mankind are better clothed; their 
comfort better promoted; general industry more highly stimulated; commerce 
more Avidely extended; and civilization more rapidly advanced than in any pre- 
ceding age. When the statistics on the subject are examined, it appears that 
nearly all the cotton consumed in the Christian world, is the product of the slave- 
labor of the United States." The London Economist says: "The lives of nearly 
two millions of our countrymen are dependent upon the cotton crops of America; 
their destiny may be said, without any kind of hyperbole, to hang upon a thread. 
Should any dire calamity befall the land of cotton, a thousand of our merchant 
ships would rot idly in dock; ten thousand mills must stop their busy looms; two 
hundred thousand moutlis would starve, for lack of food." 

There appears to be no limits to the varieties of cotton. The varieties familiar to our 
soutlieni states, and known to conuiierce, are divided into " short " and " long stai)le." 
The sliort staple, or upland cotton, was originally procured from the West Indies, and is 
famili.ir to every household in the form of sheetings and shirtingg. The long staple, or 
Sea Iflund cotton, is supposed to have originated in Persia. It is the finest cotton in the 
woild, commanding four or live times the price of the other, and is used only for the finest 
fabrics. Combined with silk it often deceives the most practiced eve to discover the mix- 
ture. 

An immense area of the Union is adaptetl to the cultivation of cotton, including all the 
slave states excepting the northern tier. What are particularly denominated the cotton 
states, are South Carolina, Georgia, and those on the Gulf of Mexico. These include 
great varieties of scenery, and often the cotton plantations are rendered picturesque by the 
combinations of hill and dale. Preparations for planting the cotton begin in January, by 
collecting the old stalks of the previous season in piles, and destroying them by fire. The 
planting takes place about the last of March, two or three bushels of seed being used to 
the acre. In about a week the young plants are seen making their way above ground in 
lines of solid masses. " The field haud,liowever, will single one delicate shoot from the 
surrounding multitude, and with his rude hoe he will trim away the remainder with all the 
boldness of touch of a master; leaving the incipient stalk unharmed and alone in its glory; 
and at nightfall you can look along the extending rows, and find the plants correct in line, 
and of the re(iuired distance of separation from each other. Through the month of July 
the crop is worked over the last time, with the plow and the hoe, and makes rapid advances 
to perfection. 

The " cotton bloom," under the matured sun of July, begins to make its appearance. 
The announcement of the " first blossom " of the nei^'hborhood is a matter of general in- 
terest. It should, perhaps, be here remarketl, that the color of cotton in its peif'ection is 
precisely that of the blossom — a beautiful light, but warm cream color. In buying cotton 
cloth, tlie "bleiiched " and " unbleached " are perceptibly different qualities to the most 
casual observer; but the dark hues and harsh look of the "unbleached domestic" comes 
from the handling of the artisan and the soot of machinery. If cott«>n, pure as it looks in 
the field, could be wrought into fabrics, they would have a brilliancy and beauty never yet 
accorded to any other material in its natural or artificial state. 

The ' cotton-picking season' is generally brought to a close by the middle of December. 
The crop ready for shipment, the negroes are permitted to relax from their labors, and are 
in fine spirits, because ' the work of the year is finished.' The Christmas holidays are 
strictly kept, and is the great gala season of the negro. 



LOUISIANA. 




The territory of Louisiana was first traversed by the Spaniards under De 
Soto, who died at the mouth of Red Hiver, in May, 1542. This celebrated 

adventurer, finding that the hour of 
death was come, appointed a succes- 
sor, and with his dying breath, ex- 
horted his desponding followers to 
" union and confidence" words later 
emblazoned on the arms of Louisiana. 
De Soto, it is said, expended 100,000 
ducats in this expedition, and thus 
like the fabled pelican of old, gave 
his own blood for the nourishment of 
his brood of followers. 

In 1682, La Salle, a French naval 
officer, discovered the three passages 
by which the Mississippi dicharges 
its waters into the Grulf. La Salle, 
having ascended the river to a dry 
spot, above inundation, erected a col- 
umn with the arms of France affixed, 
and took possession of the country, 
"in the name of the Most High, mighty, invincible, and victorious Prince, 
Louis the Great, by the grace of God, King of France and Navarre, four- 
teenth of that name." After the Te Dcum was chanted, a salute of fire- 
arms, and cries o? vive le roi, La Salle declared that his majesty, as eldest son 
of the church, would annex no country to his crown, without making it his 
chief care to establish the Christian religion therein: its symbol must now 
be planted. Accordingly a cross was erected, before which religious services 
were performed. The country was named Louisiana, in honor of the French 
king. 

La Salle attempted a settlement, but it failed. In 1699, a more successful 
attempt was made by Iberville and others. He entered the mouth of the 
Mississippi, and after making considerable explorations, he returned to the 
Bay of Biloxi, where he erected a fort, which he left in charge of his broth- 
ers, SouvoUe and Bienville, and then returned to France. In 1712, the King 
of France granted a charter to M. Crozat, which covered the whole province, 
with the exclusive privilege of trade, etc., for twenty years. This grant was 

699 



Abms or LouiaiAN^. 
Motto — Union and Confidence. 



goo LOUISIANA. 

surrendered, after five years, with bitter complaints that from the imbecility 
of the colony, the strength of the Indians, the presence of the British, and 
the sterility of the soil, it had proved of no value to him, bxt rather a ruin- 
ous expense. \ 

About the year 1717, John Law, a Scotchman, but settled in Paris as a 
financier, obtained a charter for a bank. With this was connected a great 
commercial company, to whom was granted the extensive territory of Louis- 
iana, the mines of which, near the Mississippi, would, it was represented, re- ' 
imburse any investment. The Il«yal Bank stock went up to six hundred 
times its par value, and dividends were rendered at 200 per cent. This bank- 
ing and stock jobliing bubble soon burst, involving vast numbers of persons 
in every rank of life in ruin, and the '■'■Mississippi Scheme' was a by -word 
for a long period. Despairing of finding gold, and having but poor success 
in colonizing their lands, this "Western Company" gave up their charter in 
1732, which the king accepted, and declared the commerce of Louisiana 
free. 

In 17G0, war broke out between Great Britain and France. Canada fell 
into the hands of the English, and rather than submit to their government, 
many of the inhabitants sought a home in southern climes, fixing themselves 
on the Acadian coast of Louisiana, or, taking their course westward of the 
river, formed the settlements of Attakapas, Opelousas, and Avoyelles. In 
1762, France ceded the territory of Louisiana west of the Mississippi, with 
New Orleans, to Spain, and soon afterward abandoned her possessions east- 
ward to Great Britain. When the news of the transfer of Louisiana fell 
upon the French inhabitants, they were filled with mourning. O'Reilly, with 
a Spanish military force, arrived and landed in New Orleans, and took formal 
possession of the country in the name of his king. This commander soon 
proved himself a tyrant. Some of the first citizens were arrested, thrown 
into prison, declared guilty of treason, and tried under the statute of Al- 
phonso, making it death to incite insurrection against the king. Sentence 
and execution followed. "Posterity," says Martin, the historian, "will doom 
this act to public execration." 

The laws of Spain were gradually extended over Louisiana. During the 
American Revolution, Galvez, governor of Louisiana, captured the British 
garrison at Baton Rouge. The treaties between Great Britain, France and 
Spain and the United States, concluded in 17S3, opened the navigation of 
the Mississippi, and ceded the Floridas to Spain. These treaties, however, 
were followed by embarrassing disputes, particularly respecting the naviga- 
tion of that part of the Mississippi which passed through their territories. 
Any attempt to navigate the river, to introduce merchandise into New Or- 
leans, was resisted by the authorities, and the property seized. About the 
year 1787, Gen. Wilkinson conceived the design of making a settlement of 
American families in Louisiana, for which he expected to receive commer- 
cial favors from the Spaniards. 

In 1800, Spain reconveyed the province of Louisiana to France. Bona- 
parte, in 1803, sold the territory to the United States, for fifteen millions of 
dollars. On the 20th of December, 1803, "the American flag waved over 
the city of New Orleans — the same day having witnessed the dssesnt 
of the Spanish ensign, and the elevation of the tri-color, the latter 
only having been raised to be replaced by the stars and stripes. Gov. Clai- 
borne, on taking the chair of authority, organized a judiciary. The act of 
Congress, in 180-1, established a territorial government. The conflicting 



LOUISIANA. 601 

claims of the United States and Spain, to the strip of territory lying east of 
the Mississippi River, were brought to something like a crisis, in 1810, by 
the seizure of the Spanish post at Baton E-ouge. In 1812, Louisiana was 
admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. Upon the dechiration of war 
with Great Britain, Gen. Wilkinson took possession of the country west of 
the Perdito, then in the occupation of Spain. The memorable battle of 
New Orleans was fought on the 8th of January, 1815. The British troops, 
about 8,000 strong, were entirely defeated by a body of about 6,000 Ameri- 
can militia, with a loss of about 2,600 men, killed, wounded, and prisoners; 
the American loss was only six killed and seven wounded, a disparity rarely 
if ever before known. Since this j)eriod, Louisiana has steadily advanced in 
wealth and population. 

Louisiana extends from 29° to 33° N. latitude, and from 88° 40' to 9i° 
25' W. longitude; bounded N. by Arkansas and Mississippi, E. by Missis- 
sippi, W. by Texas, and S. by the Gulf of Mexico. Its length is 250 miles, 
its breadth on the Gulf of Mexico 300 miles, and at its northern boundary 
is ISO, having an area computed at 46,431 square miles. The whole surface 
of the state consists mostly of low grounds, with sorae» hilly ranges in the 
western part. The southern portion of the state, occupying about one fourth 
part of its territory is seldom elevated more than ten feet above the sea, and 
is annually inundated by the spring floods. This section is an alluvial de- 
posit from the waters of the Mississippi and its branches. The tei-ritory be- 
tween the Atchafalaya on the west, and the Iberville, etc., on the east, is 
called the Delta of the Mississippi, from its resemblance to the Greek letter 
of that name. 

The immense alluvial soil of Mississippi may be arranged into four classes 
— the first, about two thirds of the whole, has a heavy growth of timber, 
with an almost impenetrable undergrowth of canes, etc., and a soil of the 
richest fertility. The second class consists of cypress swamps; these are 
basins or depressions of the surface from which there is no outlet, and the 
waters which they receive from the annual floods remain until they are car- 
ried off by evaporation ; the third class consists of the sea marsh, a belt of 
land partially covered by the common tides, and generally without timber; 
the fourth class consists of small bodies of prairie land. 

The richest tract in the state is a narrow belt, called '■'•the coast," lying 
along the Mississippi, on both sides, extending from 150 miles above to 140 
below New Orleans, and one to two miles wide. This belt was formed from 
the annual deposits of the river, and is a little above the ordinary level of 
the floods. To prevent the river from inundating the valuable tracts in the 
rear, an artificial embankment has been built, six or eight feet high, called 
the Levee, which is sufficiently broad for a highway. The whole of this tract 
is under cultivation, and large quantities of sugar are annually produced. 
Below the mouth of Red River, the Mississippi separates into several branches 
or outlets, which, diverging from each other, ^owly wend their way into the 
Gulf of Mexico, and divide the southwestern portion of the state into islands. 
The climate in the vicinity of New Orleans is similar to that of Charleston, 
S. C, although two degrees further south. The great agi*icultural produc- 
tions of the state are sugar, Indian corn, rice and cotton. Louisiana is di- 
vided into two districts, the eastern and westeun; the eastern contains 21, 
the western 26 parishes. Improved lands, 1,590,025 acres; unimproved, 
3,939,018. Population, in 1810, 76,556 ; in 1820, 153,407 ; in 1850, 511,974j 
in 1860, 666,431, of whom 312,186 were slaves. 



602 



LOUISIANA. 



New Orleans, the great commercial emporium of the south and west, 
and the <ireatest cotton mart on the globe, is situated on the E. or left bank 
of the Mississippi, 105 miles above its :: outh, 1,438 S.W. from Washington, 
1.6G3 from N. York, 2,025 miles from Pittsburgh, vta Ohio and Mississippi 




Smith- Eastern vicio vf Jackson Square, New Orleans. 



The Cathedriil, with its spiivs, appears in the central part, the Statue of Gen. Jackson within the 
square in front. Tlie Court buiUiings on eitlier siile. 

Rivers, and 2,000 from St. Anthony's Falls, in Lat. 29° 57' 30" N., Loa. 90° 
W. IVom Greenwich. The city is built around the river, which here forms 
a curve somewhat in the form of a crescent, from which circumstance it is 




View on the Levee at New Orleans. 

often called the ' Crescent Cifi/." The Mississippi, opposite New Orleans, is 
half a mile wide, and 100 to 160 feet deep, and continues thi.s depth to near 
the Gulf, where there are bars having only 13 to 16 feet of water. The lo- 
cation is on a piece of land which inclines gently from the river to the marshy 
grounds in the rear. At high water it is from three to nine feet below the 



LOUISIANA. 



603 



water surface. To protect the country against inundations, an embankment, or 
levee, fifteen feet wide and six feet high, has been raised, extending 120 miles 
above, and 43 below the city to Fort Plaquemine. 











View in Kew Orleans. 

The enslaving is a rppresentation in St. Charles-street, showing the widely known St. Charles Hotel, 
with the adjacent buildings. 

The New Orleans levee is one continuous landing-place, or quay, four 
miles in extent, and of an average width of 100 feet. It is 15 feet above 
low water mark, and six feet above the level of the city, to which it is grad- 
uated by an easy descent. During the business season, from November to 
July, the river in front of the levee is crowded with vessels, of all sizes and 
from all quarters of the world, with hundreds of large and splendid steam- 
boats, barges, flat-boats, etc. The levee presents a most busy and animated 
prospect. Here are seen piles of cotton bales, vast numbers of barrels of 
pork, flour, and liquors of various kinds, bales of foreign and domestic man- 
ufactures, hogsheads of sugar, crates of ware, etc., draymen with their carts, 
buyers, sellers; laborers, etc. Valuable products from the head waters of 
the Missouri, 3.000 miles distant, center here. The Illinois, the Ohio, the 
Arkansas and Red Rivers, with the Mississippi, are all tributaries to this 
commercial depot. Upward of two hundred millions of dollars worth of 



^04 LOUISIANA. 

nicrcliandise are annually brou<;lit to this market. Upward of 2,000 vessels, 
with a tuunage of more than 1,000,000, enter and clear from this port an- 
nually. 

The change in the course of the river at New Orleans, causes vast alluvial 
deposits, particularly at that point where the commerce of the city chiefly 
centers. Here it has been found necessary to erect' quays, extending from 
50 to 100 feet in the river. In consequence of the new formations, the levee 
'has been widened, and an additional row of warehouses erected between the 
city and the river. The city is built along the river over seven miles, and 
extends toward Lake Ponchartrain, nearly four miles from the river. The 
houses are mostly of brick, and many of the residences in the suburbs are 
ornamented with orange trees and gardens. The city was originally laid out 
by the French, in an oblong rectangular shape, l,o20 yards in length, and 
700 yards in breadth. In 183G, New Orleans was divided into three muni- 
cipalities, but in 1852, this division was abrogated, and the faubourgs, with 
the village of La Fayette, are now incorporated under one city government. 
Algiers, which may be regarded as one of the suburbs, is a flourishing village 
on the opposite side of the river, and has several shipyards and extensive 
manufacturing establishments. The inhabitants of New Orleans are nearly 
equally composed of Americans, Creoles, and Spaniards. Population, iu 
1S50, 11(),375; in 1860, 170,766. 

Jackson Square, with its beautiful statuary, trees, shrubbery, etc., in front 
of the Cathedral, is one of the most attractive places ia the city. Formerly 
it was known as Place d'Arnis, and in early days was used for military pur- 
poses. In 1850 it was changed to its present name, since which time it has 
been tastefully laid out in walks, and ornamented with the rarest plants and 
flowers of the south. In thcceater of the square is a fine statue of Jack- 
son, the hero of New Orleans, on horseback. In either corner of the square 
is a statue representing the seasons. The Catholic Cathedral, fronting the 
square, was erected in 1792. The style of its architecture is duplex — the 
first story front is of the* Doric order, and the second, the Tuscan. The 
belfry was erected in 1850. The founder, Don Andre, built and dedicated 
this imposing structure to the church, on condition that masses be ofi"ered 
every Saturday evening at sunset for the repose of his soul. 

Lafayette Square^ adorned with shade trees, is now used as a military pa- 
rade ground, and has several fine public edifices around it — the Odd Fellows' 
Hall fronts the west side of the square. It is a noble building, erected at 
a cost of $200,000. Th-e C% JIall, on the opposite side of the square, is 
a superb edifice of the Grecian Ionic order, after the Erectheum at Athens: 
it is built of white marble, the basement being of granite. The finest por- 
tion of the building is the portico, with its massive marble columns. The 
pediment contains a groupe in marble, representing Justice supported by 
Liberty and Commerce. It was commenced in 1847, and completed in 1850, at 
an expense of about 8300,000. Since the consolidation of the city, it has been 
known as the City Hall. The First Prcshyterlan Church, on the south side 
of the square, is an architectural ornament to the city of the first order. It 
is of Gothic style, and the largest building of the kind in the city, being 
nearly 100 feet in breadth and 194 in depth, having a steeple 210 feet high. 
It occupies the site of the old church, which was destroyed by fire, Oct. 30, 
1854. The following inscription is within the vestibule: 

In memory of Rev. Sylvester Larned, First Pastor of the Presbyterian Church iu this 
City, who died of the yellow fever, Aug. 31, 1820 ; aged 2-1 years. Uis last sermon was 



LOUISIANA. 



605 



preached on the 27th of Aug., from Phil. I, 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to dio li 



gain. 



There are about 50 churches in New Orleans, about one third of which 
are Catholic. The Chari.fij Hospital is a large building, three stories high 
and 290 feet in lenoth. It was instituted in 1832, and the citizen and stranger 




Northern View of Lafayette Square, Keio Orleans. 

The first Prpsbyterimi Church is seen in the cntral part, on the south side of the S(iu"re. Tart of the 
Odd Fellows' Hall and Catholic Church on the left, and tho front of the City Hall on the extreme right. 

alike find admission and receive the benefits of this institution during sick- 
ness. Its average yearly admissions have been latterly about 11,000, and its 
.discharges about 9,000. Its disbursements are about $100,000. The U')n- 
versity of Lomsiana was founded in 1849. The medical department has 8 




Situation of New Orleans. 

The ontline shows the general appearance of New Orleans, as seen from tho south, on tho oast bank of 
the Mississippi. The localities of Algiers, MacDonough, etc., appear on the left ; part of the Levee in front. 

professors, the academic 4, and the law 4. The U. S. Marine Hospital is at 
MacDonough, on the opposite side of the river. The hotels and theaters of 
New Orleans, are among the most splendid buildings in the city. St. Charles 



606 LOUISIANA. 

Theater is 132 feet long and 170 feet deep, and cost about $350,000; the 
French theater is a harge and expensive building ; the American theater cost 
about $130,000. These three theaters will, in the aggregate, accommodate 
about -1,500 persons, and are nightly filled, often to suffocation. 

The New Orleans Custom House is stated to be "the largest structure of 
the kind under one roof in the world." The corner stone was laid by Henry 
Clay, in 1849. The building covers a whole square, an area of two acres. 
The whole cost, when completed, it is supposed will amount to nearly four 
millions of dollars. 

The statue of Henry Clay is one of the objects of interest in New Or- 
leans. It is in bronze, after the design of Joel T. Hart. It is about twelve 
feet in hight, and is mounted on a lofty pedestal. Mr. Clay is represented 
in the act of addressing the senate, the left hand resting on the pedestal, the 
right gracefully extended. The corner stone was laid on the 12th of April, 
1856, and on the 12th of April, 1860, it was inaugurated in the presence af 
one of the largest concourses of people ever assembled in the city. It stands 
in the heart of the metropolis, overlooking the Mississippi. New Orleans 
was a place of favorite resort to Mr. Clay, and his memory is endeared to 
her citizens by many valued recollections of his social life among them. 



The history of New Orleans, in" its earlier epochs, embraces that of the 
whole French settlements in lower Louisiana. It received its name from 
the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France. 

" In many respects New Orleans is regarded as the most remarkable and attrac- 
tive city of the United States, especially by those foreigners who are partial to the 
life of Southern Europe. Its almost tropical climate, its semi-French tone, its lux- 
uries and pleasures, and its being, so to speak, the headquarters of the southAvest- 
ern states, whose inhabitants are famed for their frank, courteous, and hospitable 
manners, all combine to render New Orleans to the one who perfectly appreciates 
it a place of most delightful memori-es and associations. Previous to the be- 
ginning of the present century, the history of New Orleans was intimately con- 
nected with that of France and Spain. It was settled by the French in 1717, and 
owed its existence to the famous, and until recently but imperfectly understood 
genius, John Law. The settlement of the country did not succeed,'however, under 
the Mississippi scheme, though immense sums were expended upon it, and many 
colonists sent there. All possible protection and privilege failed to produce remu- 
nerative returns, principally because gold and silver were more sought for than 
crops. In 1727, New Orleans received a great number of Jesuit priests .Jnd Ursu- 
line nuns, who remained there until 1764. Jt was in 1769 that the first cases of 
yellow fever occurred — introduced, it is said, by a slaver. Its commerce with the 
United States began in 1777, and during the following year it was nearly destroyed 
by a vast conflagration. The population of New Orleans in 1785 amounted to 
four thousand seven hundred; in 1853 it was one hundred and forty-five thousand 
four hundred and forty-nine, of whom twenty-nine thousand one hundred and sev- 
enty-fonr were either slaves or 'f p.c.,' 'free people of color.' In 1762, by secret 
ti'caty, Louisiana was conveyed to Spain. Several years elapsed before the occu- 
pation took place. The new Spanish government was odious to the French settlers, 
and so aggravating to their American neighbors that our general government had 
at one time to use strenuous exertions to prevent a regular war Ijetweon the west- 
ern people and the Spaniards. New Orleans was reconveyed to the French in 
1800, and included in our purchase of Louisiana. Napoleon saw that the loss ..of 
the country was inevitable, and wisely sold it to the United States. Never was a 
monarch so willing to sell out, or a government so anxious to buy as ours, the (tnly 
difficulty was the price. It was finally transferred for the valuable consideration 
of eighty millions of livres, deducting twenty millions for spoliations of our mer- 
chant marine. In 1804 New Orleans was incorporated as a city; in 1805 it be- 
came a port of entry. From the period of its passing under 'American' govern- 



LOUISIANA. 



607 



ment, its progress was wonderfully rapid, its population more than doubling within 
seven years. It was on January 8, 1815, that the most interesting event in its 
history occurred. It was on that day that General Pakenham approached the city 
through Lakes Borgne and Ponchartrain, and was defeated by General Jackson. 




Battle Field of Plaine Chalmette, or New Orleans. 

The memorable battle of New Orleans was fought about four miles below 
the city, at a spot washed by the Mississippi, and surrounded by cypress 
swamps and cane-brakes. The following account is from Perkins' History 
of the War: 

"On his arrival in the city. General Jackson, in conjunction with Judge Hall, 
and many influential persons of the city, on the 16th of December, issued an order 
declaring the city and environs of New Orleans to be under strict martial law. 
Every individual entering the city was required to report himself to the adjutant- 
general, and no person by land or water was suffered to leave the city without a 
passport. The street lamps Avere ordered to be extinguished at nine o'clock; after 
which any persons found in the streets, or from their homes without permission in 
writing, and not having the countersign, were ordered to be apprehended as spies. 
This measure at once converted the whole city into a camp, and subjected the per- 
sons- and property of the citizens to the will of the commanding general. Writs 
of habeas corpus, and all other civil process by me.ans of which the lives and 
properties of the people are protected, were for the time suspended. Such was the 
alarm and confusion of the moment, that few inquiries were made whence the 
commanding general of a military station derived such powers, to be exercised 
over the inhabitants of the adjacent country, in nowise connected with his camp. 
Although the brilliant success which afterward attended the operations of General 
Jackson seemed to justify the measure, yet the people saw in it a precedent, which 
though it might have saved New Orleans, might at some future period extinguish 
their liberties. A most rigid police was now instituted. Spies and traitors, with 
which, the governor complained, the city abounded, and who had been industri- 
ously employed in seducing the French and Spanish inhabitants from their alle- 
giance, now fled ; and the remaining citizens cordially co operated with the gen- 
eral in the means of defense. Fort St. Philips, which guarded tbe passage of the 
river at the Detour la Plaquemine, was strengthened and placed under the com- 
mand of Major Overton, an able and skillful engineer. A site was selected for 
works of defense, four miles below the city, where its destinies were ultimately to 
be determined. The right rested on the river, and the left was flanked by an im- 
penetrable cypress swamp, which extended eastward to Lake Ponchartrain, and 
westward to within a mile of the river. Between the swamp and the river was a 
large ditch or artificial bayou which had been made for agricultural objects, but 
which now served an important military purpose. On the northern bank of this 
ditch, the entrenchments were thrown up. 



g08 LOUISIANA. 

Each flank was secured by an advance bastion, ami the hitter protected by batte- 
ries in the rear. These works were well Jiioiinted with artillery. Opposite this 
position, on the west bank of the river, on a risini; ground. General Morgan, with 
the city and drafted militia, was stationed; and Commodore Patterson, with the 
crews of the Caroline and Ijouisiana, and the guns of the latter, formed iinolher, 
near (Jeneral Mor;];an's; both of which entirely enfiladed the approach of an ene- 
my ai;;ainst the principal works. A detachment was stationed above the town to 
guard tiie piss of the Bayou St. John, if an attempt should be made from that 
quartt-r. These arrangements, promptly and judiciously made, gave entife conH- 
dence to the citizens, and inspired them with zeal to second the general's exertions. 
Iveinforcements were daily arriving, and as they arrived were immediately con- 
ducted to their respective stations. 

Ldiiding of t/ie British. — In the meantime the British were actively employed 
in making preparations for the attack; believing the pass from Lake Borgne to 
Ivako Pontchartraiu to be defended according to (Joneral Wilkinson's plan, by the 
fortress of Petit Coqviille, they determined to land from Lake Borgne by the Bayou 
Bienvenue. For this purpose they jconcentrated their forces on Ship Jshxnd, eighty 
miles distant from the contemplated place of landing. The depth of water in Lake 
Borgne was such that this distance could be traversed only by boats and small 
craft, and must necessaril}' be passed several times in order to bring up the whole 
ai-maraent. The first object of the British general, was to clear the lake of the 
American gun-boats; and fur this purpose, forty British launches were sent in pur- 
suit ol' them, and, after a desperate resistance, captured and destroyed the wliole 
American flotilla, stationed on Lakes Borgne and Pontchartraiu, for the defense of 
New Orleans, consisting of five gunboats and a small sloop and schooner. By this 
success, they obtained the undisturbed possession of tlie lake; and on the 22d of 
December, proceeded from their rendezvous on Ship island, with all tlieir boats 
and small craft capable of navigating the lake, to the Bayou of Bienvenue; and 
having surprised and captured the videttes at th~i mouth of the bayou, the first di- 
vision accomplished their landing unoljserved. Major General Villiere, of the New 
Orleans militia, living on the bayou, to whom the important service of making the 
first attack, and giving notice of the enemy's approach was intrusted, found them 
on his plantation, nine miles below the city, without any previous knowledge of 
their approach. 

Skirmishes on the 2^d. — Notice was immediately given to General Jackson, who 
came out and attacked them on the evening of the 23d. In this affiiir the British 
sustained a loss, in killed, wounded and missing, of five hundred. The British 
entrenched themselves at the Bienvenue plantation, four miles from the American 
camp, making the plantation house, in the rear of their works, their headquarters, 
(general Jackson established his headquarters at M'Carty's plantation, on the bank 
of the river, and in full view of the British encampment. Two armed schooners, 
tlie Caroline and Louisiana, constituting all the American naval force on the river, 
dropped down from the city, anchored opposite the British encampment, and opened 
a brisk fire upon their lines with considerable effect. On the 27th, the Caroline, 
Captain Henly, got becalmed within reach of the British batteries, and was set fire 
to and destroyed by their hot shot: the other succeeded in getting out of their 
reach. On the 28th, the British advanced within half a mile of the American 
lines, and opened a fire of shells and rockets; but were driven back by the artil- 
lery with considerable loss. On the night of the 31st of December, the enemy 
again advanced to within six hundred yards of General Jackson's po'sition, and 
erected three batteries, mounting fifteen guns, and at eight o'clock in the morn- 
inir opened a heavy fire. In the course of the day, under cover of these batteries, 
three unsuccessful attempts were made to storm the American works. By four in 
the afternoon, all their batteries were silenced, and in the following night they re- 
turned to their former position. On the 4th of January, General Adair arrived 
with four thousand Kentucky militia, principally without arms. The muskets and 
munitions of war destined for the supply of this corps, were proWded at Pitts- 
burgh, and did not leave that place until the 25th of December; passed T.,ouisville 
the 6th of January, and arrived at New Orleans, several days after the battle of 



LOUISIANA. 009 

the 8tli. On the 6th, the last reinforcement of three thousand men arrived from 
England, under Major General Lambert. • Before the final assault on the American 
lines, the British general deemed it necessary to dislodge General Morgan and 
Commodore Patterson from their positions on the right bank. These posts so ef- 
fectually enfiladed the approach to General Jackson's works, that the army advanc- 
ing to tlie assault must be exposed to the most imminent hazard. To accomplish 
this object, boats were to be transported across the island from Lake Borgne to the 
Mississippi; for this purpose the British had been laboriously employed in deep- 
ing and widening the canal or bayou Bienvenue, on which they first disembarked. 
On the 7th, they succeeded in opening the embankment on tlie river, and complet- 
ing a communication from the lake to the Mississippi. In pushing the boats 
through, it was found at some places the canal Avas not of sufficient width, and at 
others the banks fell in and choked the passage, which necessarily occasioned great 
delay and increase of labor. At length, however, they succeeded in hauling 
through a sufficient number to transport five hundred troops to the right bank. At 
dawn of day on the 8th, was the period fixed for the final assault on the American 
lines. Colonel Thornton was detached with five hundred men, to cross the river 
and attack the batteries on that side, at the same time that the main assault was to 
be made, of which he was to be informed by a signal rocket. The American gen- 
eral had detached Colonel Davis, with three hundred Kentucky militia, badly armed, 
to reinforce General Morgan. These were immediately ordered to the water-edge, 
to oppose the enemy's landing. Unable in their situation to contend with a supe- 
rior force of regular troops well armed, they soon broke and fled, and the Louisi- 
ana militia at General Morgan's battery followed their example. Commodore Pat- 
terson's marine battery, being now unprotected, his crews were obliged to vield to 
an overwhelming force, and the British succeeded in silencing both; but tlie oppo- 
sition which Ccdonel Thornton met with prevented this operation from being com- 
pleted until the contest was nearly ended on the opposite side of the river. 

At day light on the morning of the 8th, the main body of the British under their 
comm.mder-in-chief. General Pakenham, were seen advancing from their encamp- 
ment to storm the American lines. On the preceding evening they had erected a 
battery within eight hundred yards, which now opened a brisk fire to protect their 
advance. The Bi-itish came on in two columns, the left along the levee on the bank 
of the river, directed against the American right, while their right advanoea to the 
swamp, with a view to turn General Jackson's left. The country being a perfect 
level, and the view unobstructed, their march was observed from its commence- 
ment. They were sufl-ered to a;-proach in silence and unmolested, until within 
three hundred yards of the lines. This period of suspense and expectation was 
employed by General Jackson and his officers, in stationing every man at his post, 
and arranging everything for the decisive event. When the British columns had 
advanced within three hundred yards of the lines, the whole artillery at once 
opened upon them a most deadly fire. Forty pieces of cannon deeply charged with 
grape, canister, and mu.sket balls, mowed them down by hundreds, at the same 
time the batteries on the west bank opened their fire, while the riflemen in perfect 
security behind their works, as the British advanced, took deliberate aim, and 
nearly every shot took efiiect. Through this destructive fire, the British left column, 
under the immediate orders of the commander-in-chief rushed on with their 
fascines and scaling ladders to the auvance bastion on the American right, and 
succeeded in mounting the parapet; here, after a close conflict with the bavonet, 
they succeeded in obtaining possession of the bastion, when the battery planted in 
the rear for its protection, opened its fire and drove the British from the ground. 
On the American left, the British attempted to pass the swamp, and gain the rear, 
but the works had been extended as far into the swamp as the ground would per- 
mit, yome who attempted it, sunk into the mire and disappeared; those behind, 
seeing the fate of their companions, seasonably retreate^l and gained the hard 
ground. The assault continued an hour and a quarter: during the whole time the 
British were exposed to the deliberate and destructive fire of the American artil- 
lery and musketry, which lay in perfect security behind their earthen breastworks, 
through which no balls could penetrate. At eight o'clock, the British columns 
drew ofl' in confusion, and retreated behind their worka. Flushed with success, 

39 



610 LOUISIANA. 

the militia were eager to pursue the British troops to their entrenchments, and 
driv6 them immediately from the island. A less prudent and accomplished general 
might have been induced to yield to the indiscreet ardor of his troops; but Gen- 
eral Jackson understood too well the nature, both of his own and his enemy's 
force, to hazard such an attempt. Defeat must inevita])ly have attended an assault 
made by raw militia upon an entrenched camp of British regulars. The defense 
of New Orleans was the object; nothing was to be hazarded which would jeopard- 
ize the city. The British were suffered to retire behind their works without moles- 
tation. The result was such as might be expected from the different positions of 
the two armies. General Paokenham, near the orest of the glacis, received a ball 
in his knee. Still continuing to lead on his men, another shot pierced his body, 
and he was carried off the field. Nearly at the same time, Major General Gibbs, 
the second in command, within a few yards of the lines, received a mortal wound, 
and was removed. The third in command, Major General Keane, at the head of 
his troops near the glacis, was severely wounded. The three commanding generals, 
on marshaling their troops at five o'clock in the morning, promised them a plenti- 
ful dinner in New Orleans, and gave them booty and beauty as the parole and 
countersign of the day. Before eight o'clock the three generals were carried off 
the field, two in the agonies of death, and the third entirely disabled; leaving up- 
ward of two thousand of their men, dead, dying, and wounded, on the field of 
battle. Colonel Raynor, who commanded the forlorn hope which stormed the 
American bastion on the right, as he was leading his men up, had the calf of his 
lef^ carried away by a cannon shot. Disabled as he was, he was the first to mount 
the parapet, and receive the American bayonet Seven hundred were killed on 
the field, fourteen hundred wounded, and five hundred made prisoners, making a 
total on that day of twenty-six hundred. But six Americans were killed and seven 
wounded. Of General Morgan's detachment on the west bank, and in a sortie ou 
the British lines, forty-nine were killed, and one hundred and seventy-eight 
wounded. 

After the battle, General Lambert, who had arrived from England but two days, 
before, and was now the only survivirg general, requested a truce for the pui-pose 
of burying his dead. This was granted until four o'clock in the afternoon of the 
9th. Lines were drawn one hundred rods distant from the American camp, within 
which fhe British were not permitted to approach. In the ditch, and in front of 
the works, within the prescribed lines, four hundred and eighty-two British dead 
were picked up by the American troops, and delivered to their companions over the 
lines for burial. The afternoon of the 8th and the whole of the 9th, was spent 
by the British army is burying their dead. The American sentinels guarding the 
lines during this interval, frequently repeated in the hearing of the British, while 
tumbling their companions by hundreds into pits, 'Six killed, seven wounded.' 

Retreat of the British. — On the night of the 18th, they broke up their encamp- 
ment, and commenced their retreat to the place of their first landing. To accom- 
plish this with safety, it was necessary that the army should move in one body. 
With this view, immediately after the battle of the 8th, large working parties had 
been employed in constructing a road through a quagmire, for a considerable dis- 
tance along the margin of the bayou : by binding together large quantities of reeds, 
and laying them across the mire ; in the course of nine days, these parties had 
constructed something resembling a road from their encampment to the place of 
debarkation. Along this insecure track, the British army silently stole their march 
in the night of the 18th of January. By the treading ot the first corps, the bun- 
dles of reeds gave way, and their followers had to wade up to their knees in mire. 
Several perished in the sloughs, the darkness of the night preventing their compan- 
ions from affording relief. At the mouth of the bayou were a few huts, which 
affordeil shelter for fishermen in the season of catching fish for the New Orleans 
market; here the troops halted and bivouacked previous to their embarkation. 
Their provisions being exhausted, a few crumbs of biscuit and a small allowance 
of rum was their only support. Here they were eighty miles from their ships, the 
whole of which distance they had to traverse in small open boats; and having but 
few of these, the embarkation occupied ten days. On the 27th, the whole land 
and naval forces which remained of this disastrous expedition, to their great joy, 



LOUISIANA. 611 

found themselves on board their ships. Their ranks thinned, their chiefs and 
many of their companions slain, their bodies emaciated with hunger, fatigue, and 
sickness, they gladly quitted this inauspicious country. The surviving command- 
ing general observes, ' that the services of both army and navy, since their landing 
on this coast, have been arduous beyond anything he ever before witnessed, and 
difficulties have been gotten over with an assiduity and perseverance beyond ex- 
ample by all ranks.' A British officer of distinction, an actor in the scene, thus 
describes his tour from the encampment to the embarkation: 'For some time, our 
route lay along the high road beside the brink of the river, and was agreeable 
enough ; but as soon as we began to enter upon the path through the marsh, all 
comfort was at an end. Being constructed of materials so slight, and resting upon 
a foundation so infirm, the treading of the first corps unavoidably beat it to pieces : 
those which followed were therefore compelled to flounder on in the best way they 
could; and by the time the rear of the column gained the morass, all trace of a 
way had entirely disappeared. But not only were the reeds torn asunder and sunk 
by the pressure of those who had gone before, but the bog itself which at first 
might have furnished a few spots of firm footing, was trodden into the consistency 
of mud. The consequence was, that every step sunk us to the knees, and fre- 
quently higher. Near the ditches, indeed, many spots occurred which we had the 
utmost difficulty of crossing at all; and as the night was dark, there being no moon, 
nor any light, except what the stars supplied, it was difficult to select our steps, or 
even to follow those who called to us that they were safe on the other side. At 
one of these places, I myself beheld an unfortunate wretch gradually sink, until 
he totally disappeared. I saw him flounder in, heard him cry for help, and ran 
forward with the intention of saving him ; but before I had taken a second step, I 
myself sunk at once as high as the breast. I could feel no solid bottom under me, 
and continued slowly to go deeper and deeper till the mud reached my arms. In- 
stead of endeavoring to help the poor soldier, of whom nothing now could be seen 
except the head and hands, I was forced to beg assistance for myself, when a 
leathern canteen strap being thrown me, 1 laid hold of it, and was dragged out 
just as my fellow sufferer became invisible. Over roads such as these, did we 
continue our march during the whole of the night, and in the morning arrived at 
a place called Fishermen's huts, consisting of a clump of mud-built cottages, 
standing by the edge of the water, on a part of the morass rather more firm than 
the rest. Here we were ordered to halt; wearied with exertions and oppressed 
with want of sleep, I threw myself on the ground without so much as taking off 
my muddy garments, and in an instant all cares and troubles were forgotten. Nor 
did I awake from that deep slumber for many hours; when I arose, cold and stiff, 
and addressed myself to the last morsel of salt pork my wallet contained. With- 
out tents or huts of any description, our bed was the morass, and our only cover- 
ing the clothes which had not quitted our backs for more than a month; our fires 
were composed solely of reeds, which, like straw, soon blaze up and expire again, 
without communicating any degree of warmth. But above all, our provisions were 
expended, and from what quarter an immediate supply was to be obtained, we 
could not discover. Our sole dependence was upon the boats. Of these a flotilla 
lay ready to receive us, in which were already embarked the black corps and the 
44th ; but they had brought with them only food for their own use, it was there- 
fore necessary that they should reach the fleet and return again before we could 
be supplied. But as the nearest shipping was eighty miles distant, and the weather 
might become boisterous, or the winds obstinate, we might starve before any sup- 
ply could arrive. As soon as the boats returned, regiment after regiment embarked 
and set sail for the fleet; but the distance being considerable, and the wind foul, 
many days elapsed before the whole could be got off; by the end of the month, we 
were all once more on board our former ships.' " 

The following respecting New Orleans, is extracted from a small work, en- 
titled "Travels in Louisiana and the Floridas in the year 1802, etc.," a very 
popular volume, published in Paris, Aug., 1803. Translated by John Davis: 

"New Orleans ... on the east side of the Mississippi, thirty-five leagues from 
the sea. . . . The river forms, before the city, a large creek, or kind of semi-circu- 



612 LOUISIANA. 

lar basin, here and there widening;. It is equivalent for a port on the cast, whei*e 
vessels anchor close to each other, and so near the water sido, that by means of a 
couple of forts, in the form of a bridge, there is an easy communication from the 
land to each vessel, and their cargoes are discharged with the greatest care. 

The depth of the river, taken at the middle of its bed, in front of the city, is 
about forty fathoms; about half a century ago its depth at the same place was sev- 
enty fathoms. Hence it follows (if these measurements be not faulty) that the 
bed of the river loses in depth what it gains in breadth; it is considerably wider 
than it was. Its breadth at the same pkce is about five hundred fathoms, propor- 
tionate to the elevation and depression of its waters. 

Behind the city is a communication by water with Lake Ponchartrain, which is 
not more than two leagues distant in a right line toward the north-east from whence 
small vessels come up with sails, by the way of the Bayou Saint John, which there 
empties itself At this confluence is an open canal, which was made some years 
ago, under the direction of Mons. Carondelet, a Avork truly useful; Avhich, in pro- 
curing to the city the advantages of a double port, purged and drained the neigh- 
boring swamps.' Formerly, those very vessels navigated the canal which now 
ancho^ before the city, but it having been neglected since the departure of the 
governor, it has lost its advantages in being choked up, and is now the receptacle 
of only the most diminutive barks. 

The city is about 3,600 feet in length: to which may be superadded the suburbs 
extending like the city along the river, and about half as long; but, strictly speak- 
intf, both the city and suburbs are mere outlines, the greater part of the houses 
bemg constructed of wood, having but one story, erected often on blocks, and 
roofed with shingles, the whole being of very comliustible wood, that is of cypress. 
Hence this city has been twice on tire, accidentally, in the interval of a small 
number of years, in the month of March, 1788, and the month of December, 1794. 
Yet, notwithstanding, the inhabitants every day build wooden houses, regardless 
of the consequences. 

There are a few houses, more solid and less exposed, on the banks of the river; 
and in the front streets. Those houses are of burnt brick, some one, others two 
stories high, having the upper part furnished with an open gallery, which sur- 
rounds the building. In the heart of the town one sees nothing but the bar- 
racks. 

The streets are well laid out and tolerably spacious, Imt that is all. Bordered 
by a footway of four or five feet, and throughout unpaved, walking is inconvenient; 
but what more particul.arly incommodes the foot-passenger is the projecting flight 
of steps before every door. The streets being flat, the filth of the houses remains 
where it was thrown; and during a great part of the year, they are a common 
sewer, a sink of nastiness, dirt, and corruption. 

With regard to the public buildings, these are only the Hotel do Ville and the 
Parochial Church (a plain building of the Ionic order), both built of brick; the 
former has, however, but one story. They stand near each other, on a spot con- 
ti<Tuous to the river. At both times they offered asylums to the inhal)itants, many 
seekin"- safety under their roofs, instead of exerting themselves to extinguish the 
flames. 




several 

posed ... 

Francais, in the Island of St. Domingo. Nor is this the first instance of Louisiana 
having profited by the calamities of that island. But by some misunderstanding 
between the civil and military of the colony, and the indifference of the citizens 
and colonists, the theatrical troop has been dispersed, and the theater shut. Not 
long ago, however, some of the citizens were seized with a fit of play acting, and 
a display of their dramatic talents was made in the Death of Caesar. 'I'hey in 
consequence stabbed with great vigor, rage, and perseverance, this enemy of Roman 
liberty, in the person of an old colonist, bald headed from years and corpulent 
from good living. The venerable colonist sustained his part Avell. But the spec- 
tators, who could not yield themselves to the theatrical iilusion. ceased not to see, 
through the representation, in the hero of ancient Rome, raised from the dead anj 



LOUISIANA. 



613 



transpoi'ted from the banks of the Tiber to those of the Mississippi, they did not 
cease a moment to behold the venerable and portly ^Ir. B**-'"***. 

In winter, during the Carnival, there is a pulbiic ball open twice a week, one day 
for the grown people, and another for children. It is nothing but a kind of hall 
made out of a huge barrack, and stands in such an unfortunate part of the city, 
that it is only accessible through mud and mire. Each side is accompanied with 
boxes, where the mammas form a tapestry, and where ladies of younger date, who 
come merely as spectators, are accommodated with seats. The latter in irony are 

called Bredojdlles The musicians are half a dozen gypsies, or else jieople 

of color, scraping their fiddles with all their might . It is hither, in the 

months of January and February, but seldom sooner or later, that the inhabitants 
rejwir, men ami women, to f(n-got their cares in dancing; nor will they tire at 
their country dances, groso modo, from seven at night till cock-crowing the next 
morning. The price of admittance is four Dutch shillings, or half a piastre, for 
every individual." 

The French or Catholic Cemetery, in New Orleans, is an interesting spot. 
On account of the wet nature of the soil, almost all the dead arc interred 
above ground. The principal cemetery (which is within the city limits), is 
in three divisions, each of which is covered with a profusion of elevated 
tombs. Many of these are beautifully constructed, embracing a great va- 
riety of architecture. A large portion of the tombs are built against the 




View hi the French Cemetery, New Orleans. 

vralls wliich surround each division of the cemetery, having tiers of 
ovenlike recesses, one above each other, in each of which a body is 
placed and then walled up by masonry, with a marble slab in front 
having inscriptions to the memory of the deceased within. 

Baton Eouge, the capital of Louisiana, and the oldest town in the 
state next to New Orleans, is situated on the east or left bank of the 
Mississippi, 130 miles above New Orleans, and 1,120 miles S. W. from 
Washington. It is mostly built on an elevated plain or bluff, some 
30 or 40 feet above high water, being tiie first elevation on the Mis- 
sissippi from its entrance into the gulf of Mexico. The city contains 
about 4,000 inhabitants. 

The first settlement of Baton Rouge w'as made by the French, but 
the difficulty in navigating the river with sail vessels to such a distance 
from the Gulf wassuch that it never increased to anv great extent. At 



614 



LOUISIANA. 



the purchase of Louisiana, Baton Eouge being then in the hands of the 
Spaniards, was taken by Gen. Thomas, and the Spanish rule annihilated. 
The place is said to have derived its name from the symbols of a bloody 
massacre by the Chickasaw Indians. A Spanish family, residing here, were 
murdered by the Indians, and their heads placed on poles along the margin 
of the river. A party of French, under La Salle, shortly afterward ap- 
proached the place, and were appalled by the ghastly sight, and named it 
Baton Ruuge (Eed Stick.) 

General Zachary Taylor had his family residence, for many years, at 

Baton Rouge. It was a small cot- 
tage built house, standing upon the 
bank of the Mississippi, and was 
originally inhabited by the com- 
mandant of the old Spanish fort. 
"It contained but three large rooms, 
to which were added in course of 
time a surrounding veranda, and 
some out-buildings devoted to do- 
mestic purposes. Here Col. Taylor, 
when ordered to take a command in 
the army south, refusing the more 
ostentatious quarters of 'the garri- 
son,' established himself, and here 
the members of his family resided, 
more or less, for the qxiarter of a 
century that preceded his translation 
to the ' White House.' At the time 
of the ' Presidential contest,' the 
thousands who traveled upon the 
great highway of the south and west, 
the Mississippi, were accustomed to 
stop their steamers in front of this 
humble looking house, and make the 
welkin ring with exulting cheers ; 
and nothing could exceed the enthu- 
siasm when 'old Whitey,' grazing in his retirement, would start at the enli- 
vening sounds, and sweep along the bluff in graceful movements, as if cor 
dially acknowledging the honors paid to his master." 




Gkn. Taylor's Kksidence. 




Western view of Baton Rouge. 



LOUISIANA. 615 

PUKCHA3E OF LOUISIANA.* 

In 1763, Louisiana was ceded to Spain, and by a secret article in the treaty of 
St. Ildefonso, concluded in 1800, that power ceded it back to France. Napoleon, 
however, wished to keep this cession secret until he should have — as he hoped to 
do — reduced Ht. Domingo to submission. Failing in this, he was rendered indif- 
ferent to his new acquisition. In January, 1803, he sent out Laussat as prefect of 
the colony, which was the first intimation that the inhabitants had of the transfer 
which gave them great joy. 

On being informed of this retrocession. President Jefferson had dispatched in- 
structions to Robert Livingston, the American minister at Paris, to represent to 
the First Consul that the occupation of New Orleans by France would endanger 
the friendly relations between the two nations, and, perhaps, even oblige the United 
States to make common cause with England; as the possession of this city by the 
former, by giving her the command of the ]\Iississippi, the only outlet to the pro- 
duce of the western states, and also of the Gulf of Mexico, so important to Amer- 
ican commerce, would render it almost certain that the conflicting interests of the 
two nations would lead to an open rupture. Mr. Livingston was therefore in- 
structed not only to insist upon the free navigation of the Mississippi, but to nego- 
tiate for the acquisition of New Orleans itself and. the surrounding territory; and 
Mr. -Monroe was appointed with full powers to assist him in the negotiation. 

Bonaparte, who always acted promptly, soon came to the conclusion that what 
he could not defend, he had better dispose of on the best terms; but before decid- 
ing, he summoned tAVO of his ministers in council, on the 10th of April, 1803, and 
thus addressed them: 

"I am fully sensible of the value of Louisiana, and it was my wish to repair the 
error of the French diplomatists who abandoned it in 1763. I have scarcely re- 
covered it before 1 run the risk of losing it ; but if I am obliged to give it up, it 
shall hereafter cost more to those who force me to part with it than to those to 
whom 1 yield it The English have despoiled France of all her northern posses- 
sions in America, and now they covet those of the south. 1 am determined that 
they shall not have the Mississippi. Although Louisiana is but a trifle compared 
to their vast possessions in other parts of the globe, yet, judging from the vexation 
they have manifested on seeing it return to the power of France, 1 am certain that 
their first object will be to gain ix)ssession of it. They will probably commence 
the war in that quarter. They have twenty vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, and our 
affairs in St, Domingo are daily getting worse since the death of Le Clerc. The 
conquest of Louisiana might be easily made, and I have noc a moment to lose in 
putting it out of their reach. I am not sure but what they have already begun an 
attack upon it. Such a measure would be in accordance with their habits; and in 
their place I should not wait. I am inclined, in order to deprive them of all pros- 
pect of ever possessing it, to cede it to the United States. Indeed, I can hardly 
say that I cede it, for I do not yet possess it; and if I wait but a short time, my 
enemies may leave me nothing but an empty title to grant to the Republic I wish 
to conciliate. They only ask for one city of Louisiana, but I consider the whole 
colony as lost; and I believe that in the hands of this rising power it will be more 
useful to the political, and even the commercial interests of France, than if I 
should attempt to retain it Let me have both your opinions on the subject" 

One of the ministers, Barbe Marbois, fully approved of the cession, but the other 
opposed it They debated the matter for a long time, and Bonaparte concluded the 
conference without making his determination known. The next day, however, he 
sent for Marbois, and said to him : 

" The season for deliberation is over: I have determined to renounce Louisiana. 
I shall give up not only New Orleans, but the whole colony, without reservation. 
That I do not undervalue Louisiana I have sufficiently proved, as the object of my 
first treaty with Spain was to recover it But, though I regret parting with it, I 
am convinced it would be folly to persist in trying to keep it I commission you, 

*This article is extracted from Bonner's History of Louisiana. 



616 LOUISIANA. 

therefore, to negotiate this affiiir with the envoys of the United States. Do not 
wait the arrival of Mr. Monroe, but go this very day and confer with Mr. Livings- 
ton. Remember, however, that I need ample funds for carrying on the war, and I 
do not wish to commence it by levying new taxes. For the last century France 
and ypain have incurred great expense in the improvement of Louisiana, for which 
her trade has never indemnified them. Large sums have been advanced to differ- 
ent companies, which have never returned to the treasury. It is fair that I should 
require repayment for these. Were I to regulate my demands by the importance 
of this territory to the United States, they would be unbounded;. but, being obliged 
to part with it, I shall be moderate in my terms. Still, remember, I must have fifty 
millions of francs, and I will not consent to take less. I would rather make some 
desperate eflfort to preserve this fine country." 

The negotiations commenced that very day. Mr. Monroe arrived at Paris on 
the 12th of April, and the two representatives of the United States, after holding 
a private conference, announced that they were ready to treat for the cession of 
the entire territory, which at first Mr. Livingston had hesitated to do, believing the 
proposal of the First Consul to be only a device to gain time. 

On the 30th of April, 1S03, the treaty Avas signed. The United States were to 
pay fifteen million dollars for their new acquisition, and be indemnified for some 
illegal captures; Avhile it was agreed that the vessels and merchandise of France 
and Spain should be admitted into all the ports of Louisiana free of duty for 
twelve years. 

Bonaparte stipulated in favor of Louisiana that it should as soon as possible be 
incorporated into the Union, and that its inhabitants should enjoy the same rights, 
privileges, and immunities as other citizens of the United States; and the third 
article of the treaty, securing to them these benefits, was drawn up by the First 
Consul himself, who presented it to the plenipotentiaries with these words: 

"Make it known to the people of Louisiana that we regret to part with them; 
that we have stipulated for all the advantages they could desire; and that France, 
in giving tliem up, has insured to them the greatest of all. They could never have 
prospered under any European government as they will when they become inde- 
pendent. But, while they enjoy the privileges of liberty, let them ever remember 
that they are French, and preserve for their mother-country that affection which a 
common origin inspires." 

The completion of this important transaction gave equal satisfaction to both 
parties. " I consider," said Livingston, "that from this day the United States takes 
rank with the first powers of Europe, and now she has entirely escaped from the 
power of England; " and Bonaparte expressed a similar sentiment in these words: 
"By this cession of territory I have secured the power of the United States, and 
given to England a maratime rival, who at some future time will humble her 
pride." These words appeared prophetic when the troops of Britain, a few years 
after, met so signal an overthrow on the plains of Louisiana. 

The boundaries of the colony had never been clearly defined, and one of Bona- 
parte's ministers drew his attention to his obscurity. "No matter," said he, "if 
there was no uncertainty, it would, perhaps, be good policy to leave some; " and, 
in fact, the Americans, interpreting to their own advantage this uncertainty, some 
few years after seized upon the extensive territory of Baton Rouge, which was in 
dispute between them and the Spaniards. 

On the 30th of November, 1803, Laussat took possession of the country, when 
Casa Calvo and Salcedo, the Spanish commissioners, presented to him the keys of 
the city, over which the tri-colored flag floated but for a short time. The colony 
had been under the rule of Spain for a little more than thirty-four yeai-s. 

On the '20th of December, in the same year. Gen. Wilkinson and (Grov. Claiborne, 
who were jointly commissioned to take possession of the country for the United 
States, made their entry into New Orleans at the head of the American troops. 
Laussat gave up his command, and the star-spangled banner supplanted the tri- 
colored flag of France. 

The purchase of Louisiana, which gave the United States their sole claim to the 
vast territory west of the Mississippi, extending on the north through Oregon to 
the Pacific, and further south to the Mexican dominions, was the most important 



LOUISIANA. 



617 



event to the nation which has occurred in this century. From that moment, the 
interests of the whole people of the Mississipi valley became as one, ami its vast 
natural resources began to bo i-apidly developed. So great are they that it is 
destined to become the center of American power — " the mistress of the world." 

CULTIV.\TI0N OF SUGAR CANE.* 

Louisana, before the rebellion, produced about half the amount of sufjar used 
in the Union, or more than .'-!5(),(M)0 bogheads yearly. Sugar is a "modern 

production: it was unknown to the 
ancients, and even in the middle ages 
was a luxury seldom indulged in even 
by t!ie wealthiest. It is generally 
conceded that the plant originated in 
China. The cane was first introduced 
into Europe by the Saracens, who cul- 
tivated it in Sicily, and the islands in 
the vicinity: by the middle of the 
13th century, it became generally 
known to the European world. Soon 
after the discovery of America the 
sugar cane was introduced by the 
early colonists of St. Domingo and 
other West India islands, which soon 
became fomous for its cultivation and 
the extraordinary improvements in- 
troduced there in the manufacture of 
sugar. In 1751, the cane was intro- 
duced into Louisiana by Jesuit priests 
from St. Domingo, who, by the indus- 
try of negroes familiar with its cul- 
tivation, planted it upon lands now 
occupied by the most densely popu- 
lated part of New Orleans. The cli- 
mate of Louisiana is far inferior to 
that of the West Indies for the pro- 
duction of sugar; but the cane in time 
becomes acclimated and insensible to 
the cold which would destroy that 
grown Cirther south. 

Until within the memory of those 
now living, the cultivation of the cane 
was confined to the vicinity of New 
Orleans. A great change has taken 
place: for over two hundred miles on 
either side of the Mississippi, and on 
the banks of many of its tributaries, together with the rich country — almost un- 
known except to its inhabitants — of Opelousas and Attakappas, lying westwardly 
on the Gulf coast, the sugar cane flourishes in the greatest perfection. A large 
number of the great cotton f\irms on lower Red River, have been successfully 
changed into the cultivation of cane, and the "high lands," which mean those 
above the annual rise of the Mississippi, have gratefully rewarded the labor of the 
sugar planter. 

Sugar cane is classed by botanists among the grasses. Its technical description, 
except to the initiated, gives but an indefinite idea to the general reader. Super- 
ficially, it resembles, in the field, the growing corn; but, on examination, it will be 
found to be very difl'erent. The stem, in every species of cane, is round and hard, 
and divided, at short, irregular intervals, with joints. When it is considered, that 




Gatheeinq Sugar Cajje. 



"Abridged from an article in Harper, by T. B. Thorpe, entitled " Sugar and the Sugar 
Region of Louisiana," and from Olmsted's "Seaboard Slave States." 



618 LOUISIANA. 

in Louisiana, the sugar crop has to be gathered and manufactured in ninety days, 
or be destroyed by the frost, and that one third of the entire crop has to be put 
into the ground for "seed," and that in the West Indies the season is always favor 
able for the perfection of the cane, a tolerably correct idea can be formed of the 
disadvantages under which the Louisiana planter labors, compared to those simi- 
larly engaged in more tropical regions. 

The largest and most important sugar plantations of Louisiana lie, with few ex- 
ceptions, upon the low lands of the Mississippi and its outlets. The consequence 
is, that they are beautifully level, and present a different appearance from any other 
agricultural portion of the Union. The prairies of the West roll like the swells of 
the sea, but the lields of Louisiana spread out with an evenness of surfoce that 
finds no parallel, except in the undisturbed bosom of the inland lake. 

One of the most interesting and picturesque portions of Louisiana devoted to 
the cultivation of sugar, lying off the banks of the Mississippi River, is the coun- 
try of " the Attakappas." This earthly paradise — for such a name it really deserves 
—lies west of the Mississippi River, and borders upon the Gulf of Mexico. It 
would be almost impossible to describe its character, it is so composed of bayous, 
lakes, rivers, prairies, and impenetrable swamps. To even a large portion of the 
oldest inhabitants of the state, Attakappas is an unknown region, and so it is des- 
tined to remain, except to its immediate inhabitants, if artificial means are not 
adopted to i'acilitate communication, in the spring you can reach the Attakappas 
in a comfortable steamer; later in the season all direct communication is cut off 
by the " low water." 

Here, upon the borders of the Teehe, is the most enchanting scenery and the 
richest sugar farms of Louisiana. Unlike the ^lississippi, the Teche has no levees : 
its waters never overflow. The stately residences of the planters are surrounded 
by i^ardens, the shrubbery of which reaches to the water's edge, and hedges of rose 
and hawthorn, of lemon and orange, every where meet the ravished eye. Along 
its shores the magnificent live oak rears itself in all the pride of vigorous "ancient 
youth," and gives to the gently undulating landscape, the expression so often wit- 
nessed in the lordly parks of England. 

The pleasant town of Fr-^nklix lies upon the Teche, and is the shipping port 
of the richest sugar parish of the state. Vessels of large size while in the Gulf 
of ?^lexieo turn aside from the mud-choked mouths of the Mississippi, and floating 
and cordelliiig through innumerable bays and bayous, finally work their way into 
the "interior," and mingle their rigging with the foliage of the forest. Here these 
argosies, born in the cold regions of the Aroostook, fill their holds with sugar and 
molasses, and, once freighted, wing their way to the north. 

Running parallel with the Teche are magnificent lakes, that consequently lie 
upon the rear of the plantations. It is the mists from these inland seas, with 
those of the rivers, that rise over the sugar cane in winter, and protect it from 
frosts which in less favored regions destroy the planter's prospects. To the acci- 
dental location of a plantation with regard to water, it is often indebted for ir com- 
parative exemption from freezing cold. 

imuudiately after the business of one year is closed, and the holidays are at an 
end, one of tlie first things attended to, as a commencement of the year's labor, is 
the clearing out of the ditches, that have become choked up by vegetation in the course 
of the summer and fall months. The ditches form one of the most important and ex- 
pensive necessities of a sugar estate; for, with the exception of frost, standing water 
is the most destructive thing to cane. Rains that fall in torrents in these latitudes, 
not only have to be guarded against, but also the more insidious and ever-encroach- 
ing " transpiration water." To form an idea of what is meant by this term, it 
must be remembered that the lands on the Mississippi River are protected from 
annual inundation by embankments known as " levees." In the spring of the year, 
the Mississippi, as the conductor to the ocean of more than half the running water 
of the North American continent, rises not only until its banks are full — but would, 
if left to itself, overflow for a season the whole lower country through Avhich it 
passes. To remedy this evil, from below New Orleans and up toward the north 
for hundreds of miles, the river is lined with an embankment, which, in times of 
flood, confines its waters within its usual channel. These embankments vary from 



• LOUISIANA. 619 

six to twelve feet in hight. When the river is full, it will be noticed that there is 
an inconceivable pressure made by this ai-tificial column upon the water that lies 
Tinder the soil of the plantations. Consequently, there is a constant percolation 
up to the surface; and if this were not provided against by the most liberal and 
scientific method of ditching, although the sun might shine uninterruptedly for 
weeks, the cane crop would sicken and die, not as we have seen by the descending 
rains, but by the ascending flood that at these particular times literally boils and 
billows under the earth. 

The highest lands upon the Mississippi River are those forming the banks; as 
you go inland, they gradually sink. In draining a plantation, it is customary to 
cut parallel ditches about two hundred feet apart, from the front to the rear of the 
plantation, with cross ditches every six hundred feet. This complication of artifi- 
cial canals requires not only an enormous outlay of capital and occupation of val- 
uable land, but also taxes the scientific engineer to give them their proper levels. 
In many instances, it is found impossible to accomplish this, and costly draining- 
machines have to be called into service. There is erected the steam-engine, that 
in every revolution tumbles the superabundant water that is running so merrily in 
the ditches over the back levee into the swamp. 

There are plantations on which within a square mile can be found from twenty 
to thirty miles of ditching. Often the "bayous" of the country are cleared out, 
and form an important natural adjunct in carrying oiF the surplus Avater, but to 
the labor of man is to be ascribed the making of the most formidable channels; 
for on some plantations can be seen a regular system of deep and carefully con- 
structed canals. It may be with truth said, that the industry and capital expended 
in^Louisiana alone, to ^jreserve the state from inundation, have erected works of 
internal improvement which, united, far surpass in extent, and if concentrated 
within the vision of a single eye, would be superior in magnificence to the re- 
nowned pyramids of Egypt. 

Tliis extensive ditching has required the labor of years to accomplish. At first 
very little was needed, for only the highest lands of the river were cultivated. As 
plantation after plantation was opened, and the levees increased, this ditching be- 
came more important — in fnct, the value of the plantation for productiveness de- 
pended upon their construction. Where the " plantation force " is large, the negroes 
do most of this important work, and generally are able to keep all clean when 
once they are made. But the same hardy and improvident son of Erin that levels 
mountains at the north, or tunnels through their rocky hearts, that flourishing 
cities may be built, and railways be constructed, finds his way to the distant south ; 
and with spade and wheelbarrow, is ever ready to move about the rich soil with 
an energy and ease that finds no rival except in the labors of an earthquake. 

For planting, new or fallow ground is prepared by plowing the whole surface. 
The ground being then harrowed, drills are opened with a double mold-board plow 
seven feet apart. Cuttings of cane for seed are to be planted in them. These are 
reserved from the crop in the autumn, when some of the best cane on the planta- 
tion is selected for this purpose, while still standing. This is cut ofi" at the roots, 
and laid up in heaps or stacks, in such a manner that the leaves and tops protect 
the stalks from frost. The heaps are called mattresses ; they are two or three feet 
high, and as many yards across. At the planting season they are opened, and the 
cane comes out moist and green, and sweet, with the buds or eyes, which protrude 
at the joints, swelling. The immature top parts of the stalk are cut off", and they 
are loaded into carts, and carried to the ground prepared for planting. The carts 
used are large, with high side-boards, and are drawn by three mules — one large 
one being in the shafts, and two lighter ones abreast, before her. The drivers are 
boys, who use the whip a gi'eat deal, and drive rapidly. In the field, says Olmsted, 
in his book, I found the laborers working in three divisions — the first, consisting 
of light hands, brought the cane by armsfuU from the cart, and laid it by the side 
of the furrows ; the second planted it, and the third covered it. Planting is done 
by laying the cuttings at the bottom of the furrow, in such a way that there shall 
be three always together, with the eyes of each a little removed from those of the 
others — that is, all " breaking joints." They are thinly covered with earth, drawn 
over them with hoes. The other tools woro so well selected on this plantation, 



620 LOUISIANA. • 

that I expressed surprise at the clumsiness of the hoes, particularly as the soil 
was Vi'^ht, antl entirely free from stones. "Such hoes as you use at the north 
■nould not last a nop'o a day," said the planter. 

Cane will grow for several years from the roots of the old plants, and, when it 
is allowed to do so, a very considerable part of the expense is avoided; but the 
viijor of the plant is less when growing from this source than when starting from 
cuttings, and the crop, when thus obtained, is annually less and less productive, 
until, after a number of years, depending upon the rigor of the seasons, fresh 
shoots cease to spring from the stubble. This sprouting of cane from the stools 
of the last crop is termed "ratooning." In the West India plantations the cane 
is frequently allowed to ratoon for eight successive crops. In Louisiana it is usual 
to plant once in three years, trusting to the ratooning for two crops only, and this 
was the practice on Mr. R.'s plantation. The cost of sugar growing would be very 
greatly increased if the crop needed planting every year: for all the cane grown 
upon an acre will not furnish seed for more than four acres — consequently one 
twelfth of the whole of each crop has to be reserved for the planting of the fol- 
lowing crop, even when two thirds of this is to be of ratoon cane. 

Planting is finished in a favorable season — early in March. Tillage is com- 
menced immediately afterward, by plowing from the rows of young cane, and sub- 
sequently continued very much after the usual plan of tillage for potatoes, when 
planted "in drills, with us. By or before the first of July, the crop is all well 
earthed up, the rows of cane growing from the crest of a rounded bed, seven feet 
wide, with deep water-furrows between each. The cane is at this time five or six 
feet high; and that growing from each bed forms arches with that of the next, so 
as to completely shade the ground. The furrows lietween the beds are carefully 
cleaned out; so that in the most drenching torrents of rain, the water is rapfUly 
carried off into the drains, and thence to the swamp; and the crop then requires 
no further labor upon it until frost is apprehended, or the season for grinding 
arrives. 

The nearly three months' interval, commencing at the intensest heat of summer, 
corresponds in the allotment of labor to the period of winter in northern agricul- 
ture, because the winter itself, on the sugar-plantations, is the planting-season. 
The negroes are employed in cutting and carting wood for boiling the canejuice, 
in making necessary repairs or additions to the sugar-house, and otherwise pre- 
paring for the grinding-season. 

The grinding-seasonis the harvest of the sugar planter; it commences in Octo- 
ber, and continues for two or three months, during which time, the greatest possi- 
ble activity and the utmost lalxir of which the hands are capable, are required to 
secure the product of the previous labor of the year. Mr. R. assured me that 
during the last grinding-season nearly every man, woman, and child on his planta 
tion, inckiding his overseer and himself, were at work fully eighteen hours a day. 
From the moment grinding first commences, until the end of the season, it is never 
discontinued; the fires under the boiler never go out, and the negroes rest only 
for six hours in the twenty-four, by relays — three quarters of them being constantly 
at work. 

Notwithstanding the severity of the labor required of them at this time, j}I''_R- 
said that his negroes were as glad as he was himself to have the time for grinding 
arrive, and they worked with greater cheerfulness than at any other season. IIow 
can those persons who are. always so ready to maintain that the slaves work less 
than free laborers in free countries, and that for that reason they are to bo envied 
by them, account for this? That at Mr. R.'s plantation it was the case that the 
slaves enjoyed most that season of the year when the hardest labor was required 
of them,'! "have, in addition to Mr. R.'s own evidence, good reason to believe, which 
I shall presently report. And the reason of it evidently is, that they are then bet- 
ter paid; they have better and more varied food and stimulants than usual, but 
especially they have a degree of freedom, and of social pleasure, and a variety of 
occupation which brings a recreation of the mind, and to a certain degree gives 
them strength for, and pleasure in, their labor. Men of sense have discovered 
that when they desire to get extraordinary exertions from their slaves, it is better 
fco offer them rewards than to whip them; tc encourage them rather than drive them. 



LOUISIANA. 621 

II t.b.> season has been favorable, so that the cane is strong, and well matured, 
ifc wj'. ti.Jure a smart early frost without injury, particularly if the ground is well 
draiuvV., but as rapidly as possible, after the season has arrived at which frosts 
are to be expected, the whole crop is cut, and put in mattresses, from which it is 
taken ti the grinding-mill as fast as it can be made to use it. 

The business of manufacturing sugar is everywhere carried on in connection 
ixith the planting of the cane. The shortness of the season during which the cane 
oan be used is the reason assigned for this: the proprietors would not be willing 
A) trust to custom mills to manufacture their produce with the necessary rapidity" 
If cane should be cultivated in connection with other crops — that is, on small 
•arms, instead of great "sugar only" plantations — neighborhood custom-mills 
wuold probably be employed. 

The other prominent towns of Louisiana are Opelousas, Nachitoches, Alexan- 
dria, and Shrevefiort, the last named, on Red River, being the most important 
commercial town in Western Louisiana, and with a population of about 3,000. 



TENNESSEE. 




Tennessee was originally included within the limits of North Carolina 
The first establishment of the Anglo-Safeon race within its borders was Fort 

Loudon, on the north bank of Lit- 
tle Tennessee or Watauga River, about 
a mile above the mouth of Tellico 
River, and some 30 miles south-west* 
erly from Knoxville. This fortifica- 
tion was erected by Andrew Lewis, io 
1756, who was sent here for that pur- 
pose by the Earl of Loudon, the gov- 
ernor of Virginia and commander "^t* 
the King's troops in America. Tju; 
fort was garrisoned by British troons, 
and this, with other fortified places 
established afterward, induced large 
numbers of emigrants to settle in the 
vicinity. In the spring of 1758, the 
garrison of Fort Loudon was augment- 
ed to 200 men. In a few months, by 
the arrival of traders and hunters, it 
grew into a thriving village. At the time Tennessee was first explored, its 
territory was a vast and almost unoccupied wilderness, over which the Indian 
hunters seldom roamed. Being equi-distant from the settled territories of 
the southern and northern tribes, it remained a kind of neutral ground. By 
reason of the mildness of the climate, and the rich pasturage furnished by 
its varied ranges of plain and mountain, in common with Kentucky, it had 
become a great park in which the beasts of the fore?t ranged without much 
molestation. The Cherokees, in the south-east corner of the territory, appear 
to have been the only Indian tribe who had any permanent location in the 
state. The other parts of Tennessee were either claimed or occupied as 
hunting grounds by the Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Shawnees. The tSix 
Nations also claimed a right to the grounds north and east of the Tennessee 
Iviver, and the first cession of lands by any of the r.boiiginal tribes was made 
«y them. 

The second fort built in Tennessee was in the north east corner of the 
rttate, within the present limits of Sullivan countf, near the Virginia line, in 
1758, by Col. Bird, in the French and Ip'^iao w^ar. It was erected on a 

623 



State Asms of Tennessee, 



G2t TENNESSEE. 

Iie.iutiful eminence on the north bank of the Ilolston, opposite the upper end 
or' ].onii; Island, and t'rona this circumstance called Long Island Fort. The 
army wintered here in 1758. It was at that time supposed to be within the 
limits of Virginia. After the treaty with the Indians in 17C8, many emi- 
grants flocked into Tennessee, and settled on the banks of the Ilolston and 
Wat;iUga Hivers. North of Ilolston, in what is now Sullivan and Hawkins 
counties, was believed to be in Virginia; south of the Ilolston was adniitted 
to be within North Carolina. Of those who ventured furthest into the wilder- 
ness, with their families, was Capt. William Bean. He came from Virginia, 
and settled early in 1709 on Boone's Creek, a tributary of the Watauga. His 
son, Riiifsel Bean, was the first white child born in Tennessee. 

In 1769 or 1770, a company of ten hunters built two boats and trapping 
canoes, loaded them with the results of their hunting, and descended the 
Cumberland River — the fii'st navigation and the first commerce probably ever 
carried on upon that stream by the Anglo-Americans. Where Nashville now 
stands they discovered the French Lick, and found immense numbers of buf- 
falo and other wild game. Descending the river to the Ohio, they met with 
Indians, who, while they stole a few articles, offered them no personal injury. 
On descending the Obio they met with Frenchmen trading to the Illinois, 
who treated them with friendship. From thence they sailed down the Mis- 
sissippi as far as the then Spanish town of Natchez. Here some of them 
remained while the others returned. 

In 17G0, the Cherokees besieged Fort Loudon, witli its garrison of 200 
men. The garrison, having subsisted for a month principally on the flesh 
of horses and dogs, agreed to capitulate, on condition they should be allowed 
to return to Virginia or Fort PrincS George. After marching about fifteen 
miles from the fort, they were surrounded and treacherously attacked by 
nearly 500 warriors; with horrid yells they rushed, tomahawk in liand, upon 
the feeble and emaciated troops, and massacred nearly all of them on the 
spot. The next year, Col. Grant, with a body of 2, GOO men (Highlanders, 
Provincials and friendly Indians), marched into the Cherokee country, gave 
battle to the Indians, burned their dwellings, and laid waste their country. 

The celebrated Francis Marlon was a subordinate officer in this campaign, and 
in writing to a friend, he gave the following touching and picturesque account: 
'• We arrived at the Indian towns in the month of July. As the grouuii vras rich 
and the season had been favorable, the corn was bending under the douljle weight 
of lusty roasting cars and pods ami clustering beans. The furrows socmcil to re- 
joice under their precious loads — -the fields stood thick with bread. We encamped 
the first night in the woods, near the fields, where the whole army feasted on the 
young corn, which, with fat venison, made a most delicious treat. The next morn- 
ing, we proceeded, by order of Col. Grant, to burn down the Indian cabins. Soma 
of our men seemed to enjoy this cruel work, laughing very heartily at the cmding 
flames, as they mounted, loud crackling, over the tops of the huts. l>nt to me, it 
appeared a shocking sight. ' Poor creatures ! ' thought I, ' we surely need not 
jirudge you such miserable habitations.' But when we came, according to orders. 
to cut down the fields of corn, I could scarcely refrain from tears. For wlio could 
see the stalks, that stood so stately, with broad, green leaves, and gayly tasscled 
shocks, filled with sweet, milky fluid, and flour, the staff of life — who, I say, with- 
out grief, could see these sacred plants sinking under our sword, witli all their pre- 
cious loa<l, to wither, and rot untasted in the mourning fields! I saw everywhere 
around, the footsteps of little Indian children, where they had lately plaved under 
the shelter of the rustling corn. No doubt they had often looked up with joy, to 
the swelling shocks, and gladdened Ayhen they thought of their abundant cakes 
for the coming winter. When we arc gone, thought I, they will return, and, poep- 



TENNESSEE. 625 

incr through the weeds witli tearful ej'es, will mark the ghastly ruin poured over 
their homes, and the happy fields where they had so often played." 

The result of these measures was decisive, and a deputation of chiefs visited 
the camp to sue for peace. Among them was Attakulla, a chief who had been 
opposed to the war, and who thus addressed Col. Grant: 

" You live at the uater side, and are in light. We are in darkness ; but hope all will be 
clear. I have been constantly going about doing good; and though I am tired, yet I am 
come to see what can be done for my people, who are in great distress. As to what has 
happened, I believe it has been ordered by our Father above. We are of a different color 
from the white people. They are superior to us. But one God is Father of us all, and we 
hope what is past will be forgotten. God Almighty made all people. There is not a dav 
but that some are coming into, and others going out of the world. The Great King told 
me the path should never be crooked, but open for every one to pass and repass. As we all 
live in one land, I hope that we shall all live as one people." 

Peace was formally ratified, and both expressed the hope that it might last as 
long as the sun would shine and the rivers run. 

In 1773, the population of Tennessee was found to have Increased to a 
very considerable extent. In the succeeding year a war broke out with the 
northern Indians, residing across the Ohio, and terminated by their suing for 
peace. The year 177G is rendered memorable by a formidable invasion of 
the Cherokces, whom the British had incited to attack the infant settlements. 
A strong force from Virginia -and the Carolinas soon dispersed the Indians, 
and peace was again restored. When the constitution of North Carolina 
was ibrmed, in 1776, Tennessee (then the District of Washington) sent 
deputies to the convention. In the southern campaign of 1780. at the bril- 
liant exploit at King's Mountain, when the British troops under Col. Fer- 
guson, were either taken or slain, the Tennessee settlers, under Col. Sevier, 
bore a most important share in the conflict. Col. Sevier's command was 240 
men, all well mounted and nearly all armed with a Deckhard rifle.* The fol- 
lowing relative to this period is from Ilamsay's Annals of Tennessee: 

"The camp on Watauga, on the twenty-fifth of September, presented an ani- 
mated spectacle. With the exception of a few colonists on the distant Cumber- 
land, tlie entire military force of what is now Tennessee was assembled at the 
Sycamore Shoals. Scarce a single gunman remained, that day, at his own house.. 
The young, ardent and energetic had generally enrolled themselves jbr the cami- 
paign against Ferguson. The less vigorous and more aged, were left, with the in- 
ferior guns, in the settlements for their protection against the Imlians; but all had' 
attended the rendezvous. The old men were there to counsel, encourage and 
stimulate the youthful soldier, and to receive, from the colonels, instructions- for 
the defense of the stations during their absence. Others were there to bring, iit 
rich profusion, the products of tlieir farms, which were cheerfully furnished gratu- 
itously and without stint, to complete the outfit of the expedition. Gold and silver 
they had not, but suljsistence and clothing, and equipment and the fiery charger — 
anything the frontier man owned, in the cabin, the field or the range, was offered,' 
unostentitiously, upon the altar of his country. The wife and the sister were 
there, and, with, a suppressed sigh, witnessed the departure of the husband and the 
brother. And there, too, were the heroic mothers, with a mournful bui noble 
pride, to take a fond farewell of their gallant sons. 

The sparse settlements of this frontier had never before seen assembled together 
a concourse of people so immense and so evidently agitated by great excitement. 
'j"he large mass of the assembly were volunteer riflemen, clad in the hom.e-spun of 
their wives and sisters, and wearing the hunting shirt so characteristic of the 
back-woods soldiery, and not a few of them the moccasins of their own manufac- 
ture. A few of the oflicers were better dressed, but all in citizens' clothing. The 

* This rifle was remarkable for the precision and distance of it.^ shot. It w:i3 generally 
three feet si.^ inches long, weigheil about seven pounds, and ran about seventv bullets t« 
the pound of load. It was so called from Djokh.vrd, th» maker, in Lancaster, Pa. 

40 



620 



TENNESSEE. 



mion of Campbell was stern, authnritativo and dignified. Shelby was grave, taci- 
turn and determined. Sevier, vivacious, ardent, impulsive and enei'getic. Mc- 
Dowell, moving about with the ease and dignity of a colonial magistrate, inspiring 
veneration for his virtues and an indignant sympathy for the wrongs of himself 
and his co-exiles. AH were completely wrapt in the absorbing subject of the rev- 
olutionarv struggle, then approaching its acme, and threatening the homes and 
families of the mountaineers themselves. Never did mountain recess contain 
witliin it, a loftier or a more enlarged patriotism — never a cooler or more deter- 
mined courage." 

At the peace these brave men again sought their mountain homes and de- 
voted themselves to the improvement of their settlements. In 1782, com- 
missioners were appointed by government to explore Davidson county (at that 
time quite extensive), and report which part was best for the payment of the 
bounty promised to officers and soldiers of North Carolina during the Revolu- 
tion. A settlement had been made in this part of Tennessee, by Col. Rob- 
ertson and some two or three hundred followers, at Nashville, in 1780, and 
the county received its name in honor of Gen. Davidson, who fell in oppos- 
ino' Cornwallis in 1781. The military warrants were made out, many of the 
officers and soldiers came to this section to secure and settle their lands, and 
many purchasers from various states of the Union became settlers. 

In 1785, the inhabitants of the counties of Sullivan, Washington, and 
Greene, lying directly west of the Alleghany Mountains, feeling the incon- 
veniences of having a government so remote as that of North Carolina, 
framed a constitution, elected their governor, and erected themselves into an 
independent state by the name of the State of Franklin. This premature 
state was to comprehend "all that tract of country which lies between the 
mountains and the suck or whirl of Tennessee River." The legislature of 
the new state met at Jonesboro' : John Sevier was elected governor ; a judi- 
ciary system was established, David Campbell, Joshua Gist, and John An- 
derson were appointed judges. These proceedings occasioned great confu- 
sion and warm disputes, which continued until 1788, when the thoughts of 
independency were relinquished and tranquillity was restored. The territory 
was finally ceded to the United States in 1790, and a territorial government 
was established under the name of the "Territory of the United States 
south-west of the river Ohio." William Blount, of North Carolina, was 
appointed the first governor. 

In 1794, Tennessee was constituted a separate territory, the general assem- 
bly of which met at Knoxville. In 1795, the inhabitants of the territory 
numbered 77,262, of which number 10,613 were slaves. The next year, 
1796, a convention met at Knoxville and formed a constitution for state gov- 
ernment, and the name of Tennessee was adopted for the new state. The 
constitution was approved by congress, June 1, 1796, and Tennessee en- 
tered the Union. John Sevier was elected the first governor. William 
Blount and William Cocke were elected the first senators to congress. The 
first constitution remained unaltered for about forty years. The present con- 
stitution was adopted in 1835. 

Tennessee is bounded N. by Kentucky and Virginia, S. by Georgia, Ala- 
bama and Mississippi, E. by North Carolina, and W. by Arkansas and Mis- 
souri, from which it is separated by the Mississippi River. It extends east 
and west between 81° 37' and 90° 28' W. long., and between 35° and 36° 
35' N. lat. Its mean length from east to west is 400 miles, breadth, 114. 
Its area is computed at about 45,000 square miles. 

The state is usually considered as being divided into three nominal divisions, 



TENNESSEE. 



627 



severally known as East, West, and Middle Tennessee. East Tennessee, bor- 
dering on North Carolina, is an elevated region, containing numerous lofty 
and picturesque ranges of the Cumberland and Laurel Mountains, and other 
conspicuous branches of the Alleghany range, mostly covered to their sum- 
mits with noble forests. West Tennessee, between the Mississippi and 
Tennessee Rivers, has generally an undulating surface, though some parts are 
quite level, with a light but productive soil, producing large quantities of 
cotton. Middle Tennessee is uneven and hilly, though not mountainous, and 
the lands are of good quality. 

Tennessee is watered in various directions by important streams. The 
Mississippi washes its western borders; the Tennessee crosses the state be- 
tween Middle and Western Tennessee ; the Cumberland has its principal 
course in this state; the Holston, Clinch, French, Broad, and Hiwassee, are 
branches of the Tennessee. The mineral resources of the state are very great, 
consisting of iron, coal, copper, lead, etc. Indian corn, tobacco and cotton 
are the principal staples. In 1851, at the World's Fair, the wool of Ten- 
nessee was awarded the premium of the "Golden Fleece."* The climate is 
mild and genial, being free from the extremes of heat and cold. Population 
in 1790, 35,791; in 1820, 422,813; in 1840, 829,215; in 1850, 1,002,725, 
in 1860, 1,146,640, of whom 287,112 were slaves. 




Northern vleio of Nashville. 

The view shows the app-^arance of XashviUe as it is entered u]ion tiie Tx)ui.sville and Nashville Railroad. 
Ou the left is seen the suspension Ijridfje over Cumberland Jiivcr, with i)art of the steamboat lauding 
and the steam printing establishmeiit of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The State House appears 
on Ihe extreme right. 

Nashville, city, port of entry, county seat for Davidson county, and cap- 
ital of the state of Tennessee, is situated on the left bank of Cumberland 
River, at the head of steamboat navigation, about 200 miles, following the 



■"■"The mountain district of Tennes.sce, Xorth Carolina and Virginia conihine evpry chief 
feature which adapts a country to the raising of sheep on a large scale. The warm and 
sheltered valleys where little snow ever falls, afford a winter home for the flocks, where lit- 
tle defense from storms and cold is required, and where mush of their food can be obtained 



628 



TENNESSEE. 




State Uovse of Teunessee, Nashville. 



The State House, a most noble ami maifiiificent structure, stanils on the highest Krournl of the citv, nno 
Ijuudred and seventy-five feet above the river. Its ilinieiisions are 240 liy 135 feet, and coBt about a million 
of dollars. 



in the fields and woodlands ; while the hill slopes and mountain sides will afford precisely 
the Ivind of pasture most conducive to the health of the animals and the excellence of tha 
fleece. In such a climate, and in such circumstances, the finest and softest wools of tha 
world are produced. In proof of this, it may be stated that at the World's Fair, in Lon- 
don, when all the world was engaged in competition, the wool which received the prize as 
the best which the nations then could boast, was sheared from the flocks which had been 
reared in this very region, on the hills of East Tennessee. Mark R. Cockrell, Esq., an ex- 
tensive wool grower of Tennessee, attended the World's Fair in London, in 1851, and pre- 
sented some of his vfooI in competition with the wools of Europe. Tlie contest, under the 
rules, was between countries, not individuals. The premium of the ' tJolden Fleece ' was 
awarded to Tennessee. The legislature of that state, the winter following, passed a reso- 
lution tendering Mr. C. its thanks, and ordering the preparation of a gold medal, to be 
given to him as a token of respect. On its presentation he said, ' Germ my, Spiiin, Saxony 
and Silesia were there; the competition was honorable, strong and fair. Nature gave me 
the advantage in climate, but the noble lords and worthy princes of Europe did not know 
it until we met in the Crystal Palace, in London, before millions of spectators. While their 
flocks were housed si.x months in the year, to shelter them from the snow of a high latitude, 
mine were roaming over the green pastures of Tennessee, warmed by the genial influence 
of a southern sun — the fleece thus softened and rendered o.ly by the warmth, and green 
food producing a fine, even fiber.' " — Prof. Chrinlij'n Report. 

The mountain regions of this section, elevated above the front belt, it is believed, possess 
the very best climate and soil east of the Rocky Mountains, for the production of fruit, 
particularly the peach and the grape. On the elevations gnipes and peaches are as certain 
a crop, as is corn generally elsewhere. In some instances, European grapes have, for twenty 
years, borne twenty consecutive crops, without mildew or rot, and producing a third more 
than in France. The dried peaches of Tennessee and North Carolina have an unrivaled 
reputation in northern markets. In time this will probably become the great wool growing, 
wine producing, and fruit raising region of tlie Atlantic states. Pojiulation, cajiital, and 
improved railroad facilities are alone wanting to soon bring this consummation. The great 
tide of emigration has now nearly reached the broad belt of arid land that stretches for 
hundreds of miles across the continent, east of the Rocky Mountains. When its streams 
nre diverted southward, to the beautiful climate of the south-western Alleghanies, we shall 
see this noble country rapidly developing its natural riches to the band of industry and en» 
terprise. 



TENNESSEE. 



629 



course of the river, from its entrance into tlic Ohio; it is 684 miles 
W. by S. from Washin.irton, 230 N. E. from Memphis, and 206 S. W. 
of Lexin<rton, Ky. The city, built on an elevated bluff of limestone, 
from 50 to 175 feet above the river, presents an imposinc^ appearance, 
and is surrounded by a beautiful andi'ortile Cf)nntry. On the public 
square is the court-house, market-house, and other tine buildinifs. 
The University of N^tishville, founded in 1806, and iis medical school 
long have had a fine reputation. Population in 1860. 23,715. 

In 1779, Ciipt. James Robertson, with two or three hundred others, 
left the Ilolston country tor the purpose of making a settlement at 
French Lick, where it appears that some Frenchmen had a station 
as early as 1764. Tiiis was on the spot where the city of Nashville is 
now built. Capt. Robertson's conijjanj' brought with them a good 
many horses and cattle. Their loute lay through the Kentucky 
country, and as there were no roads, and being impeded with snow 
storms, they did not ari-jveat the French Lick until Januarj', 1780. 
The snow was of great depth and continued for an extraordinary 
length of time, So that it was with much ddR(;iilfy that mefi and l)ea8ts 
could travel, and they suffered greatly in obtaining food, or died of 
want and cold combined. In 1783, the Legislature ot North Carolina 
established a town here calling it Nashville, in honor of Col. Francis 
Nash, who fell at the head of iiis i-egiment at the battle of German- 
town. 



The following is the inscription on the monument standing in the front yard of" 

the Polk mansion, on Vine-street in the city of Nashville: 
"The mortal remains of James Knox Polk are resting in the vault beneath. He 

was born in Mecklenburgh Co., North Carolina, and emigrated with his father, 

Samuel Polk, to Tennessee 
in 1806. The beauty of vir- 
tue was illustrated in his 
life : the excellence of Christ- 
ianity was exemplified in his 
death. Ilis life was devoted 
to the public service. He 
was elevated successively to 
the first places in the State 
and Federal Government: a 
member of the General As- 
sembly ; a member of Con- 
gress, and chairman of the 
most important Congression- 
al Committees; Speaker of 
the House of Representa- 
tives; Governor of Tennes- 
see, and President of the 
United States. By his pub- 
lic policy he defined, e.stab- 
li.shed and extended the 
boundaries of his Country. 
He planted the Laws of the 
American Union on the 
shores of the Pacific. His 

influence and his counsels tended to organize the National Treasury on the princi- 

Sles of the Constitution, and apply the rules of Navigation, Trade and Industry, 
ames Knox Polk, 10th President of the U. S., born Nov. 2, 1795, died Ju^e 15, 
1849." 




Mansion and Monument of Prksidf.nt Polk. 



630 



TENNESSEE. 



Memtiiis, city, is on the east bank of the Mississippi, beautifully situated 
on a bluff some twenty to thirty feet above the hi.^hest floods, 191 miles 
W.S.W. from Nashville; 420 below St. Louis, and 781 miles above New Or- 
leans. It lies on one of the only three bluffs on the Lower Mississippi, 
where it is possible, without great expense for artificial works, to build a 




View of Memphis from the West bank of the Mississippi. 

The ExchaiiKP, or Court House builcling, is seen on the left ; the principal Steamboat Laiuling on the ex- 
treme ri^ht. The front row of mercantile bnildinfcs appear on the summit of tlie Bluff. The view shows 
the city as seen from the Memphis und Little Kock Kailroad, on the .-Vrkansasside of the Mississippi. 

large town. It has great commercial advantages, and is on the line of im- 
portant railroads, built or contemplated, in almost every direction. Mem- 
phis, since 1850, Avhen its population was 6,427, has taken an astonishing 
stride in commercial prosperity, it being now the most growing and prosper- 
ous city of the south-west, and second in importance only to New Orleans. 
It has a superior system of free schools, and a large number of mercantile 
and manufacturing establishments. Connected with the rich cotton growing 
region of North Mississippi, it is a great point for the shipment of cotton. 
Population is about 35,000. _ 

The adjacent country is one of the most beautiful and extensive bodies ot 
tillable land contiguous to the Mississippi River, between the mouth of the 
Ohio and New Orleans. It is elevated, dry and level, possessing a fertile 
and productive soil, and extending east, north-east, south and south-east for 
nearly one hundred miles. Corn, cotton, wheat, and tobacco, can be culti- 
vated to great advantage. 

As early as 1736, the Bluff on which Memphis now stands, was, on ac- 
count of its superior advantages, selected by the French as a suitable posi- 
lion for a garrison. It appears, however, to have been inhabited by uncivil- 
ized Indians and wild beasts, in 1782. In 1783, the Spanish government 
directed W. H. Gayoso, then acting governor of the Territory of Louisiana, 
to take steps for the occupation of this point. The following historical items 
are extracted from Raincy's Memphis City Directory for 1855-6 : 



TENNESSEE. 631 

"The Indians manifesting a disposition to receive the officers of the Spanish 
Government, Gov. Gayoso came up with a sufficient number of troops and built 
Fort St Fernando, on tlie bluff, at the mouth of Wolf Iliver, the site of which is 
now covered by a portion of the Navy Yard. The Spanish continued in occupa- 
tion of this garrison, until the ratification of the treaty by which Louisiana was 
ceded to the United States Government, and 33 degrees of north latitude estab- 
lished as the boundary line between the two governments. 

Soon after this. Gen. Pike (then Lieut. Pike), was sent by the government of the 
United States, with troops, to occupy Fort St. Fernando, and the Spanish troops 
evacuating it, crossed the river and established Camp 'Lesperance (afterward 
called Camp Good Hope), at or near the termination of the Military Road. Gen. 
Wilkinson came on soon after Lieut. Pike arrived, and dismantled Fort St. Fer- 
nando, and established Fort Pickering. 

In 1783, the government of the United States granted to .John Rice the tract of 
land on which Memphis stands, who devised it to Elisha Rice, and he sold it to 
John Overton. 

In 1819, John Overton sold one undivided half of the tract to Gen. Andrew 
Jackson and Gen. .Tames Winchester, and these three (Overton, Jackson and Win- 
chester), laid out the town of Memphis." 

The first public sale of lots was made in 1820, at which front lots were 
deemed high at one hundred dollars each, and back lots in proportion. The 
priuriipal business of the place was confined to the Indian trade for several 
years afterward, and the new town attracted but little attention until after 
1830, in which year it was but a village of 701 inhabitants. 

"In 1841, Congress appointed Commissioners to select and survey a site for a 
Kavy Yard upon the ^lississippi River, who, after a toilsome examination of its 
whole length, from New Orleans to the mouth of the Ohio, reported the position 
at the mouth of W^olf, as being the most suitable one they could find for the pur- 
pose; and, at the session of 1812-3, Congress passed a bill for the erection of a 
Navy Yard at Memphis. 

The principal portion of the ground which the Navy Yard occupies, has been 
formed by deposites of sand and mud from the river, since 1830. 

Knoxville is situated on the north bank of Holston River, 4 miles be- 
low the junction of the French Broad Iliver, 185 miles east from Nashville, 
and 201: from Lexington, Ky. It is quite a flourishing place, a central point 
of intersection of all the 'j;reat railroads of the country, east, west, north and 
south. Fine marble quarries and iron ore abound in this section, and beds 
of bituminous coal on the line of the railroads. The river is navigable 
downward for steamboats at all seasons, and in the spring some 30 or 40 miles 
above to Dandridge. Few places possess such a variety of scenery as can 
be found within the limits of Knoxville, exhibiting on the banks of the 
Holston the wild and picturesque beauty of nature, the hills and valleys of 
the cultivated country, the manufacturing village, a-nd the features of the 
city. Knoxville contains six churches, the county buildings, of which the 
jail, a castellated building, makes a striking appearance, the University 
buildings, and the State Deaf and Dumb Asylum. Population about 9,000. 
East Tennessee College, or University, is located on a commanding eminence, 
vipward of 200 feet high, and about half a mile from the court house. This 
institution was founded in 1792. 

Knoxville was first laid out by Gen. James White, the first patentee. East 
Knoxville was laid out by Moses White, his son, and at first was called 
Mechauicsburg. The west end of the town was laid out by Col. John Wil- 
liams, and was for some time called Williamsburg. Gov. Blount's residence 
was on Barbara Hill, where the University buildings now stands. The hill 
received its name from Barbara, the daughter of the governor, who was 



632 



TENNESSEE. 



born on its summit. The Presbyterian church was the first house of wor- 
ship erected in the place, Rev. Wm. Carriek the first minister. Dr. Strong, 
the first ph^'sician, was previously a surgeon on board the U. S. frigate Con- 
stitution. John Crosier, it is believed, was the first post-master. The Hon. 




Souih-westei-n view of KnoxvUle. 

The view shows the appearance of Kiioxville, descending the hill on the old cmiiitry mad in front of ths 
University. I'art of Cumberland-street is seen on the left ; Main-street on the ris;ht ; the Cupola of the 
Coni-t House in the central part ; Hampden Sidney Academy on the e.xtrenie left ; the Female Institute on 
the right. 

Hugh L.White, U. S. senator, who died in 1840, was the son of Gen. White. 
Robert Huston was the first sheriff, and Robert Armstrong the first surveyor. 
John Hood was the first, or one of the first printers in Knoxville; he printed 
the Knoxville Gazette. 

The following are towns of local note in different parts of Tennessee, of 
from 1,000 to 4,000 inhabitants each: Chattanooga is situated on the left or 
south bank of Tennessee River, in the south part of the tate, and near the 
boundary lines of Georgia and Alabama, 150 miles S.K. of Nashville, 447 
from Charleston, S. C, and 432 from Savannali, Geo. It is the center of 
several important railroads, both completed and progressing, which extend 
from Richmond, Charleston and Savannah on the Atlantic, to the Mississippi 
and Ohio Rivers. The place is, for the most part, situated in a narrow val- 
ley, in the midst of hills or mountainous elevations on almost every side. 
Mitrfrccshoro', the county seat of Rutherford county, is on the line of the 
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, about 30 miles S.E. from Nashville. 
It was the capital of the state from 1817 to 1827. It contains several 
churches, the county buildings, an academy, and Union College, under the 
patronage of the Baptist denomination, established in 1848. MarfVeesboro' 
is well laid out, in the midst of a fertile region of corn and tobacco land, and 
has a large trade in the products of an extensive and highly cultivated dis- 
trict. Joncahoro, the county seat of Washington county, about 100 miles 
north-easterly from Knoxville, eont tins aboiit 700 inhabitants. It was laid 
off and established as a seat of jus^i -e for Washington county, in 1779, by 



TENNESSEE. 633 

the legislature of North Carolina: it is the oldest town in Tennessee. It 
was named in honor of Willie Jones, Esq., of Halifax county, North Caro- 
lina, a friend to the growth and prosperity of the western counties, and an 
active patriot of the devolution. Lebanon, capital of Wilson county, 30 
miles east of Nashville, is distinguished as a seat of learning. Here is Cum- 
berland University, a flourishing institution, founded in 1844, under the di- 
rection of the Cumberland Presbyterians; the law school attached to it was 
founded in 1847, and has more students than any other in the Union. Shel- 
Jjyville, capital of Bedford county, is on Duck Eiver, and at the end of a 
branch of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, 59 miles S.S.E of Nash- 
ville. McMinnvillr, capital of Warren county, on the McMinnvllle and 
Manchester Railroad, 75 miles S.E. from Nashville. Winchester, capital of 
Franklin, on the Winchester and Alabama Railroad, 2 miles south from the 
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, and 84 miles S.E. of Nashville. A 
branch of the Winchester and Alabama Railroad connects this place with 
Huntsville, Alabama. The tunnel which has been cut in this county, 
through the Cumberland Mountains, for the Nashville and Chattanoo"-a Rail- 
road, is one of the most magnificent works of the kind in the Union, extend- 
ing 2200 feet, mostly through solid rock. Fayefteville is the capital of Lin- 
coln county, 73 miles S. by E. from Nashvil'e. Cleveland, county seat of 
Bradley, on the J]ast Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, 83 miles S.W. of 
Knoxville, is the shipping point for the rich copper mines of East Tennes- 
see. Athens, capital of McMinn county, 154 miles E.S.E. of Nashville. 
Greenville, capital of Green county, is (J6 miles E. by N. from Knoxville. 
Columbia, the capital of Maury county, is 41 miles S. by W. from Nashville, 
on the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad. It is the seat of Jackson College, 
founded in 1833, and also three female seminaries. The town is in a beau- 
tiful country, is noted for its educational institutions, has a fine trade, and 
was the residence of President Polk, previous to his election in 1844. Gal- 
latin, county seat of Sumner, is 25 miles N.W. of Nashville. Clarksville is 
on the Cumberland, at the mouth of Red River, about 50 miles N.W. of 
Nashville: it is an important point lor the manufacturing and shipping of 
tobacco, and a very flourishing business town. Jackson, capital of Madison 
county, in West Tennessee, is on the line of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. 



The COPPER MINES of East Tennessee are proving a most important 
element in the industry of the country. The famous Duchtown mines are in 
Polk county, forty miles easterly from the little thriving town of Cleveland, 
on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, which is their point of ship- 
ment. The first mine was discovered in 1850, and, for want of roads, it was 
a long time before any ore could be sent away. The earlier shipments had 
to be made to Dalton, Georgia, a distance of seventy-four miles. Notwith- 
standing these inconveniences, there had been 14,291 tuns of copper ore 
shipped from these mines before the close of 1855, which was sold for more 
than a million of dollars. In September of 1855, seven of the mines pro- 
duced ore to the value of §80,000, or at the rate of nearly a million of dol- 
lars per annum. The discovery of these mines led to great excitement and 
large expectations when it was known that the supply of copper throughout 
the world was not equal to the demand. Lands which were nearly quite 
worthless before the veins were discovered rose to a great value. In one in- 
stance, a tract of one hundred acres with a mine fully developed, sold for 
$460,000. A late visitor at Ducktown thus gives us his experience there: 



G3i TENNESSEE. 

The Ducktown copper mines have been opened in some low ran^res of hills which 
seem to form the highest point in a broiid, rollin.i!; plain, surrounded on all sides, 
tipparently, by loftv mountains, so distant as to be clothed with blue, and lifting 
many a bold peak far into the sky. The scene is one of great beauty, when seen 
as Ave first beheld it, at sunset, when the western crests of the far-away hills seemed 
to blaze in the sunbeams, while their bases lay in a shadow of the deepest blue, 
deepening every moment into the evening gloom, and the eastern ridges wei'e yet 
purple with the fading glory of the day. Woodlands thinned by the ax, and spoiled 
of half their beauty, were near at hand, but at a little distance the dark, dense 
forest seemed to begin and stretch away almost unbroken to the distant mountains. 
The few clearings scarcely broke the continuity of the woods, and man seemed not 
much to have marred the beauty of the works of God. Before us, as we approached 
Ducktown, tall columns of smoke, from the furnaces, marked its situation, and this 
smoke was already settling into and filling to the brim the eastern valley. 

It presents, however, the usual aspect of a mining village, and the buildings, per- 
haps, are all that circumstances require. The people had comfortable, though not 
elegant dwellings, plenty of proper food, schools for their children, and preaching 
on tlie Sabbath. There 'is here a population of about five thousand, many of whom 
arc English and Scotch, with a few Irish and Welsh. The mines are mostly con- 
trolled by English capitalists, and no slaves are employed in them. There is, in- 
deed, no mechanical work in which slaves as a body can be profitably used. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC. 

Gen. James Iioherfson, one of the principal fathers of Tennessee, was a native 
of Xorth Carolina, the patriarch of Watauga, and the founder of the Cumberland 
settlements. He emigrated to Watauga in 17G9. '''J'o his wife he was indebted 
for a knowledge of the alphabet, and for instruction how to read and write. To 
his Creator he was indebted for rich mental endowments — to himself for mental 
improvement, "^i'o his God he was indebted for tliat firmness and indomitable cour- 
age which the circumstances that surrounded him called so constantly into exer- 
cise. A detail of his acts in behalf of his coiintry, and an enumeration of his suffer- 
ings by personal exposure in the Avilderness, in the field of battle, in the besieged 
fort and the assaulted station, in losses of relatives and of private property, Avould 
fill a volume. Previous to ar.d at the time of his death. Gen. Robertson was the 
United States agent at the Chickasaw nation." He continued to the close of his 
useful life an active friend to his country, and by his services to the western settle- 
ments, in peace and in war, he has caused his name to be remembered with grati- 
tude and veneration. He died at the Chickasaw agency, Sept. 1, 1814. 

John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee, the compatriot and colleague of 
Gen. James Robertson, was born in Shenandoah county, Va., in 1744. His ances- 
tors were French Huguenots; the fiimily name in France is Xavier. The Earl of 
Dunmore, then governor of Virginia, appointed young Sevier a captain in the mili- 
tary service of the colony. Not long after the family emigrated to the west to the 
Holston, and finally to the Watauga. Inheriting the sprightliness, gallantry and 
generosity of his French ancestry, Capt. Sevier soon became a favorite in the wilds 
of Watauga. In the revolution, when the British troops were sweeping the friends 
of liberty before them in the southern states, Sevier and his companions in arms 
hastened to the rescue. His services in the important conflict at King's Mountain 
are well known. He was the first to introduce the Indian war-whoop among the 
soMicry. The British prisoners at King's Mountain said they could stand the fight- 
ing, biit the hallooing confused them, making them believe that ''the mountains 
had regiments instead of companies." Sevier was the idol of his soldiers, wlio were 
generally his neighbors and the members of his own family. Often no public pro- 
vision was made for their pay and equipments. These were furnished by himself, 
he being at once commander, commissariat and paymaster. On the formation of 
the new "State of Franklin," Sevier was chosen governor. In the trouble and con- 



TENNESSEE. 635 

fusi in which followed that event, he was seized by an armed posse, and conveyed 
to Morgantown on a charge of treason against the state of North Carolina. At the 
time of his trial he was rescued by his friends, and his return was everywhere wel- 
comed with joy. He was afterward restored to favor, and was elected the first 
member of congress from the great valley of the Mississippi. In 1815, he was ap- 
pointed commissioner by President Monroe to run the boundary of territory ceded 
by the Creeks to the United States. He left his home, near Knoxville, in June, for 
that purpose, and died of a fever September 24th, in the 71st year of his age. He 
wtis buried, with the honors of war, on the east bank of the Tallapoosa, near Fort 
Decatur, in Alabama. 

William Blovnt, the first governor of the "Territory south-west of the River 
Ohio," was a native of North Carolina, and his relatives were distinguished during 
the revolutionary period. He i-eceived the appointment of governor under the ad- 
ministration of Washington in 1790. He was remarkable for his urbanity, hospi- 
tality and commanding presence. At first he made his residence in the fork of 
Holston and Watauga Kivers, at the house of Wm. Cobb, where he held his couri 
in the ancient woods of Sullivan. After he removed to Knoxville, the friendly In 
dian chiefs paid frequent visits to the new capital. Mrs. Blount, the wife of the 
governor, an accomplished lady, became much interested in them, and by her ad 
dress and persuasion induced them to restrain their young warriors from aggres 
sion upon the frontier people. Grainger county and Fort Grainger, at the mouth 
of the Tennessee, were named from the maiden name of Mrs. Blount. Governor 
Blount was cut off in the prime of life, and his remains were interred in the bury- 
ing ground of the First Presbyterian Church, having a slab with the simple inscrip- 
tion: "William Blount, died March 21, ISOO, aged 53 years." 

Andrew Jackson. "'Ask nothing but what is right — submit to nothing wrong,' 
was Andrew Jackson's great political maxim, and it was an abiding principle in 
his character from his earliest youth until the ch^se of his life. That noble princi- 
ple was the key to his great success in wliatever he undertook, and is worthy of 

adoption by every young man when he sets out upon the perilous voyage of active 
life. Jackson's parents were from the north of Ireland, and were among the early 
Scotch-Irish settlers in the upper part of South Carolina, in the vicinity of Waxhaw 
creek. Jackson's father lived north of the dividing line between North and South 
Carolina, in Mecklenburg county, and there Andrew was born on the 15th of 
March, 1797. His father died five days afterward, and a month later his mother 
took up her abode in South Carolina, near the meetinghouse of the Waxhaw set- 
tlement. He received a fair education, but his studies were interrupted by the tu- 
mults of the on-coming revolution, and soon after the fiiU of Charleston the Wax- 
haw settlement became a terrible scene of blood, in the massacre of Buford's regi- 
ment by the fiery Tarleton. Every element of the lion in young Jackson's nature 
was aroused by this event, and, boy as he was, not yet fourteen years of age, he 
joined the patriot army and went to the field. One of his brothers was killed at 
Stono, and himself and another brother were made captives in 17S1. The widow 
was soon bereaved of all her family but Andrew, and after making a journey of 
mercy to Cliarleston, to relieve sick prisoners, she fell by the wayside, and 'the 
place of her sepulcher is not known unto this day.' Left alone at a critical period 
of life, with some property at his disposal, young Jackson commenced a career 
that promised certain destruction. He suddenly reformed, studied law, and was 
licensed to practice in 1786. He was soon afterward appointed solicitor of the 
western district of Tennessee, and journeying over the mountains, he commenced, 




636 



TENNESSEE. 



m that then wilderness, that remarkable career as attorney, judge, legislator and 
military commander, which on contemplation assumes the features of the wildest 
romance, viewed from any point of appreciation. His lonely journeyings, his c(d- 
lisidus with the Indians, his dilGculties with gamblers and fraudulent creditors and 
land speculators, and his wonderful personal triumphs in hours of greatest danger, 
make tbe record of his life one of rare interest and instruction. 
,'■' In ITUO, Jackson made his residence at Nashville, and there he married an ac- 
complished woman, who had been divorced from her husband. In 1795, he as- 
sisted in forming a state constitution for Tennessee, and was elected the first rep- 
resentative in congress of the new state. In the autumn of 1797, he took a seat in 
the United States senate, to which he had been chosen, and was a conspicuous sup- 
porter of the democratic party. He did not remain long at Washington. Soon alter 
leaving the senate, he was appointed judge of the supreme court of his state. He 
resigned that office in 1804, and retired to his beautiful estate near Nashville. 
There he was visited by Aaron l>urr, in 1S05, and entered warmly into his schemes 
for invading Mexico. When Burr's intentions were suspected, Jackson refused 
further intercourse v\'ith him until he should prove the purity of his intentions^ 
For many years Jackson was chief military commander in his section, and whew 
war against Great Britain was proclaimed in 1S12, he longed for employment in 
the field. He was called to duty in 1813. Early the following year he was made 
a major-general, and from that time until his great victory at New Orleans, on the 
8th of January, 1815, his name was identified with every military movement in the 
south, whether against the hostile Indians, l-5ritons or Spaniards. In 1818, he en- 
gaged successfully in a campaign against the Seminoles and other southern Indi- 
ans, and, at the same time, he ttuight the Spanish authorities in Florida some use- 
ful lessons, and hastened the cession of that territory to the United States. 

In 1821, President ^louroe appointed General Jackson governor of Florida, and 

in 1823 he offered him the 
station of resident minister in 
Mexico. He declined the 
honor, but accepted a seat in 
the United States senate, to 
which the legislature of Ten- 
nessee had elected him. He 
was one of the four candidates 
for president of the United 
States in 1824, but was un- 
successful. He was elevated 
to that exalted station in 1828, 
by a large majority, and was 
re-elected in 1832. His ad- 
ministration of eight j-ears 
was marked by great energy, 
and never were the affairs of 
the Republic, in its domestic 
and foreign relations, more 
prosperous than at the close 
of his term of office. In the 
spring of 1837, he retired from public life forever, and sought repose after a long 
and laborious career, devoted to the service of his country. He lived quietly at 
his residem-e near Nashville, called the Hermitage, until on a calm Sunday, the 8th 
of June, 1845, his spirit went home. He was then a little more than seventy-eight 
years of age. The memory of that great and good man is revered by his country- 
men, next to that of Washington, and to him has been awarded the first equestrian 
statue in bronze ever erected in this country. It is colossal, and occupies a con- 
epi(Mious place in President's Square, Washington City, where it was reared in 
1852.*" 

Parton, in his three volume biography of Jackson, has given some facts 




The Hekmitaoe. 



*Lossing's Eminent Americans. 



TENNESSEE 637 

upon his boyhood days, that interesting era in the history of great men. 
These we find grouped to our hand by a reviewer, and so present them, with 
his dove-tailing paragraphs: 

His parents were Scotch Irish emigrants from Carrack Fergus, of the humljlest 
condition, in life, and to add to the struggles of" the family with adversity, his I'atiier 
died just after the birth of his son. His mother was obliged to find a home, as 
hrmsekeeper and poor relation, in the family of a brother-in-law, and here young 
Andrew passed the first ten or twelve years of his life. He soon acquired the rep- 
utation of being the most mischievous boy in the neighborhood, always full of 
pranks and getting into trouble. His school-days were not of the most promising 
character; nor, judging from Mr. Parton's lively description, was his youthful braia 
in danger of being turned by any superfluity of bookdearning. 

'In due time the boy was sent to an 'old-field school,' an institution not much 
unlike the roadside schools in Ireland of which we read. The northern reader 
is, perhaps, not 'aware that an 'old-field' is not a field at all, but a pine forest. 
When crop after crop of cotton, without rotation, has exhausted the soil, the 
fences are taken away, the land lies waste, the young pines at once spring up, and 
soon cover the whole field with a thick growth of wood. In one of these old fields, 
the rudest possible shanty of a log house is erected, with a fire-place that extends 
from side to side, and occupies a third of the interior. In winter, the interstices 
of the log walls are filled up with clay; which the restless fingers of the boys make 
haste to remove in time to admit the first warm airs of spring. An itinerant 
schoolmaster presents himself in a neighborhood; the responsible farmers pledge 
him a certain number of pupils, and an old field school is established for the 
season. Such schools*, called by the same name, exist to this day in the Carolinas, 
difl'ering little from those which Andrew Jackson attended in his childhood. Head- 
ing, writing and arithmetic were all the branches taught in the early day. Among 
a crowd of urchins seated on the slab benches of a school like this, fancy a tall, 
slender boy, with bright blue eyes, a freckled face, an abundance of long, sandy 
hair, and clad in coarse, copperas-colored cloth, Avith bare feet dangling and kick- 
ing, and you have in your mind's eye a picture of Andy as he appeared in his old- 
field school days in the Waxhaw settlement.' 

His mother seems to have had more ambitious views for her son, and hoped that 
bybeini: enabled to obtain for him a liberal education she would have the pleasure 
to see him 'wag his pow in a pulpit' as a clergyman of the Presbyterian Church. 
He was not destined, however, to 'beat the drum ecclesiastic,' though if his good 
mother's wishes could have been realized, he would doubtless have proved a valiant 
soldier of the 'church militant,' and dealt thick and heavy blows on the sinner 
and heretic with as much uncti(m as he subsequently discomfited the invaders of 
his country at New Orleans. He was a fighter from his earliest boyhood. Not a 
drop of tame blood ran in his veins. 

'Andy was a wild, frolicsome, willful, mischievous, daring, reckless boy; gen- 
erous to a friend, but never content to submit to a stronger enemy. He was pas- 
sionately fond of those sports which are mimic battles — above all, wrestling. Be- 
ing a slender boy, more active than strong, he was often thrown. 

■1 could throw him three times out of four,' an old schoolmate used to say, 'but 
he would never atay throwed. He was dead game, even then, and never would 
give up.' 

He was exceedingly fond of running foot races, of leaping the bar, and jumping, 
and in such sports he was excelled by no one of his years. To younger boys, who 
never questioned his m:istery, he was a generous protector; there was nothing he 
would not do to defend them. His equals and superiors found him self willed, 
somewhat overbearing, easily offended, very irascible, and, upon the whole, 'difficult 
to get along with.' One of them said, many years after, in the heat of controversy, 
that of all the boys he haJ ever known, Andrew Jackson was the only bully who 
was not also a coward. 

But the bo\', it appears, had a special cause of irritation in a disgraceful disease, 
name unknown, which induces a habit of — not to put too fine a point on it — 'slob- 
bering.' Woe to any boy who presumed to jest at this misfortune! Andy wa« 



638 



TENNESSEE. 



upon him incontinently, and there was either a fiiiht or a drubbinir. There is a 
story, too, of some boys secretly loading; a <iun to the muzzle, and liiviniz it to young 
Jackson to fire off, that they miiiht have the pleasure of seeinsi; it 'kick' him over. 
They had that pleasure. Springing up from the ground, the boy, in a frenzy of 

passion, e.Kclaimed: 'By , if one of you laughs I'll kill him!' 

lie soon had an opportunity for pursuing higher game. He was nine years old 
■when the declaration of independence was signed. By the time the war approached 
the obscure settlement in the region of the Catawba, where he was born, he was a 
little more than thirteen. A change now came over his rustic life. The school- 
house was closed, the peaceful labors of the people interrupted. His elder brother 
Hugh had already mounted his horse and ridden southward to meet the bldody 
strife. 'It was oii the 2yth of May, 1780. that Tarleton, with three hundred horse- 
men, surprised a detacliment of militia in theWaxhaw settlement, and killed one 
hundred and thirteen of them, and wounded a hundred and fifty. The wounded; 
aI)andoned to the care of the settlers, were quartered in the houses of the vicinity, 
the old log Waxhaw meeting-house itself being converted into a hospital for the 
most desperate cases. Mrs. Jackson was one of the kind* women who ministered 
to the wounded soldiers in the church, and under that roof her boys first saw what 
war was. The men were dreadfully mangled. Some had received as inany as 
thirteen wounds, and none less than three. For many 
^ ^ _-=s days Andrew and his brother assisted their motiier in 

-,J^^g^^f^\ waiting upon the sick men; Andrew, more in rage 

■f^^ > _-=. than pity, though pitiful by nature, burning to avenge 

.-3-^ their wounds and his brother's death. 

Tarletou's massacre at the Waxhaw settlement 
^t,"^ kindled tlie flames of war iai all that region of the Car- 
olinns. Andrew, with his brother Kobert, was present 
at Sumpter's attack on the British post at Hanging 
Rock, where he might have received his first lesson in 
the art of war. Soon after he passed his fourteenth 
birth day there ensued a fierce, intestine warfare in 
_ the vicinity of his home — a war of whig and tory, 
"^ neighbor against neighbor, brother again.st brother, 
and even fiither against son. Among other instances 
of the madness that prevailed, a case is related of a 
whig, who, having found a friend murdered and mu- 
tilated, devoted himself to the slaying of tories. He 
hunted and lay in wait for them, and before the war 
ended had killed twenty, and then, recovering from 
that insanity, lived the rest of hisdays a conscience-stricken wretch. Andrew and 
his brother soon began to take a personal share in the eventful conflict. Without 
enlisting in any regular corps, they plunged into the fight on their own hook, join- 
ing small parties that went out on single enterprises of retaliation, mounted on (heir 
own horses, and carrying their own weapons. Mr. Parton gives a description of 
one of his adventures in this line which illustrates both the time and the boy: 

'In that fierce, Scotch-Indian warfare, the absence of a father from home was 
often a better protection to his family than his presence, because his presence in- 
vited attack. The main object of both parties was to kill the fighting men, and to 
avenge the slaying of partisans. The house of the quiet hero Hicks, for example, 
was safe until it was noised about among the tories that Hicks was at home. And 
thus it came to pass, that when a whig soldier of note desired to spend a night with 
his family, his neighbors were accustomed to turn out and serve as a guard to his 
house while he slept. Behold Robert and Andrew Jackson, with six others, thus 
employed one night in the spring of 1781, at the domicil of a neiglibor. Cii]>t. Sa i Js. 
The guard on this occasion was more a friendly tribute to an active partisan t!ian 
a service considered necessary to his safety. In short, the night was not ia • ad- 
vanced before the whole party were snugly housed and stretched upon tlu; lloo •, ail 
sound asleep except one, a British deserter, who was restless, and dozed at later- 
vals. 

Danger was near. A ban 1 of tories, bent on taking the life of Capt. Sands, ap 




Tomb of Jackson 



TENNESSEE. 6"l!) 

proached the house in two divisions, one party moving toward the front door, the 
other toward the back. The wakeful soldier, hearing a suspicious noise, rose, went 
out of doors to learn its cause, and saw the foe stealthily nearing the house. He 
ran in in terror, and seizing Andrew Jackson, who lay next the door, by the hair, 
exclaimed : 'The tories are upon us ! ' 

Andrew sprang up arid ran out. Seeing a body of men in the distance, he placed 
the end of his gun in the low fork of a tree near the door and hailed them. No 
reply. He hailed them a second time. No reply. 'I'hey quickened their pace, and 
had' come within a few rods of the door. By this time, too, the guard* in the 
house had been roused, and were gathered in a group behind the boy. An- 
drew discharged his musket, upon Avhich the tories fired a volley, which killed the 
hapless deserter who had given the alarm. The other party of tories, who were ap- 
proaching the house from the other side, hearing this discharge, and the rush of 
bullets above their heads, supposed that the firing proceeded from a party that had 
issued from the house. They now fired a volley, which sent a shower of balls 
whistling about the heads of their friends on the other side. Both parties hesitated 
and then halted. Andrew having thus, by his single discharge, puzzled and stoj ped 
the enemy, retired to the house, where he and his comrades kept up a brisk fire 
from the windows. One of the guard fell mortally wounded by his side, and an- 
other received a wound less severe. In the midst of this singular contest, a bugle 
was heard, some distance off, sounding the cavalry charge, whereupon the tories, 
concluding that they had come upon an ambush of Avhigs, and were about to be as- 
sailed by horse and foot, fled to where they had left their horses, mounted, dashed 
pell-mell into the woods, and were seen no more. It appeared afterward that the 
bugle charge was sounded by a neighbor, who, judging from the noise of musket- 
ry that Captain Sands was attacked, nnd having not a man with him in his 
house, gave the blast upon the trumpet, thinking that even a trick so stale, aided 
by the darkness of the night, might have some effect in alarming the assailants.' 

After pc.ice was restored to his neighborhood, young Jackson embraced every 
opportunity to engage in a 'free fight," beside sharing largely in the fun and frolic, 
which were almost as congenial to his disposition as the drubbing of an adversary. 
Several Charleston families of wealth and distinction were waiting in the settlement 
for the evacuation of their city. VVith the young men whose acquaintance he thus 
made, Andrew led a life in the summer and autumn of 1782 that was more merry 
than wise. He now began to betray that taste for horse-flesh which became such a de- 
cided passion in after life. He ran races and rode races, gambled a little, drank a 
little, indulged in a cock-fight occasionally, and presented a glorious specimen of 
the young America at that day. He seems to have had but a faint love for his Car- 
olina relations, and was pi'obably regarded as the scapegrace of the family. 

It is credibly related that his first attempt at earning a living for himself was in 
the capacity of a country schoolmaster, but after trying his hand in this unconge- 
nial employment for a short time he resolved to study law. Gathering together his 
scanty earnings, he mounts his horse, sets his face to the northward in quest of a 
master with whom to pursue his law studies, and finally enters an office in Salis- 
bury, N. C, at the age of eighteen. Of his residence in that pleasant old town, 
Mr. Farton has succeeded in bagging some characteristic if not altogether edifying 
reminiscences: 

'Salisbury teems with traditions respecting the residence there of Andrew Jack- 
son as a student of law. Their general tenor may be expressed in the language of 
the first old resident of the town, to whom I applied tor information : 'Andrew 
Jackson was the most roaring, rollicking, game-cocking, horse-racing, card-playing, 
mischievous fellow that everlived in Salisbury.' Add to this such expressions as 
these: 'He did not trouble the law books much,' 'he was more in the stable than in 
the office,' 'he was the head of all the rowdies hereabouts.' That is the substance 
of wh:it the Salisbury of 1859 has to say of the Andi-ew Jackson of 1785. 

Nothing is more likely than that he was a roaring, rollicking fellow, overflowing 
with life and spirits, and rejoicing to engage in all the fun that was going, but I do 
not believe that he neglected his duties at the office to the extent to which Salis- 
bury says he did. There are good reasons for doubting it. At no part of Jack- 
son's career, when we can get a look at him through a pair of trustworty eyes, do 



6M 



TENNESSEE. 



we find him trifllnij with life. We fuul liiiii often wrong, but always earnest. He 
never so much as i-aised a field of cotton which he did not have done in the best 
manner known to him. It was not in the nature of this younii; man to take a great 
deal of ti-oiible to get a chance to study law, and then entirely to throw away that 
chance. Of course he never became, in any proper sense of the word, a lawyer, 
])ut that he was not diligent and eager in picking up the legal knowledge necessary 
fur practice at that day, will become less credible to the reader the more he knows 
of him. Once, in the White House, forty-five years after this period, when some 
one from Salisbury reminded him of his residence in that town, he said, with u 
smile, and a look of retrospection on his aged face, 'Yes, 1 lived at old Salisbury. 
1 was but a raw lad then, but I did my best.' " 

Annexed is a view of the residence of the celebrated Col. David Crockett, 
at the time he was a member of congress. It is in Gibson county, in the 

north-western corner 
of Tennessee, about 
4 miles easterly from 
llutherford's Station, 
on the Mobile and 
Ohio Ilailroad. It is 
the present residence 
of Moses F. White- 
hurst, and stands in 
the forks of Obion 
River, a stream fam- 
ous in the history of 
Crockett's hunting 
adventures. T h e 
house is of hewn logs: 
originally it liad "cat 
and clay " chimneys. 
These have given 
place to stone, and 
the logs are no w 
weatlierboarded. It 
is about 40 feet long 
and 14 wide, and is what is termed "a Jimhle calin" — a favorite kind of 
backwoods structure in the south-west. The open space between the differ- 
ent parts of the cabin, in the heats of summer, is a common place for the 
families to partake of their meals, fortlie females to sew, and for general social 
intercourse. Independence, buoyant health, solid, substantial comfort, and 
general freedom from oppressive care, may be said to be the general condi- 
tion of Americans who find their homes in double cabins. 

The country in the vicinity of Crockett's cabin is yet in a somewhat wil- 
derness condition, though it is now rapidly improving under the inij etus 
given, of late years, to the cotton growing region. When in the county to 
niakc a sketch of the place for this work, we became acquainted with several 
gray-headed men, who evidently took pride in stating they had "voted for 
Crockett." They described him as a man tall in stalure, rising six feet, of 
sinewy frame, independent in manner, and an excellent story-teller. In his 
last canvass for congress he was beaten, and therefore emigrated to 'j'exas. 
They related many anecdotes of his goodness of heart and generosity — 
smong them this: In the autumn of 1838, a general migration of squirrcl.s 
from the north crossed that section of country, devouring all the corn in 
their path, so that a famine threatened the inhabitants. Crockett, upon this. 




David Crockett's Cabin. 
[Diiiwii by Henry Howe, Nov., 1859.] 



TENNESSEE. 641 

went to the Wabash country, bought a flat-boat loaded it with corn, and 
floating down the Ohio into the Mississippi, and thence to the mouth of the 
Obion, a distance of several hundred miles, poled it up that stream 130 miles 
further by its various windings, to the forks of the Obion, and there distri- 
buted it among his sufiering neighbors. His first question, when a man 
came to buy, was, "Have you got money to pay for it?" If the reply was, 
"Yes," Crockett would rejoin, "then you can't have a kernel. I brought it 
here to sell to those who have no money." Another question was, "how 
many have you in your family?" This ascertained, he would sell none 
more than their share, taking from all due bills, and refusing credit to none, 
however untrustworthy their reputation, or great their poverty. The fol- 
lowing sketch is from Lossing's American Biography : 

" 'Be.sure you are right, ili,eii go ahead,' is a wise maxim attributed to one whose 
life was a continual illustration of the sentiment. Every body has heard of ' Davy 
Crockett,' the immortal backwoodsman of Tennessee — the 'crack shot' of the wil- 
derness — the eccentric but honest member of congress — the 'hero of the Alamo' 
— ^yet few knew his origin, his early struggles, and the general current of his life. 
History has but few words concerning him, but tradition is garrulous over his 
many deeds. 

David Crockett was born at the mouth of the Limestone River, Greene county, 
East Tennessee, on the 17th of August, 1786. His father was of Scotch-Irish de- 
scent, and took a prominent part in the War for Independence. It was all a wil- 
derness around David's birth-place, and his soul communed with nature in its un- 
broken wildness, from the beginning. He grew to young manhood, without any 
education from books other than he received in his own rude homo. When oidy 
seven years of age, David's father was stripped of most of his little property, by 
tire. He opened a tavern in Jeilerpon countv, where David was his main 'help' 
until the age of twelve years. Then he was hired to a Dutch cattle-trader, who 
collected herds in Tennessee and Kentucky, and drove them to the eastern mar- 
kets. This vagrant life, full of incident and adventure, suited young Crockett, but 
becoming dissatisfied with his employer, he deserted him, and made his way back 
to his father's home. After tarrying a year, he ran away, joined another csittle mer- 
chant, and at the end of the journey, in Virginia, he was dismissed with precisely four 
dollars in his pocket For three years he was 'knocking about,' as he expressed 
it, and then he sought his father's home again. He now enjoyed the advantages 
of a school for a few weeks; and, finally, .after several unsuccessful love adven- 
tures, he umrrieii an excellent girl, and became a father in 1810, when 24 years of 
age. He settled on the banks of Elk River, and was pursuing the quiet avocation 
of a farmer in summer, and the moi'c stin-ins; one of hunter in the autumn, when 
war was commenced with Great Britain, in 1812. Crockett was one of the first to 
respond to Gen. Jackson's call for volunteers, and under that brave leader he was 
engaged in several skirmishes and battles. He received the commission of colonel 
at the close of the war, as a testimonial of his worth. His wife had died while he 
was in the array, and several small children were left to his care. The widow of 
a deceased friend soon came to his aid, and in this second wife he found an excel- 
lent guardian for his children. Soon after his marriage, he removed to Laurens 
county, wliere he was made justice of the peace, and was chosen to represent 
the district in the state leginlature. Generous, full of fun, possessing great shrewd- 
ness, and ' honest to a fault,' Crockett became very popular in the leuislature and 
Among his constituents. In the course of a few years he removed to AVestern Ten- 
nessee, where he became a famous hunter. With the rough backwood.^men there 
he was aman after theirown hearts, and he w'as elected to ascat in congress, in 1828, 
and again in 1S;»0. He and the opposing candidate canvassed their district to- 
jicther, and made stump speeches. Crockett's opponent had written his speec-h, 
and delivered the same one at different places. David Avas always oriirintd, und he 
readily yielded to his friend's request to speak first. At a point where both wished 
to make a good impression, Crockett desired to speak first. His opponent could 
not refuse; but, to his dismay, he heard David repeat his own sicech. Tho coIo-' 

41 



642 



TENNESSEE. 



nel had hoard it so often that it was fixed in his memory. The other candidate 
was speechless, and lost his election. When the Americans in Texas commenced 
their war for independence, toward the close of ]8o5, Crockett hastened thitherto 
help them, and at the storming of the Alamo, at San Antonio de Bexar, on the 
6th of March, 1836, that eccentric hero was killed. He was afterward found dead, 
surrounded by a pile of the enemy, who had fallen beneath his powerful arm. He 
was then fifty. years of age." 

Hugh Latoson White, an eminent statesman and jurist, was born in North Caro- 
lina, in 1773, and when 13 years of age emigrated Avith his father's family to Knox 
county Tennessee. He was educated to the law in Pennsylvania, and in 1796, be- 
gan the practice at Knoxville. Though his education was limited, he was clear 
headed, logical and self-relying, and attained distinction throughout the entire 
south-west, where he was "familiarly compared to Aristides, and reverently re- 
garded as the Cato of the republic." He served in many offices of trust, as U. S. 




Brainerd, the Ancient Missionary Station among the Cherokees. 

The engravinf; shows the Mission Church, Store House, and other buildings connected with the Mission 
as they appeared about t)ie year 1821. The grave of Dr. Worcester* is seen on the left, at the spot wliere 
two persons are standing. 

district attorney, judge of the supreme court of Tennessee, state senator, president 
of the state bank, etc. He was appointed commissioner by President Monroe to 
adjust claims of our citizens against Spain. In 1825, 1831, and 1837, he was suc- 
cessively elected to the senate of the United States, where he served with signal 
ability. At the election for vice president of the United States, in 1836, he re- 
ceived all the votes of Georgia and Tennessee. In 1839, having received instruc- 
tions from the legislature of Tennessee to vote in the senate contrary to his own 
judgment, he resigned his seat in that body, which he had held sixteen years. He 
died at his residence in Knoxville, April 10, 1840, in the 68th year of his age. 

THE CHEROKEE MISSION. 

The first mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
Missions among the Cherokees, was commenced in 1817 at Brainerd, a spot 
within the limits of Tennessee, on the western side of the Chickamauga 
Creek, which is navigable to Brainerd, being about 15 miles from its conflu- 
ence with the Tennessee. It was, at that time, nearly equi-distant from the 
eastern and western extremities of the Cherokee country, and perhaps 25 or 
30 miles from the northern limit, which was the mouth of Hiawassee. A 

*Rev. Dr. Worcester, of Massachusetts, an active member of the American Board, died 
in his visit to the Cherokees, at Brainerd, June 7, 1821, and was interred on the Mission 
premises. His remains were taT^en up several years since, and carried to Massachusetts, by 
his son, a clergyman of that state. The mission grounds are now owned by A. E. Blunt, 
Esq., who was formerly connected with the mission as a farmer, mechanic and teacher. The 
wife and two children of Mr. Blunt were buried by the side of Dr. Worcester, with others of 
the mission family. The old Mission Church is still standing. 



TENNESSEE. 643 

churcli was organized in Sept. 1817, and Catherine was the first fruit of mis» 
sionary labor. This place was visited by President Monroe, in May, 1819 
on his grand tour through the United States. 

The missions continued to flourish: 8 churches, or stations, were estab- 
lished, and the mass of the people became civilized, and, externally, embraced 
the Christian religion. In 1828 and 1829, the state of Georgia, repudiating 
the independent government which the Cherokees attempted to establish 
among themselves, extended her laws over them, and forbade the missiona- 
ries of the board to reside among them. Mr. Worcester and Dr. Butler, for 
violating this law, were imprisoned in the Georgia penitentiary. The case 
was brought before the supreme court of the United States, in 1832, which 
ordered their release. The bill for the removal of the Indians west of the 
Mississippi, passed congress in 1830. On Sunday, the 19th of Aug., 1835, 
the church at Brainerd gathered, for the last time in that place, around the 
sacramental table. In 1836, some of the principal chiefs negotiated a treaty 
at New Echota, for the sale of all their lands east of the Mississippi, for five 
millions of dollars. In 1838, the whole nation, 16,000 in number, were on 
their march for the west, in fourteen companies. Several missionaries accom- 
panied them on their way. Their journey of 600 or 700 miles, was per- 
formed in four or five months. On the 22d of June, 1839, Major Ridge, 
his son, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot, Cherokee chiefs, were assassinated 
by their countrymen, for the part they took in selling the lands of the 
nation. 

THE JERKS. 

About the beginning of the present century, the religious meetings of the 
west were attended by singular mental and physical phenomena, resembling, 
in some of their phases, the mesmeric phenomena of our time. These were 
comprised under the general name of '■'the Jerks." The first recorded in- 
stance was at a sacrament in East Tennessee, when several hundred of both 
sexes were seized with this strange and involuntary contortion. A clerical 
writer, Rev. Barton W. Stone, has, in his biography, left an account of what 
he personally witnessed of these strange phenomena, which we here tran- 
scribe : 

The bodily agitations or exercises attending the excitement in the beginning 
of this century were various, and called by various names, as the falling exercise, 
the jerks, the dancing exercise, the barking exercise, the laughing and singing ex- 
ercises, and so on. The falling exercise was very common among all classes, the 
saints and sinners of every age and grade, from the philosopher to the clown. The 
subject of this exercise would generally, with a piercing scream, foil like a log on 
the floor or earth, and appear as dead. Of thousands of similar cases, I will men- 
tion one. At a meeting, two gay young ladies, sisters, were standing together, at- 
tending the exercises and preaching at the same time, when instantly they both 
fell with a shriek of distress, and lay for more than an hour apparently in a life- 
less state. Their mother, a pious Baptist, Avas in great distress, fearing they would 
not revive. At length they began to exhibit signs of life, by crying fervently for 
mercy, and then relapsed into the same death-like state, with an awful gloom on 
their countenances; after a while, the gloom on the face of one was suc- 
ceeded by a heavenly smile, and she cried out, ' Precious Jesus ! ' and spoke of the 
glory of the gocpel to the surrounding crowd in language almost superhuman, and 
exhorted all to repentance. In a little wlille after, the other sister was similarly 
exercised. . From that time they became remarkably pious members of the churcli. 

I have seen very many pious persons fall in the same way, from a sense of the 
danger of their unconverted children, brothers, or sisters, or from a sense of the 
danger of their neighbors in a sinful world. I have heard them agonizing in tears, 



644 TENNESSEE. 

and strongly crying for mercy to be shown to sinners, and speaking like angels all 
around. 

The jerks can not be so easily described. Sometimes the subject of the jerks 
would he affected in some one member of the body, and sometimes in the whole 
system. When the head alone was affected, it would be jerked backward and for- 
ward, or from side to side, so quickly that the features of the fiice could not be 
distinguished. When the whole system was affected, I have seen the person stand 
in one place, and jerk backward aiad forward in quick succession, the head nearly 
touching the floor' behind and before. All classes, saints and sinners, the strong 
as well as the weak, were thus affected. I have inquired of those thus affected it 
they could not account for it, but some have told me that those were among the 
happiest seasons of their lives. I have seen some wicked persons thus affected, 
and all the time cursing the jerks, while they were thrown to the earth with vio- 
lence. Though so awful to behold, I do not remember that any one of the thou- 
sands I have 'seen thus affected, ever sustained any injury in body. This was aa 
strange as the exercise itself 

The dancing exercise generally began with the jerks, and was peculiar to pro- 
fessors of religion. The subject, after jerking awhile, began to dance, and then 
the jerks would cease. Such dancing was indeed heavenly to the spectators. 
There was nothing in it like levity, nor calculated to excite levity in the beholders. 
The smile of Heaven shone on the countenance of the subject, and assimilated to 
an<TeIs appeared the whole person. Sometimes the motion Avas quick, and some- 
times slow. Thus they continued to move forward and backward in the same 
track or alley till nature seemed exhausted; and they would fall prostrate on the 
floor or earth, unless caught by those standing by. While thus exercised, I have 
heard their solemn praises and prayers ascend to God. 

The barking exercise, as opposers contemptuously called it, was nothing but the 
jerks. A person affected with the jerks, especially in his head, would often make 
a grunt or a bark, from the suddenness of the jerk. This name of barking seems 
to have had its origin from an old Presbyterian preacher of East Tennessee. He 
had gone into the woods for private devotion, and Avas seized with the jerks. 
Standing near a sapling, he caught hold of it to prevent his falling, and, as his 
head jerked back, he uttered a grunt, or a kind of noise similar to a bark, his fnce 
beinc" turned upward. Some wag discovered hira in this position, and reported 
that he had found the old preacher barking up a tree. 

The laughing exercise was frequent — confined solely to the religious. It was a 
loud, hearty laughter, but it excited laughter in none that heard it. The subject ap- 
peared rapturously solemn, and his laughter excited solemnity in saints and sin- 
ners: it was truly indescribable! 

The running exercise was nothing more than that persons feeling something of 
these bodily agitations, through fear, attempted to run away and thus escape from 
them; but it commonly happened that they ran not far before they fell, where they 
became so agitated they could not proceed any farther. 

I knew a young physician, of a celebrated family, who came some distance to a 
big meeting, to see the strange things he had heard of He and a young lady had 
sportively airreed to Avatch over and take care of each other if either should fall 
At length, the physician felt something very uncommon, and started from the con- 
gregation to run into the woods. He Avas discovered running as for life, but did 
not"procecd far until he fell down, and there lay until he submitted to the Lord, 
and afterward became a zealous member of the Church. Such cases were com- 
mon. 

The singing exercise is more unaccountable than any thing else T ever saw. The 
subject, in a very happy state of mind, Avould sinir most melodiously, not from the 
moiith or nose, but entirely in the breast, the sounds issuing thence. Such noise 
silenced eA'crything, and attracted the attention of all It was Liost heavenly; 
none could ever be tired of hearing it. 



ARKANSAS. 



The first European who traversed the territory of Arkansas was De Soto, 
the celebrated Spanish adventurer, who after his wanderings east of the Mis- 
sissippi, about the 1st of May, 1541, 
reached the great river of the west, 
not far from the site of Memphis, 
Tenn., where he encamped and tarried 
for about twenty days, in order to 
construct boats to cross the river. 
On the opposite bank a great multi- 
tude of Indian warriors assembled, 
well armed, and with a fleet of canoes, 
to defend the passage. The morning 
after De Soto had encamped, some of 
the natives visited him. "Advancing 
without speaking a word, and turning 
their faces to the east, they made a 
profound genuflexion to the sun ; then 
facing to the west, they made the 
same obeisance to the moon, and con- 
eluded with a similar, but less humble, 
reverence to De Soto." They in- 




Abms of Abkansas. 
Motto — RegnmU populi — The people govern. 



formed him they came in the name of the chief of the province, to bid them 
welcome, and offer their friendship and services. When the time had ai'rived 
for crossing over, De Soto, about three hours before day, ordered the four 
boats he had built and launched to be manned, and four troopers of tried 
courage to go in each. As they came near the other shore, meeting with no 
opposition, the troopers dashed into the water, easily effected a landing, and 
made themselves masters of the pass. Two hours before the sun went down 
the whole army had passed over the Mississippi. "The river in this place," 
says the Portuguese historian, "was half a league from one shore to the 
other, so that a man standing still could scarce be discerned from the oppo- 
site bank. The stream was of great depth, very muddy, and was filled with 
trees and timber carried along by the rapidity of the current." 

De Soto now pursued his way northward, and then turning westward again, 
they marched more than two hundred miles from the Mississippi to the high- 

645 



g46 ARKANSAS. 

lands of White Kiver. But still they found no gold (the ohject of their 
search), no gems, no cities: only bare prairies, tangled forests, and deep mo- 
rasses. To the south they again toiled on, and passed the winter wandering 
upon the Washita. In the following spring (1542), De Soto, weary with 
hope long defeia'cd, descended the river to its junction with Red River and 
the Mississippi. His men and horses wasted away, the Indians around him 
were hostile, and, his hopes being blasted, he sickened and died, and was buried 
in the Mississippi, "thus meeting, in all his travels, with nothing so remark- 
able as his burial place." 

The territory of Arkansas appears to have been next visited by Father 
Marquette, and a few others, who came down from Canada in 1673. The 
French voyageurs, from the Ohio, passed down the river to the neighborhood 
of the "Arkamseas," or Arkansas, where they were kindly received. Accord- 
ing to some accounts, the French had a settlement or military establishment 
at Arkansas Post, as early as 1685. It is stated, also, in 1748 (whether here 
or at the mouth of the Arkansas, does not distinctly appear), "the Chieka- 
saws attacked the post, slew many, took thirteen prisoners, and drove the rest 
into the fort." At this time, "from the Arkansas to the Illinois, near five 
hundred leagues, there was not a settlement." 

This state was oi'iginally included within the limits of Louisiana, from 
which, in conjunction with Missouri, it was set off, becoming a part of the 
latter, under tlie name of Missouri Territory. In 1819 Missouri was divided, 
and the southern portion became the Territory of Arkansas. The seat of 
government was originally located at Arkansas Post. Gen. James Miller, a 
distino-uished officer, and a native of New Hampshire, was the first governor. 
He was succeeded by Gen. George Izard. The first territorial election took 
place in Nov., 1819. The first legislature met at Arkansas Post, Feb. 20, 
1820. The members of the general assembly were as follows: Sylvanus 
Phillips, William 0. Allen, and AVm. B. R. Horner, Arkansas county; Ed- 
ward McDonald, Jo. Hardin, and Joab Hardin, Lawrence county; David 
Clark, Wm. Stephenson, and John English, Hempstead county; John McEl- 
murry, Radford Ellis, and Thos. H. Tindell, Pulaski county; Jacob Bark- 
man and Thos. Fish, Clark county. Gen. Wm. Allen, who afterward lost 
his life in a duel, was appointed brigadier general of the Arkansas militia. 
James Woodson Bates was elected delegate, and Robert Crittenden, secre- 
tary. The seat of government was removed to Little Rock in 1820. In 
1836 Arkansas was admitted as an independent state, constituting the twenty- 
sixth member of the American Union. 

Arkansas is bounded N. by Missouri, on the E. by the Mississippi River, 
separating it from Mississippi and Tennessee, S. by Louisiana, and W. by the 
'Indian Territory and Texas. It extends between 33° and 3Q° 30' N. Lat., 
and between 89° 30' and 94° 30' W. Long. It is 242 miles long from N. 
to S., and from 170 to 258 wide from E. to W., having an area of 52,198 
square miles. 

In the eastern part of the state, bordering on the Mississippi and the large 
rivers which empty into it, the country is low and swampy, with a heavy 
growth of timber, and is frequently overflowed. Toward the central part it is 
generally hilly and broken, though interspersed with numerous prairies. The 
western section is crossed by several mountainous ridges. The Ozark Mountains 
rise to an elevation of from 1,500 to 2,000 feet. The Washita Hills have 
also a considerable elevation. 

"Arkansas gives indications of considerable affluence in mineral resources, which 



ARKANSAS. 647 

arc principally coal, iron, lead, zinc, manganese, gypsum, and salt. The coal field 
of Arkansas commences 40 miles above Little Kock, and extends on both sides of 
the river beyond the western boundary of the state. Cannel, anthracite and bitu- 
minous coal are found in the state. Gold is said to have been discovered in White 
county. Near the Hot Springs is a celebrated quarry of oil stone, superior to any- 
thing else of the kind in the known world : the quantity is inexhaustible: there 
arc great varieties, exhibiting all degrees of fineness. According to a writer in 
De Bow's Resources of the South and West, there is manganese enough in Arkan- 
sas to supply the world ; in zinc it excels every state except New Jersey ; and has 
more gypsum than all the other states put together, while it is equally well sup- 
plied with marble and salt The lead ore of this state is said to be particularly 
rich in silver." 

"Among objects of interest to tourists, are the Hot Springs, about 60 miles S.W. 
of Little liock. From a point or ridge of land, forming a steep bank from 150 to 
200 feet high, projecting over Hot Spring Creek, an affluent of the Washita, more 
than lUO springs issue at diflerent elevations, and at different temperatures, from 
l;i5 deg. to 160 deg. of Fahrenheit. A considerable portion of this bank consists 
of calcareous dejwsits, formed from the water as it is exposed to the air. These 
springs are visited annually by thousands of people. The waters are esteemed 
particularly beneficial to persons suffering from the chronic eff"ects of mercury ; 
also in rheumatism, stifi"ness of the joints, etc. Near the top of the bank above 
alluded to, there is a fine cold spring, so near to the warm springs that a person 
can put one hand into cold and the other into warm water at the same time. The 
creek below the springs is rendered warm enough to bathe in, even in the coldest 
season. Cane Hill, in Washington county, elevated about 1,000 feet, is flat or roll- 
ing on the top, with exactly the same growth of trees, etc. (including the grape- 
vine, pawpaw and gum trees) as on the river bottoms. It was originally covered 
with cane, hence the name. It is four or five miles wide, and perhaps ten miles 
long, and densely populated. The mountains on the western border of the state, 
abound with picturesque and romantic scenery. There is in Pike county, on the 
Little Missouri River, a mountain of alabaster, said to be of the finest quality, and 
white as the driven snow.* In the same county also there is a natural bridge, 
which is regarded as a great curiosity." 

The state is traversed or washed by several of the largest rivers in Amer- 
ica. The Mississippi laves its eastern front for more than 350 miles by its 
windings. The Arkansas, one of the largest tributaries of the Mississippi, 
traverses the whole breadth of the state, through its center by a very tortu- 
ous course, and is navigable for the greater^art of the year far beyond its 
western limits. The Red River flows through the south-western corner of 
the state : the White River in the northern part of the state, and the Washita 
in the southern, are both important and navigable streams. 

The soil is of every variety, from the most productive to that which is 
sterile. On the margins of rivers, it is exceedingly fertile, but back of this the 
land in many places is sterile, there being a scarcity of water. Cotton and In- 
dian corn are staple productions, but the country is well calculated for raising 
cattle. Wild animals and fowls abound, such as buffaloes, deer, beaver, wild 
turkeys, geese, quails, etc. Within the last few years, the state has rapidly 
advanced in wealth and population, consequent upon the impetus given to the 
cultivation of cotton. Population, in 1850, 209,639, of whom 46,982 were 
slaves; in 1860, 435.427, including 111,104 slaves. 



Little Rock, the capital and chief town in Arkansas, is situated on the 
Arkansas River, about 100 miles in a direct line from Napoleon, at the mouth 
of the river, but more than double that distance following the course of the 
stream : distant from New Orleans, by the rivers, 905 miles, and 1,08G W, 
from Washington. The town is built on a rocky bluff, some 40 or 50 feet 



648 



ARKANSAS. 



hia;h. It contains the state capitol, the state penitentiary, U. S. arsenal, 5 
or 6 churches, several literary institutions, manufacturing establishments, and 
4,000 inhabitants. 




Little Rock. 

The view shows Little Rock, ns it appears from the opposite bank of the Arkansas. The Steamboat 
aud Feiry Landings are soon on thu riglit. Part of the city buildings appear ou the bluff, the Postollico 
on the left, and the State Uouse on the right. 

The first rock which appears, in ascending the Arkansas from the Missis- 
sippi, is seen in the bank near the steamboat landing in this place. About 
one and a half miles above the town, on the opposite side of the stream, is a 
large perpendicular rock, some 300 feet high ; this is called ''^Big Rock," 
while the other was known by the name of ^^ Little Rock." Hence the present 
name of the city, which was originally called Arlcopolis. The seat of gov- 
ernment for Arkansas Territory was laid out here in 1820, at which time the 
steamboat Comet arrived, in eight days from New Orleans, the first steamboat 
that ascended the Arkansas. The river at Little E.ock is about half a mile 
in width. In the summer months, when the water is at a low stage, only 
boats of a light draught can ascend as high as this point. During flood 
times the river has been known to rise twenty feet in twelve hours. In 
severe weather in winter, it is sometimes frozen over. Opposite the city the 
soil is very fertile, producing cotton from five to eight feet high. 

Batesville, the county seat of Independence county, 95 miles north- 
erly from Little Rock, is on the left bank of the White Eiver, about 
250 miles south \yosterly from St. Louis, and 1,040 from Washington. 
It lies at the head of steam navigation, small steamboats ascending 
at nearly all seas;ons. The place contains about 1,000 inhabitants. 
In 182{!, says Col. Noland, in his sketches of " Early Times in Arkan- 
sas," Batesville was the second town in importance in Arkansas. At 



ARKANSAS. 



649 



that time there were no towns or villages on White River from Bates- 
ville to its mouth. 

Helena, on the right bank of the Mississippi, is 100 miles from 
Little Eock, 100 from Napoleon, and 100 from Memphis. It has a 
large trade with the back country and the settlements on St. Francis 




Helena. 

River, fi-om which it i-eceives considerable cotton for shipment. There 
is a fine range of hills back of the landing, the first to be seen on the 
western bank of the Mississippi. 




Napoleon. 

The view shows the appearance of Napoleon as seen from the northern bank of the Arkansas, at the 
point where it enters the Mississippi. Tlia U. S. Hospital and the mouth of the Arkansas are seen on the 
right ; the Steamboat Landing and the Catholic Church on the left ; the Ferry Landing and Court House 
In the central part. 

NapoxiEon is situated on the southern side of Arkansas River, at 
its entrance into the Mississippi, about 100 miles in a direct line from 
Little Rock, by the river about 600 from New Orleans, 1,087 from St. 
Louis, and 1,583 from Cincinnati. It has 600 inhabitants. 

Arkansas Post, the oldest settlement in Arkansas, is situated on the 
northern bank of the Arkansas river about 50 miles above its junction 



650 ARKANSAS. 

the Mississippi. The French located themselves here as early as 1685. It 
was Ibriuei-ly a place of some importance, being the chief depot of the pel- 
tries of the country far around. There is now scarcely a single house re- 
maining. "A happier people," says Col. Noland, "than those who once 
lived here were not to be found anywhere. Principally of French descent, 
they were fond of frolic; dancing, balls, and card playing were the order of 
the day. Hospitable as people ever get to be, every man's latchstring hung y .-., 
on the outside of his door. The great man of the place was Frederfck Mo'- |\7 
trebe, of great strength of mind and business capacity. He was the great > 

merchant for all Arkansas east of Little Rock." 1 




View on the Arkansas. 

Pine Bhtff, the county seat of Jefferson county, on the right or southern 
bank of Arkansas River, is by land 45 miles south-westerly from Little 
Rock, and 90 by land from Napoleon, at the mouth of the river. The place 
derives its name from the pines growing on the bluff (some 40 or 50 feet 
high), on which the place is situated. The village contains three churches, 
a fine court house, erected at an expense of $18,000, and about 1,000 in- 
habitants. 

The White Sulphur Springs^ about seven miles from Pine Bluff, is begin- 
ning to be quite a place of resort, from the medicinal properties of its 
waters. 

Fort Smith is about 160 miles from Little Rock, on the W. line of 
the state, where it is crossed by the Arkansas River, also on the line 
of the great overland mail route from St. Louis to San Francisco. It 
has long been noted as a military post on the Indian frontier. St. 
Andrew's College, a Catholic institution, is located near this place. 
The Ecclesiastical Seminary, considered one of the finest edifices in 
the country, is located on the college grounds. Steamboats ply be- 
tween this place and New Orleans. 

Van Buren is on the N. bank of the Ai-kansas River, five miles from 
the state line dividing it from the Indian Territory. It has a large 
commerce with the Indians and the immediate neighborhood. 

Hot Springs, in Hot Springs county, is a small village 47 miles S. 



ARKANSAS. 651 

W. of Little Eock. It is distinguished as being the seat of a large 
number of hot springs. The temperature of the several springs vary 
from 110° to 150° Fahrenheit. About three miles N. E. are the chaly- 
beate springs, the waters of which are cold, and in Montgomery 
county, 50 miles westward, are also sulphur springs. The whole 
neighborhood is of volcanic formation, and the scenery romantic. 
The sjDrings are a highly popular place of resort for invalids and 
pleasure seekers. 

Fayetteville, in the nortliwestern corner of the state, is a beautiful 
town, long noted for its literary institutions. 



TEXAS. 




The signification of the word Texas is unknown. The name, on the first 
discovery of the country, was that of an Indian town on the Neches. In 

very early times, Texas was known as 
the "iVeio Philippines" and was so 
alluded to in Spanish official papers. 
The first landing of any white per- 
sons on the soil of Texas was made 
by La Salle and his companions, Feb. 
18, 1685. This adventurer, who was 
under the patronage of Louis XIV, 
of France, after his discovery of the 
mouth of the Mississippi, in 1682, 
was sent out on a second expedition 
to take possession of the Mississippi 
country and that adjacent, in the name 
of the king of France, and to secure 
the same by actual settlement. This ex- 
pedition consisted of four vessels and 
about 300 men. La Salle, by mistak- 
ing his course, proceeded too far to 
the south-west, and made his entrance into Matagorda Bay, which he sup- 
posed to be one of the mouths or outlets of the Mississippi, which river he 
had previously discovered. He proceeded about six miles up the Lavacca 
River, and built a fort on its banks, which he called Fort St. Louis. He 
afterward explored the country to the eastward as far as the Colorado River, 
when he became satisfied of his error, and that he was still far to the west 
of the Mississippi. 

Having ascertained nearly his actual position, he determined on opening a 
communication with the French settlements in Illinois, and for this purpose, 
on March 22, 1686, with twenty of his men, set out on a journey of 2,000 
miles, over an unexplored country. He encountered many difficulties on his 
progress toward Eastern Texas. He proceeded, it is supposed, as far as tho 
Neches River, where he was taken sick. He was kindly treated there by tho 
Cenis tribe of Indians, but on his recovery, he found his stock of ammuni- 
tion BO reduced that he was compelled to return to his small colony for 

653 



Aems op Texas. 



654 TEXAS. 

another outfit. From various causes the number of the colonists was reduced 
to forty men. Leaving one half of these at the fort, La Salle, on the 12th 
of Jan., 1687, commenced a second journey to Illinois. Having arrived 
again among the friendly Cenis Indians, his men being quarrelsome, killed 
several of their companions, and afterward murdered La Salle himself, on 
the 20th of March, 1687. The survivors continued their quarrels till the 
murderers themselves were assassinated. Finally Joutil, the historian of the 
expedition, with six others, continued their journey to Illinois, where five of 
them arrived in safety, and thence proceeded, by way of Canada, to France. 
When the Indians in the neighborhood of Lavacca heard of the death of La 
Salle, they attacked the garrison in St. Louis, and killed all but four, whom 
they took prisoners. Thus ended the first attempt at a settlement of Texas. 

The Spanish government having heard of La Salle's expedition to Texas, 
and wishing to contest the claim of France to the country, sent Captain De 
Leon with an expedition to Matagorda Bay. They arrived at Fort St. Louis 
April 22, 1689. From this point he proceeded to the Cenis nation, where 
he found two of the French colonists, whom he took and sent to the mines 
in Mexico. De Leon was afterward sent into Texas a second time, where he 
established several missions and military posts. In 1691, Teran was ap- 
pointed, by the government of Spain, governor of Texas and Coahuila, this 
being the first attempt to organize a government here. Teran established 
posts and formed settlements on Red River, on the Neches and Gruadaloupe. 
About this time was established the missions of San Francisco and San Juan 
Bautista. This last was situated on the "old San Antonio road," which was 
laid out about this time, by St. Denis, the French commandant at Nachito- 
ches, with a view to open a trade with Mexico, and which continued to be 
traveled by Mexican traders and others, for 140 years afterward. 

The hostility of the Indians, and the heavy expenses attending these cfi'orts 
to colonize Texas, caused the king of Spain to abandon, for a time, this en- 
terprise. The missions, however, struggled along under many discourage- 
ments. In 1712, Louis XIV, of France, still disputing the Spanish claim, 
granted a charter to Crozat, including both Louisiana and Texas, and ap- 
pointed Condillac governor of the whole territory. In order to obtain pos- 
session of the rich mines in the interior of Mexico, Condillac sent St. Denia 
with a command, to establish settlements and open a way to the mining re- 
gions. The Spanish authorities in Mexico became alarmed by these pro- 
ceedings, and in order to defeat the enterprise, sent Capt. Don Ramon to 
establish new posts and fortify the missions previously established. Ramon 
established many missions, in difierent parts of Texas, in the year 1715, 
which him, therefore, been called the "year of missions in Texas." From 
this year the permanent occupancy of Texas by Spain may be dated. 

In 1721, De Bienville, the governor of Louisiana, fitted out an expedition 
to drive out the Spaniards from Texas. The expedition landed in Matagorda 
Bay, but on account of the hostility of the Indians, they soon returned. In 
1728, the Spanish government made an order to send 400 families to Texas, 
to be taken from the Canary Islands. The first of these emigrants settled 
in S;in Antonio; and these, together with others from the city of Mexico; 
who arrived about the same time, laid the first permanent foundation of that 
city. About this time, the Natchez^ a powerful tribe of Indians in Louisi- 
ana, and the Apaches, and some other warlike tribes in Texas, made war 
against both the French and Spanish settlements. The Apaches made fre- 
quent incursions upon San Antonio, and greatly harassed the inhabitants; 



TEXAS 655 

while the Natchez attacked the French garrison at Natchitoches. This war 
broke out in 1730, and continued for two years, when the Spaniards defeated 
the Indians in a great battle, which, for a time, gave peace to the country. 

In 1762, France ceded Louisiana to Spain, who, having thus acquired 
possession of both Louisiana and Texas, established some new frontier de- 
fenses, but allowed only two garrisons to Texas, the one at San Antonio, and 
the other at La Bahia. The trade of Texas, consisting almost entirely in 
horses, cattle and sheep, was, after this, prosecuted with New Orleans with 
less difficulty, and the precious metals from various parts of Mexico passed 
through Texas without opposition. The policy, however, of the Spanish 
government, in not allowing any free trade, cut off all commerce from the 
coast of Texas, which was but imperfectly known, only now and then a con- 
traband trader, or a piratical cruiser, coming into Galveston to conceal a 
prize. 

"In 1765, the population of Texas, confined almost entirely to Adaes, San 
Antonio, La Bahia, with a few at Nacogdoches, Orquisaco and Mound Prairie, 
is said not to have exceeded 1,500, one half of whom were Indians domicil- 
iated." When Spain declared war against Great Britain, in 1779, Don Jose 
Galvez, then governor of Louisiana, engaged in active hostilities, and re- 
ceived a few recruits from Texas, who aided in the victories at Natchez, Pen- 
sacola, and other places. Previous to and during the American Ilevolution, 
an active trade was carried on by the Spanish settlement at Natchez, through 
Nacogdoches, to the interior of Texas, and it was through those engaged in 
this trade that its beauty and fertility became known to the Americans, and 
attracted adventurers from the United States. 

In Oct., 1800, Spain, by secret treaty, retroceded Louisiana back to France. 
In 1S03, Bonaparte, being in want of money, sold the whole of Louisiana to 
the United States. The western boundaries of this territory were quite un- 
defined, but the River Sabine was finally, in 1819, in treaty with Spain, 
agreed upon as the boundary upon the gulf. At the close of 1806, Texas 
was comparatively prosperous, owing chiefly to the disbursement of money 
for the support of the troops at the fortified places ; the population at this 
time was estimated at about 7,000. Some few Americans had settled along 
the San Antonio road, in spite of the hostile disposition manifested toward 
them.. Nacogdoches, at this time, contained about 500 inhabitants, among 
whom were quite a number of Americans. 

West of the Sabine was a tract, called the " Neutral Ground," which was 
occupied by bands of outlaws and desperate men, who lived as buccaneers, 
by robbery and plunder, perpetrated upon the traders. The Spanish author- 
ities had endeavored to expel them, but could not. The United States sent 
a force against them and drove them away, but they returned again, and re- 
newed their depredations. About this time, Lieut. A. W. Magee, a native 
of Massachusetts, who had commanded an expedition against these outlaws, 
conceived the idea of conquering Texas to the Rio Grande, and of establish- 
ing a republican government. This enterprize was undertaken in the name 
of Don Bernardo Gutierres, though Magee was in reality at the head of the 
movement. The freebooters of the neutral ground joined his standard, in 
June, 1812. The civil war at this time raging in Mexico, fxvored the de- 
signs of Magee, who had with him nearly every able bodied man east of the 
Trinity. He crossed the Colorado with about 800 men. At this point, he 
learned that Salcedo, the royalist governor of Texas, had come out against 
him as far as the Guadaloupe, with 1,400 men, where he lay in ambush. Magee 



656 TEXAS. 

then inade a forced march, and reached La Bahia on the 14th of Noveniher, 
•which was surrendered to him with but little opposition. Here Magee was 
besiep'cd by Salcedo for three weeks. Previous to the last assault, Magee 
agreed to deliver up the fort and return home. When this agreement was 
made known to the army, it was unanimously voted down. Major Kemper, 
the next in command, took the lead. Magee, deeply mortified, retired to his 
tent, and, it is said, died by his own hand a little after midnight. The Span- 
iards withdrew to San Antonio, after having continued the siege till the 12th 
of March, 1813. 

The Americans, being reinforced, marched on San Antonio. When with- 
in about nine miles of that place, they came upon the Spanish army, under 
Gov. Salcedo, about 2,500 strong, being about double the number of the 
Americans. The battle of Rosalis ensued, nearly 1,000 of the Spaniards 
were slain, and some few taken prisoners. The next day Gov. Salcedo sur- 
rendered, and being put in charge of a company of Bexar Mexicans to be 
transported to New Orleans, he, with 13 other officers, among whom was ex- 
Governors Herrera and Cordero, were taken to the bank oi the river below 
the town, where they were stripped and tied, and their throats cut! Col. 
Kemper, Maj. Ross, and others, being disgusted with such treachery and 
barbarity, left the army and returned home. Capt. Perry now took the com- 
mand, and on the night of June 4th, attacked and routed an army of over 
2,000 sent against them. The Piepublicans, however, were finally defeated by 
another army, under Gen. Arredondo, on the Medina, with great slaughter. 
Only 93 Americans reached Natchitoches, among whom were Col. Perry and 
Capts. Taylor and Ballard. The Spaniards being successful, in revenge, com- 
mitted liorrid atrocities upon the friends of the Republican party. Thus ended 
the first effort at Texan independence. 

In Feb., 1819, in a treaty with Spain, the Floridas were ceded to the 
United States, and the Sabine agreed upon as the boundary of the Spanish 
possessions. Texas thus being relinquished ibr Florida, a far less valuable 
territory, gave much dissatisftiction to the southern portion of the people of 
the United States. Early in 1819, Dr. James Long raised a company in 
Natchez, of 75 men, and proceeded to Nacogdoches, and on his arrival, being 
joined by Col. Davenport and Bernardo Gutierres, his command was in- 
creased to 300. A provisional government was then formed, and Texas was 
declared to be a "/Vee and independent 7-ej)i(hIic." They also enacted laws, 
and fixed the price of lands, those on Red River being estimated at a dollar 
per acre. They also established the first printing office, Horatio Bigelow 
being the editor of the paper. Gen. Long posted a few troops at the cross- 
ing of the Trinity, the falls of the Brazos, and at other places; he also dis- 
patched Col. Gaines to Galveston, in order to obtain the co-operation of La- 
fitte, the freebooter, in the revolution. This was declined, Lafitte stating the 
forces were entirely inadequate ibr the purpose. Meantime, the royalists, 
under Col. Parez, came and took the post on the Brazos, with eleven prisoii,- 
ers, Oct. 11, 1819, and on the 15th they took La Bahia (now Goliad), and 
afterward the post on the Trinity, and then proceeded to Nacogdoches, Gen. 
Long and his men having barely made tlieir escape to the Sabine. Parez 
proceeded to Cooshattie village, and about 40 miles below that place, after a 
severe conflict with the Republicans, routed them. The latter tied to Boli- 
var Point, near (Jalvcston, where Gen. Long afterward joined them. 

Gen. Long appears to have continued his head-quarters at Bolivar Point 
for some tiTue ; meanwhile Lafitte was obliged to leave Galveston. On the 



TEXAS. 657 

very day on which he left, Gen. Long, with Col. Milam and others, came 
over from Bolivar Point, and dined with Lafitte. Soon after. Long, 
Milam, and Trespalacios. collecting their forces sailed with them down the 
coast. Gen. Long landed near the mouth of the San Antonio, and proceed- 
ing with a party took posses-sion of La Bahia. Milam and Trespalacios soon 
after went to Mexico, in order to raise funds from the Kepublican govern- 
ment, for at this time the Revolutionary cause was gaining ground in Mex- 
ico. Notwithstanding this, it appeai-s that the royalists succeeded in captur- 
ing Gen. Long soon after, when he was sent to the city of Mexico, and then 
set at liberty, and finally assassinated. The wife of Gen. Long, who re- 
mained at Bolivar Point, during the absence of her husband, having heard 
of his death, returned to her friends in the United States.* 

In Dec, 1820, Moses Austin, a native of Connecticut, but for some time 
a resident of Missouri, set out for San Antonio de Bexar, to solicit the sanc- 
tion of the government, and to procure a tract of land, for the settlement of 
an Anglo-American colony in Texas. On presenting himself to the gov- 
ernor, he was, according to the Spanish regulations respecting foreigners, or- 
dered to leave the province immediately. On crossing the public square, he 
accidentally met the Baron de Bastrop, with whom he had a slight acquaint- 
ance in the United States, many years before. By his influe^ice he obtained 
a second interview with the governor, the result of which was that his peti- 
tion to introduce three hundred American families into Texas, was recom- 
mended and Ibrwarded to the proper authorities in Mexico. It was granted 
in Jan., 1821: Mr. Austin returned before its fate was known, and died 
shortly afterward. He left special injunctions to his son, titeplLcn F. Austin, 
to carry out his cherished plan to establish a colony. 

On July 21, 1821, Stejihen F. Austin, accompanied by Senor Seguin and 
seventeen pioneers, entered the wilderness of Texas to lay the foundation of 
her present prosperity. He explored various parts, and after meeting with 
losses and difficulties, located his colony on the Brazos. Austin soon repaired 
to San Antonio, to report to the governor, who appears to have been friendly 
to the enterprise. When he arrived there, in March, 1822, he learned, with 
much regret, that it was necessary to make a journey to the city of Mexico, 
to procure a grant from the supreme authorities. On the 29th of April en- 
suing. Col. Austin arrived in Mexico, and succeeded in obtaining from Itur- 
bide, then emperor, a confirmation of the grant made to his father. When 
about to return to Texas, IturbiJe was overthrown, and his acts declared null 
and void. Austin was again obliged to apply to the reigning authorities, 
who renewed the grant, and in efiect clothed him with almost sovereign 
power. In conjunction with Baron Bastrop, Austin fi^ed his colonial capital 
ou the Brazos, calling it San Felipe de Austin. 

* Jlrs. Long, formerly Miss Wilkinson, of Maryland, remained for a considerable period 
with two young children, attended by only a single servant. AVhile in this lonesome situ- 
ation, e.\p(jsed to many dangers, her youngest child, a daughter, was born, being, it is be- 
lieved, the first born of the Anglo-Saxon race in southern Texas, and possibly the first in 
the state. She was born Dec. 14, 1820, and died at the age of 2]4 years, in Jefferson countv. 
Miss., near Rodney. She named her little daughter Marj/ James, but in accordance with 
tiie \vi«hfs of some of her Mexican friends, she received the baptismal name, at San Anto- 
i.io, of Millie Artnisas Jucolm Feilro. While Mrs. L. remained alone on the point, she lived 
in upprehetision of a visit from the Cannibal Indians, a murderous race who frequented the 
const and (lalveston Island. By the aid of a spy glass, she could discern the movements 
«f tlip Indians, and when they appeared to be making for the Point, she raised a flag and 
fired ofl' a cannon, and by this means probably saved the lives of herself and children. 
Mrs. Long, at present, resides at her plantation, near Eiohmond, Texas. 

42 



658 TEXAS. 

When the Mexican government, in 1825, aboh'shed slavery within her 
limits, most of the settlers in Texas being planters from the southern states, 
who had brought their slaves with them, felt themselves aggrieved, and pe- 
titioned the Mexican congress in vain for relief. On the establishment of 
O'nfrnlism, under Santa Anna, Texas, in 1835, declared her independence. 
In 1836, Santa Anna, president of Mexico, with a force of several thousand 
men, moved forward, threatening to exterminate the Americans, or to drive 
them from the soil of Texas. In March, San Antonio de Bexar was be- 
sieged ; the Alamo there, defended by only 187 Americans, was carried by 
storm, and all slain: among them were Col. Travis, Col. David Crockett and 
Col. Bowie, the inventor of the hoioie-hmfe. While Santa Anna was engaged 
at San Antonio, Gen. Urrea marched upon Goliad. He had a severe contest 
with Col. Fannin's troops, who, on March 20th, sun-endered themselves as 
prisoners of war. Nine days afterward the Texan prisoners were led out and 
massacred, to the number of 330, in cold blood. 

On the 7th of April, 1836, Santa Anna arrived at San Felipe with the di- 
visions of Sesma and Tolsa. He proceeded down the west bank of the 
Brazos, crossed the river at Richmond, and on the 16th reached Harrisburg. 
The Texans, under Gen. Houston, now reduced to less than 800 men, retiring 
before his advance, proceeded down the bank of the Buftalo Bayou, and took 
a position near*the River San Jacinto. On the 21st of April, 1836, Santa 
Anna, with a force of over 1,700 men, being encamped near Gen. Houston, 
was attacked by the Texans. AYhen within about 600 yards, the Mexican 
line opened their fire upon them, but the Texans, nothing daunted, pressed 
on to a close conflict, which lasted about eighteen minutes, when the enemy 
gave way, and were totally routed, nearly every man was either killed, 
wounded, or taken prisoner. The Texan loss was but 2 killed, and 23 
wounded. This victory secured the independence of Texas. 

In 1841, President Lamar organized what has been termed, the "Santa Fe Ex- 
pedition," the object of which was, to open a trade with Santa Fe, and to establish 
Texan authority, in accordance with the treaty of Santa Anna, over all the territo- 
ry east of the Rio Grande. Santa Fe, lying east of that river, was still in posses- 
sion of the Mexicans. On the 18th of June, the expedition, numbering three 
hundred and twenty-five men under Gen. M'Leod, left Austin, the capital of Texas, 
and after a journey of about three months, arrived at the Spanish settlements in 
New Mexico. They were intercepted by a vastly superior force, and surrendered 
on condition of their being allowed to return ; but instead of this, they were bound 
with ropes and leather thongs, in gangs of six or eight, stripped of most of their 
clothing, and marched to the city of Mexico, a distance of 1,200 miles. On their 
route, they were treated with cruelty, beaten, and insulted; forced to march at 
times by night, as well as by day ; blinded by sand ; parched by thirst, and fam- 
ishing with hunger. 

Having arrived at Mexico in the latter part of December, they were, by the or- 
ders of Santa Anna, thrown into filthy prisons. After a while, part were com- 
pelled to labor as common scavengers in the streets of the city ; while others were 
sent to the stone quarries of Pueblo, where, under brutal taskmasters, they labored 
with heavy chains fastened to their limbs. Of the whole number, three were mur- 
dered on the march ; several died of ill-treatment and hardship; some few escaped, 
some Avere pardoned, and nearly all eventually released. 

Soon after the result of this expedition was known, rumors prevailed of an in- 
tended invasion of Texas. In September, 1812, twelve hundred Mexicans under 
Gen. Woll, took the town of Bexar ; but subsequently retreated beyond the liio 
Grande. A Texan army was collected, who were zealous to carry the war into 
Mexico. After various disappointments and the return of most of the volun- 
teers, three hundred Texans crossed the Rio Grande and attacked the town of 
Mier, which was garrisoned by more than two thousand Mexicans strongly posted. 



TEXAS. 659 

In a dark, rainy night, they drove in the guard, and in spite of a constant fire of 
the enemy, effected a lodgment in some houses in the suburbs, and with the aid 
of the deadly rifle, fought their way into the heart of the place. At length, Am- 
pudia sent a white flag, which was accompanied by Gen. La Vega and other officers, 
to inform the Texans of the utter hopelessness of resistance against an enemy ten 
times their number. The little band at length very reluctantly surrendered, after 
a loss of only thirty-five in killed and wounded, while the Mexicans admitted theirs 
to have been over five hundred. 

The Texans, contrary to the stipulations, were marched to Mexico, distant one 
thousand miles. On one occasion, two hundred and fourteen of them, although 
unarmed, rose upon their guard of over three hundred men, overpowered and dis- 
persed them, and commenced their journey homeward; but ignorant of the coun- 
try and destitute of provisions, and being pursued by a large party, they were 
obliged to surrender. Every tenth man was shot for this attempt at escape. The 
others were thrown into the dungeons of Ferote, where about thirty died of cruel 
treatment. A few escaped, and the remainder were eventually released. 

Early application was made by Texas to be annexed to the United States. 
Several years passed over without any serious attempts having been made by 
Mexico to regain Texas, and the political freedom of the country was thus 
considered as established. Presidents Jackson and Van Buren, in turn, ob- 
jected on the ground of the unsettled boundary of Texas, and the peaceful 
relations with Mexico. President Tyler brought forward the measure, but 
it was lost in congress. It having been the test question in the ensuing pres- 
idential election, and the people deciding in its favor by the election of the 
democratic candidates, Texas was annexed to the Union by a joint resolution 
of congress, Feb. 28, 1845. 

The Mexican minister, Almonte, who had before announced that Mexico 
would declare war if Texas was annexed, gave notice that since America had 
consummated "the most unjust act in her history," negotiations were at an 
end. 

War with Mexico then ensued. The theater of war in this state was on 
the Rio Grande. Gen. Taylor, with the American troops, routed the Mexi- 
cans on the soil of Texas, at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and the 
arms of the United States were every where triumphant. The state govern- 
ment was organized on the 19th of Feb., 1846. The boundary between New 
Mexico and Texas, the latter of which claimed the line of the Rio Grande, 
was adjusted by treaty in 1850. 

The joint resolution by which Texas was annexed to the Union, gives per- 
mission for the erection of four additional states from its territory, and in 
these words — "New states, not exceeding four in number, in addition to said 
state of Texas, and having suflScient population, may hereafter, by the con- 
sent of said state, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be en- 
titled to admission under the provisions of the Federal constitution." 

The opposition to the annexation of Texas was, at the time, very great in 
the North. Massachusetts, through her legislature, declared "that re-annex- 
ation of Texas was a virtual dissolution of the Union." The term re-annrx- 
ait'on, used at that period, grew out of the claims acquired by the purchase 
of Louisiana of France, in 1803. The French claimed, at the time of the 
sale to the United States, that the western limit of Louisiana, on the Gulf 
of Mexico, was the Rio Grande, 500 miles west of the Sabine. The limit, 
however, was undefined, and a large tract west of the Sabine, as? before ob- 
seived, bore for many years the term of "Neutral Ground," which was, by 
the citizens of the south, considered of right as belonging to the United 
States. When the Sabine was fixed upon as the boundary, by the treaty of 



eiJO TEXAS. 

1819, with Spain, which gave us Florida, all the territory west of that stream 
was lost, until it became securely fastened by what has been termed the '"re- 
annexation of Texas." 

Texas is bounded N. by New Mexico and the Indian Territories, from the 
latter it is divided chiefly by the Arkansas and Red Rivers ; K. by Arkansas 
and Louisiana, being separated from the latter by Sabine River; S. by the 
Gulf of Mexico; and west by Mexico and the Territory of New Mexico, 
being separated from Mexico by the River Rio Grande. It is situated be- 
tween 20° and 36° 30' N. Lat., and between 93° 30' and 110° W. Long, from 
Greenwich. It is 800 miles long from E. to W., and 700 from N. to S., con- 
taining, it is estimated 237,321 square miles. 

The surface of the country has been described as that of a vast inclined 
plane, gradually sloping from the mountainous regions of the west toward 
the sea coast in the south-east, and traversed by numerous rivers, all having 
that direction. Texas may be divided into three regions: the first, which is 
level, extends along the coast, with a breadth varying from 50 to 100 miles, 
being narrowest at the south-west; this part of the state has a rich, alluvial 
soil, and is singularly free from swamps and lagoons. Broad woodlands 
fringe the rivers, between which are extensive and rich pasture lands. The 
second division, the largest of the three, is the undulating prairie region, 
which extends from 150 to 200 miles further inland from the level section. 
Here are the beautiful "islands of timber." Here the soil, a little broken, 
is as rich as the land in the alluvial country below, more easily worked, and 
produces a greater variety of products. In this region, the planter may raise 
all the cotton, corn, rice, grain and tobacco he requires, and stock to any ex- 
tent, without much labor or care. The third, or mountainous region, in 
the W. and S.W., forming part of the Sierra Madre, or Mexican Alps, has 
been but little explored. Texas abounds with minerals, and is interesting 
in its geology. Silver, gold, lead, copper, alum, etc., are found. Iron ore 
pervades the greater part of the country, and bituminous coal on the Trinity 
and Upper Brazos. 

The Texan year is divided into a wet and dry season. The former lasts 
from December to March, and the latter from March to December. Though 
varying with location from tropical to temperate, the climate is remarkably 
delightful and salubrious. During the heat of summer, refreshing breezou 
blow from the south, almost without interruption. In the winter ice is sel- 
dom seen, except in the northern part of the state. Cotton, tobacco and 
sugar are the great agricultural staples : in cotton it is pre-eminent. Fruits 
of almost every kind flourish. Great numbers of cattle, sheep and horses 
are reared, vast herds of buftalo and wild horses roam over the prairies, while 
deer and game are abundant. Population, in 1850, 212,592; in 1860, 
001,039 including 180,388 slaves. 



Galveston City, the commercial capital of Texas, is situated at the east- 
ern end of Galveston Island, Lat. 29^ 18' 14" N., Long. 8-4° 46' 34" ^V., 
about 300 miles westward of New Orleans, and upward of 250 from Austin, 
the capital of the state. The island on which the city is built is very level, 
slightly elevated above the level of the sea, about 28 miles long, and from 
1^ to 3^ miles broad. There is 12 ieet water over the bar at low tide. Ves- 
sels of 800 tuns can cross it with 1,200 bales of cotton, and receive, by light- 
ering, 800 bales more at the outer bar. 



TEXAS. 



661 



When the island was first discovered by La Salle, in 1686. it was called San 
Louis, but al'terward it was named Galveston, from (Talvez, a Spanish nobleman. 
Tlie first settlement was aboiit tiie year lS3t'), by persons wlio. diirinj: the Texas 
Revolution, fled Croin the interior. At the period of the war of 1S12, Lafitte, the 
pirate, liad a pOrt iiere. His vessels lay wbere tlie wharf is represented in the 
foreground of the picture. Population, 7,000. 




North eastern vleic of Galveston. 



The view shows the appearance of the most compact part of Galveston, as seen from Kuhn or Hcndley'a 
Tv-harf, which, like the others, extends a considerable distance from the shore. The towers of the Catholic 
Church, the Market cupola, and the Movable Light are seen on the left, and the tower of the Episcopal 
Church on the right. Tlin Ilailroad, extending over the bridge from Virginia Poiut to the island, is in tha 
extreme distance on the right. 



S.v.\ Antonio stands on Vioth sides of the San .\ntonio, and is about 70 miles 
S. W. of Austin, and 1,476 from San Diego, California, and bas about 8,000 in- 
habitants. It was for years tbe headquarters of the United States army in Texas: 
tlie great starting point for military expeditions across the plains, between here 
and the Pacific. A very large proportion of the population are of the Mexican 
race, and Mexican habits, manners, and customs are largely prevalent. The 
Al.oio, so celebrated in Texan history, is in San Antonio, on the eastern side of 
the river, the public square and the principal part of the town being on the west 
side. The word alamo, in Spanish, signifies ''cottonwood," from which it is in- 
ferred that a grove of cottonwood stood on or near its site. 

Col. Ed. E. Cross, of the 5th New Tlarr-pshire Volunteers, killed at Gettysburg, 
gave this description of San Antonio about the year IS59: 

"San Antonio is like Quebec, a city of the olden time, jostled and crowded by 
modern enterprise. The latter-day American building, with its four or five stories, 
and half glass front, overtops the grim old Spanish wall and the dilapidated Mexi- 
can ' hacai,' which betokens a by-gone era. Here have the Germans settled in 
large numbers, bringing good old fashioned industry along with their lager beer. 
Their neat cottages and vegetable gardens are noticeable all about the suburbs. As 



662 



TEXAS. 



a ceneral thin<T, they are a better class of emigrants than those found in our large 
cities. There is not a steam engine nor a flour mill in San Antonio. All the dry 
goods, groceries, and manufactured articles needed for a city of eight thousand or 
ten thousand people, whose trade with the frontiers amounts to millions every year, 
are hauled from the sea coast, one hundred and fifty miles, upon wagons and rude 




3fatn Plaza, San Antonio. 

S;m Antonio is one of the oldest towns in the United States. "The Public; Square is divided by f bo 
Cburch and some other buildings into two; or rather the original square, or military plaza, was laid off 
and improved in 171.5, having ou its east side the Church and the offices of priests and officers. In 1731 
was laid off the main square or Plaza of the Constitution." 

carts. P'lour, potatoes and onions are among the articles of import, the attention 
of the inhabitants being concentrated upon cotton and cattle. There is not a good 
bakery, a first nor even a second class hotel in the city. Ice, cut from the ponds 
of ^Massachusetts sells, whenever there is a load in town, at from fifty to seventy- 
five cents per pound. Nothing is cheap but the tough, stringy grass-fed beef, which 
may be bought in the hoof for from two to two and one half cents per pound. One 
of our New Englanders who spent a day or two in the city, declared that the op- 
portunities for making money were so many and varied for a man of small capital, 
that the very contemplation made him feel worth at least half a million. 

Walking about the city and its environs, you may well fancy yourself in some 
strange land. The houses, many of them built of adobe, one story high, and 
thatched, swarm with their mixed denisons, white, black, and copper colored. The 
narrow streets, the stout old walls, which seem determined not to crumble away, 
the aqueducts, along which run the waters of the San Pedro, the Spanish language, 
which is spoken by almost everybody, the dark, banditti-like figures that gaze at 
you from the low doorways — everything, in the Mexican quarter of the city espe- 
cially, bespeaks a condition widely difi'erent from what you are accustomed to be- 
hold in any American town. To conduct trade successfully, it is necessary to em- 




"news from the states," when referring to any other portion of the country than 
Texas, except to the west. 

A large element of the population of San Antonio is Mexican. There are a few re- 
spectable, intelligent and wealthy families, but the majority are of the lower order, with 
all the Tices and none of the virtues belonging to the better sitliated. The men, whenever 
they work, are employed as teamsters, herders and day laborers. It is the general belief, 



TEXAS. 



663 




The Chukch of the Al.vmo. 



founded as I believe on fact, that a Mexican is good for nothing unless in service over cat- 
tle, horses and mules. The bend of their talent is toward live stock. As little Cape Cod- 
ites divert themselves by playing whalemen, and in that amusement harpoon kittens and 
chickens, so does the juvenile Mexican take at once to the lasso, and with precocious skill 
lariat dogs, goats and calves; and thus, growing up in constant practice, the lariat becomes 
in his hands a deadly snare. Its throw is swift and certain, and it is alike dreaded by man 
and beast. Every cattle farm and horse range has its lasso men, or " ropers " as they are 
called in Texas, whose duty it is to catch runaway and refractory mules, horses and cattle, 
and in this business they become wonderfully expert. It is ludicrous to see the chopfallen 
air which at once comes over an old mule when the lasso has tightened around his throat. 
Experience has taught him that all attempts at escape are vain, and with a miserable look 
of resignation he submits to be led otf. 

The free-and-easy style of life which is characteristic of the lower order of Mexicans is 

sure to surprise a stranger. He 
sees children of both sexes, 
from two to six years of age, 
strolling about in the econom- 
ical and closely-fitting costume 
bestowed upon them by nature. 
Women, short and dumpy, 
with forms guiltless of artifi- 
cial fixtures, and in the single 
article of attire denominated 
a petticoat, brief at both ends, 
are observed in doors and out, 
manilesting not the slightest 
regard for the curious glances 
of the passers by. Parties of 
men, women and cluldreu 
bathe in the San Antonio 
River, just outside the corpor- 
ate limits, without the annoyance of dresses. This comfortable fashion was formerly in 
vogue within the city, until the authorities concluded it might with propriety be dispensed 
with. 

Mexican amusements, in the shape of cockfights and fandangoes, help to elevate and 
refine the people of San Antonio, such ai choose to participate. Every Sunday, just after 
mass at the old Mission Cl.urcli, there is a cockfight, generally numerously attended. 
The pit is located in rear of the church, about one square distant. On last Sabbath, going 
past the church door about the time of service, I ol)served a couple of Mexicans kneeling 
near the door in a pious attitude, which would doubtless have appeared very sober and 
Christianlike, had not each one held a smart gamecock beneath his arm! Pious souls! 
They had evidently paused a moment on their way to the cockpit, in order to brush over 
their little shortcomings for the past week. 

The fandangoes take place every evening, and are patronized by the lower orders of 
people, who, as the sapient circus proprietor in " Hard Times " would declare, " must be 
amushed." A large hall or square room, lighted by a few lamps hung from the walls, or 
lanterns suspended from the ceiling, a pair of negro fiddlers and twenty or thirty couples 
in the full enjoyment of a " bolero," or the Mexican polka, help make up the scene. In 
the corners of the room are refreshment tables, under the charge of women, where coifee, 
frijoles, tortillas, boiled rice and otiier eatables may be obtained, whisky being nominally 
not sold. From the brawls and free fights which often take place, it is surmised that the 
article may he had in some mysterious manner. At these fandangoes may be seen the 
muleteer, fiesh from the coast or the Pass, with gay clothes and a dozen or so of silver 
dollars; the United States soldiers just from the barracks, abounding in oaths and tobacco; 
the herdsman, with his blanket and long knife, which seems a portion of every Mexican; 
the disbanded ranger, rough, bearded and armed with his huge holster pistol and long 
bowie-knife, dancing, eating, drinking, swearing and carousing, like a party of Captain 
Kidd's men just in from a long voyage. Among the women may be seen all colors and 
ages from ten to forty; the Creole, the Poblano, the Mexican, and rarely the American or 
German — generally, in such cases, the dissipated widow or discarded mistress of some sol- 
dier or follower of the army. 

San Antonio is rapidly improving. Near the Alamo a fine hotel of stone is being 
erected by an enterprising German. The new Catholic Church is a grand edifice for 
Texas. Near the city is a quarry of limestone, so soft that it can be cut with a common 
knife. Exposed to the air for any length of time, it hardens and becomes solid. Some 
fine warehouses have just been completed; one is rented by the United States for a store- 



664 "^EXAS. 

nouse and barrack building. The wealthy and refined portion of the inhabitants do not 
seem disposed to erect costly dwellings, probably for the reason that a Imilding of any 
pretensions to style and finish is a remarkably costly affair. Everythiii;^ bat the stone 
must be imported; iron from Cincinnati; window frames Irom Boston; imd pine lumber 
from Florida. Even shingles are brought from Michigan, and glass from Pittsburg. A 
railway from some point on the coast is needed to develop and improve the country, and 
until one is constructed San Antonio will be a peculiar and isolated city. 



The foundation of San Antonio was an Indian mission, as were generally 
the first settlements under the Spaniards in Texas. This work was under- 
taken in Texas by the Franciscans, a religious order founded by St. Francis 
d'Assisi, at Naples, in 1208. Before giving a particular history of this mis- 
sion, we extract from Yoakum a description of these establishments, with 
their mode of government and discipline : 

The establishments formed in Texas were known as presidios* or 7«/.-t.s-//w.?. 
There was a mission at each presidio; hut many missions were without soldiers, 
at least in any considerable numbers. Each jiresidio was entitled to a command- 
ant, and the necessary officers for a command of two hundred and til'ty men; 
though, from various circumstances, the number constantly varied, and was gen- 
erally less. The troops were inferior, badly clothed, idle, and disordfTly. 'fhe 
buildings were erected around a square, p>laza de armas, and consisted of the 
church, dwellings for officers, friars, and soldiers, with storehouses, pri.sons, etc. 
The size of the square depended on the population, the strength of the force in- 
tended to be stationed there, and also upon the extent of the district dependent on 
the presidio. Huts were erected at n short distance from the principal edifices, 
for the converted Indians. The unmarried of either sex were placed in separate 
huts, and at night locked up by the friars, who carried the keys, 'i'hey emniur- 
aged chastity among the Indians, and punished its violation by public or private 
whipping, as tlie offender was a male or a female. 

Forts were erected near the presidios, and sometimes the church was fortified. 
The civil and military authority was united in the commandant, which, in some 
matters, was subordinate and in others superior to the ecclesiastical power. The 
principal duty of the military was to repel the invasion of the wild Indians, and 
to suppress the rebellious spirit of the converts. The Indians were well fed, 
clothed, and cared for; their labors were not heavy; and, in these particulars, they 
could not complain. But they were compelled to perform certain religious cere- 
monies l)efore they could understand anything of their meaning. Sundry rules 
were laid down for their every motion, a departure from which Avas severely pun- 
ished. It was this tyranny over the minds and bodies of the Indians that enfee- 
bled and wasted them. They were willing to forego the food and raiment of the 
missions, for the sublime scenery of the vast prairies, the liberty of roaming un- 
molested over them, and chasing the bufl'alo and the deer. Freedom, dear to all, 
is the idol of the Indian. He worships the liberty of nature. When xestrained 
from his loved haunts, he pines, and sickens, and dies. Had the Franciscans, like 
the Jesuits on the lakes, gone with their flocks on their hunting excursions, joined 
them in their feasts, and praised them for their skill in the chase, they would have 
met with greater success. But the Jesuits possessed a twofold advantage : they 
had the power of dispensing with tedious and uninteresting prayers and ceremo- 
nies; and they also enjoyed the aid of the cheerful, talkative, open-hearted French; 
while the Franciscans, without such dispensing power, were likewise bound to co- 
operate with the gloomy, suspicious, and despotic Spaniards. 

The Franciscan fathers made regular reports of the success of their missions to the 
superior, and the latter to the general of the order. On these reports depended to a 
great extent the favor shown the missionaries; hence they were excited to zeal in 
their efforts to make converts. Not content with the fruits of persuasion and kind 
treatment, they made forays upon the surrounding tribes. The soldiers performed 

^'Presidio, a garrison of soldiers. 



TEXAS. 665 

this duty. The prisoners taken, especially the young, were trained alike in the mys- 
teries of the Christian faith and agriculture. To effect their training, they wore 
divided among the older and more deserving Indians of the mission, who held tiiem 
in servitude until they were of an age suitable to marry. At tlie proper time thi.*; 
rite was faithfully performed, and thus there grew up a race of domestic Indians 
around the missions. 

To add to the strength of the missions and the number of the converts, reliable 
Indians of these establishments were sent out among their wild brethren to brinf 
them in. This was sometimes done by persuasion, and sometimes by deception 
and force. However, they were brought to the missions, and incorporated amon<' 
the learners and workmen of the fold. 

When we call to mind the fanaticism and ignorance of that age, and the import- 
ant foct that the Indians who remained long in the missions became greatly at- 
tached to their spiritual guides and the form of their worship, Ave must admit that 
these pioneers of relif^ion deserved some praise. Their toils and privations evinced 
their faith — their patience and humility should satisfy the world of their sincerity. 

Until the present century, the Catholics did more for the cause of missions than 
the Protestants; and if, a century and a half ago, they committed fatal errors in 
their religious enterprises, it is no more than has since been done. The fate of 
the aboriginal races of the New World, and even of the Pacific islands, is peculiar. 
A well-defined instance of any tribe or nation that has been civilized, without a 
total or partial destruction of its people, can scarcely be produced. This mav, to 
some extent, be attributed to the vices introduced by the friends of the mission* 
axies. 

Yoakum gives this history of the founding of the mission at San Antonio: 

The venerable mission of the .Alamo, the second in Texas, deserves some consideration. 
It was first founded in the year 1703 by Franciscans of the apostolic college of Queretaro, 
in the valley of the Rio Grande, under the invocition of San Francisco Solano. Here it 
remained for five years, but for some reason was removed to a place called San Ildephonso, 
where it seems to have remained till 1710, at which time it was moved back to the Rio 
Grande, and reinvocated as the mission of San Jose. Here it remained under the guid- 
ance of the good father Jose de Soto till the 1st of May, 1718, when, on account of the 
scarcity of water, it was removed to tlio west bank of the San Pedro, about three fourths 
of a mile north-west of the present parish church of San Antonio. Here it remained, un- 
der the protection of the post [fort] of San Antonio de Valero, whose name it assumed, 
until 1722, when, on account ot' troubles with the Indians, it was once more removed, with 
the post, to what is now known as the Military Plaza. The main S(tuare, or Plaza of the 
Comtilution, was formed in 1730, by the colonists sent out at the request of De .Aguayo * 
The establishment around the Military Plaza was properly called San Antonio de Bexar 
(^Viyar), while the town on the east of ihc church was known as San Fernando. 

In May, 1774, the people, tired of the lawsuit between the ex-governors Sandoval and 
Franquis, laid the foundation of the church of their old mission, where it now stands un- 
finished, as the church of the Alamo. It had been seeking a resting place for nearly half 
a century, and it was time that it should find one. From this period until 1783, it w.as still 
known and conducted as the mission of San Antonio de Valero. In the meantime, the 
number of Indians under its charge increased, and as they became civilized, were settled 
around the mission, thus forming a town on the east side of the river. The company of 
San Carlos de Parras was stationed there for the protection of the town and mission." It 
enjoyed a separate organization, and had its own alcalde, and place of worship. But, about 
this last-named period, the place ceased to be a missionary station. All the Indians 
brought in for conversion had for some time previously been taken to the missions below 
the town — perhaps the better to secure them against its corrupting influences; so that, hav- 
ing no further missionary work to perform, San Antonio de Valero became an ordinary 

*" In the course of that year, says the ancient record, came twelve families of pure Spanish blood, from 
the Oiiriary Islands, who laid mit and founded the city of San Antonio. Among the settlers was a Garcia, 
a Flores, a Navarro and a Garaz.i, names afterw.ard prominent in the revolutionary history of Texas, while 
it was claimed as a Spanish colony. One year after their arrival the colonists, assisted by the Franciscan 
fathers and their crowds of I.idian converts, erected the quaint church which now, defaced and battered 
by tlie storms of one hundred and twenty-seven years, stands in the main plaza of the city, a monument 
of the almost buried past. Its evening bells echo sweetly their chimes as in the days of long ago, and 
crowds of worshipers still kii>>el upon the old stone floor, and bow before the venerable picture of th« 
Crucifi.\ion which hangs, all dim and discolored, above the altar." 



666 



TEXAS. 





Mission of San Jose. 



SpanisTi town, and the old missionary church of the Al.amo became a common parish- 
church. 

The traveler already quoted from, in describing the Missions on the Saa 
Antonio River, in tlie vicinity of the town, which were named respectively 
San Jose, La Espada, San Juan and Concepcion, says: . 

They were large, strong, half church, half fortress edifices, in appearance some- 
thing lilie the feudal castles of 
olden time, whose ruins are scat- 
tered all over Europe, surround- 
ed ]jy a high and massive stone 
wall, with only one entrance. 
The huildings, consisting of 
chapels, doi-mitories, halls, cella 
and kitchens, were all built of 
limestone, the quarrying and 
transporting of which must 
alone have been an immense la- 
bur, as some of the ediiiccs were 
of great extent. Each mission 
was surrounded by an extensive 
larin, whose acequias and irri- 
gating ditches are yet visible. 
Among all the missions in this 
section that of San Jose must 
have been conspicuous from its 
size, its strength, and the rude splendor with which it was decorated. Still may be 
seen carvings of saints and sacred relics upon the walls and ceilings. Over the 
main entrance, wdiich is garnished by many ornaments, there is 3'ct a battered re- 
presentation of the Virgin and her inflxnt, and the patron, San Jose, cut in the hard 
limestone. Profane heritics have used the eyes and nose of the venerable saint, 
and the place "where his heart ought to be," for targets, where they have chroni- 
cled their skill as marksmen. The chapel front is ornamented with coarse fresco 
painting, in red, yellow and blue, in its day, doubtless, to the ignorant beings who 
worshiped there, a grand exhibition of art. From San Jose we visited tlie mis- 
sion of Concepcion, whicli was once a lofty structure with two tall towers and a 
dome, surrounded by a thick arched wall. We found a lot of I\Iexican cattle-herd- 
ers in full possession, and the main chapel room filled with filth and rubbish. The 
outbuildings and arches are overgrown with moss and weeds. In the soft twilight 
which was slowly stealing over the San Antonio valley the scene was solemn and 
sad, and we startled at our own footsteps upon the desolate pavement, half expect- 
ing to see the cowled figure of some ghostly monk start from the gloomy arches to 
rebuke our unhallowed intrusion. 

Crossing the San Antonio River from the main plaza, we came to a quaint old 
edifice, whose seamed and battered front betokens an acquaintance with shot and 
shell. It was built after the Moorish style, and althoueh of late a modern roof 
has been added, is the same old edifice, memorable in the annals of Texan 
independence — the Alamo! a name familiar to the American people as a " house- 
hold word" — a name associated with a siege and a defense the like of which can 
scarcely be found in the history of any state. The place where fell Bowie, Travis, 
Crcjckett, and a band of as brave spirits as ever upheld struggling freedom in any 
quarter of the globe. 



The Alamo was never intended for a fortress, but its walls are very strong, 
and it has been the scene of severe conflicts beside that which has given it 
such wide renown. One of these was in the year 1835, when Gen. Cos, com- 
manding a strong Mexican force, was besieged in San Antonio by the Texans, 
under Gen. Burleson. The siege was about to be abandoned, when iuforma- 



TEXAS. 



667 



tion was given of the position of affairs in the town by a Mexican deserter. 
This was on the 4th of December, and so aroused the military spirit of Col. 
Benjamin R. Milam, that he exclaimed, " Who will go with old Ben Milam into 
San Antoniof" The reply was an approving shout from the officers and 




The Alamo, San Antonio. 

The Alamo, the " Thermopylne of Texan Indepenilenee," where fell Bowie, Travis, Crockett, with all the 
rest of its brave garrison, not even one being left to tell the story of its heroic defense, is j-et standing in 
the town of San Antonio, and is used by the Quartermaster's Department of the U. S. Army. The view ia 
faithfully taken in all its details and adjuncts, even to the costumes in the foreground, where is shown the 
Mexican ox-cart, with its broad wooden wheels devoid of iron tires. The church, which was the main for- 
tress, is shown, on a larger scale, on a preceding page. 

men, who volunteered, to the number of 301, to make the assault, and elected 
Milam as their leader. The plan adopted was to storm the town the next 
morning in two divisions, the first under Col. Milam, and the second under 
Col. Frank W. Johnson. 

The town was fortified at the public square by breastworks and batteries, besides 
whieh the houses being of stone were in effect like so many forts. The Alamo, 
which is on the east side of the river — the main pa.rt of the town, with the plaza, 
being on the west — commands some of the entrances to it, and was, at the time, 
strongly fortified and garrisoned. The assault began just before daylight on the 
morning of the 5th, the fir.st division attacking on one side of the town, and the 
second on the opposite. The storming lasted three days. The Texans gradually 
worked their way to the center of the place. The Mexicans occupied the tops of 
the houses, and cutting loopholes in the parapet walls, fired upon their foe. The 
Texan."*, with picks and crowbars, made passage ways through the houses; first 
thrusting through their rifles and firing upon their defenders, they drove them from 
room to room, and from house to house, until, thus gallantly fighting inch by inch, 
they had penetrated so near the plaza, that Gen. Cos, on the morning of the 'Qth, 
seeing further resistance hopeless, sent in a flag of truce, expressing a wish to ca- 
pitulate. The next day the terms were concluded. They were most honorable to 
the Mexicans, and more glorious in their moderation to the Texans, than the vic- 
tory itself The Mexican officers were permitted to retain their arm.s and private 



668 TEXAS. 

piopertv, and the officers and troops allowed to return to Mexico. The enemy lost 
about loO men, the Texans but a few. Among them was the heroic Mihim, who 
was instantly killed by a rifle shot in the head, while crossing a yard between two 
houses. By his death the command devolved on Col. Johnson, who had the honor 
of raising the flag above the walls of Bexar, after a victory of 300 men over 1,400 
entrenched in a, strongly fortified town. 



The "jpa/? of the Alamo" like the famous defense of Therraopjla3, is an 
event that will long live among the heroic incidents of history. At two 
o'clock in the afternoon, Feb. 23, 1836, Santa Anna, with the second divis- 
ion of the Mexican army, marched into the town of San Antonio, having 
been preceded by an advance detachment the second day preceding. His 
army numbered several thousand strong, and comprised the choicest troops 
of his country. On the same day a regular siege of the Alamo commenced 
and lasted eleven days, until the final assault. The Alamo was then garri- 
soned by 156 men, under Lieut. Col. Wm. Barret Travis, with Col. James 
Bowie, second, as is believed, in command. Col. David Crockett was also 
with the garrison, but it is unknown whether he had a command, as he had 
joined it only a few weeks before: 

iSanta Anna immediately demanded a surrender of the garrison withmit terms! 
their reply was a shot from the fort. He then raised a blood red flag on the church 
at Bexar, as a token of vengeance against the rebels, and began an attack, and 
this by slow approaches. Travis sent off an express with a strong appeal for aid, 
declaring that he would never surrender nor retreat. For many days no marked in- 
cidents occurred in the siege. On the 1st of March, 32 gallant men, from Gon- 
zales, under Capt. John W. Smith, entered the Alamo, and raised the efi'ective 
force to 188 men. On the 2d, Travis sent out by a courier a last appeal, setting 
forth fully his determination to remain until he got relief or perished in the ti^- 
fense. About the same time he also wrote an affectiVig note to a friend, " Take 
care of my little boy. If the country should be saved, I may make him a splen- 
did fortune; but if the country should he lost, and I should perish, he will have 
tmthing but tlie proud recolkction that he is tJie son of a man who died for his country^' 

The account of the final assault, with the accompanying description of the 
Alamo, we take from the "Fall of the Alamo," a pamphlet by Capt. B. M. 
Putter, published at San Antonio, in July, 1860. He had unusual opportu- 
nities for obtaining all ihat can be known of the final tragedy, the details of 
•which have not been accurately given, for the reason that not a single de- 
fender survived it : 

Santa Anna after calling a council of war on the 4th of March, fixed upon the morning 
of Sunday, the 6tb, as the time for the final assault. Before narrathig it, however, I must 
describe the Alamo as it then existed. It had been founded soon after the first settlement 
of the vicinity, and being originally built as a place of safety for the settlers and their 
pi-opei-ty in case of Indian hostility,' with sutKcient room for that purpose, it had neither 
the strength nor compactness, northe arrangement of dominant points, which belong to a 
regular I'urtificatiou.* 

As its area contained between two and three acres, a thousand men would barely have 
stitticed to man its defenses, and before a heavy siege train its walls would soon have 
cnunbled. 

From recollection of the locality, as viewed in 1841, I can trace the extent of the OHter 
walls, which were demolished thirteen years ago; and the accompanying diagram is made 
from actual measurement. 

(a) Represents the Chapel or the fortress, which is 75 feet long, 62 wide, and 22>^ 
high, the wall of solid masonry being four feet thick. It was originally in one story, but 

■^The front of the A.lamo Chapel bears the date of 1757; but the other worka must have been built 
earlier. 



TEXAS 



6G9 



h;i(l upper windows, under which platforms were erected for mounting cannon in tliose 
opening's, (b) designates one of those upper windows which I will have occasion to men- 
tion, !ind (c) the front door of the church, (d) is a wall 50 feet long, connecting this 
church with the long barrack (k e). The latter is a stone house 186 feet long, 18 wide, 



PLAN- 

OE THE 

ALAMO 

1836 




Scnfe 



lOU feet 



r 



nnd 18 high, being of two stories, (f) is a low stone barrack, 114 feet long and 17 wide 
Those houses, or at least their original walls, which (e.\cept those of the church), are 
about thirty inches thick, are siill standing. They had at the time flat terrace roofs of 
beams and plank, covered with a thick coat of cement. The present roofs and the ad- 
joining sheds and other woodwork, have been added since the place was converted into 
a qviaitermaster's detwt of the United Stutes army, (g h i and k) were rooms built against 
the we-t barrier, and were demolished w itli it. The barrier wall was li-nm 6 to 8 leet high, 
and 23/ thick, inclosing the large area, 41)2 feet long and 162 wide: this the long liarnick 
(E E) Iroiited on the east, and the low barrack (f) on the south, (m) designates "the gate 
of tlie area, and (« n v) locate the doors of the several houses which opened upon it. 
Most of those doors had within each a semi-circular barricade oi' par.ipet comiv)?ed of a 
double curtain of hides upheld by stakes aiul filled in with earth. From behind these 
the garrison could fire front or oblique through the doors. Some of the rooms were also 
loopholed. (o o) describes a wall trom five to six i'eet high and 2?^ thick, which inclosed 
a smaller area east of the long barrack and north of the church, lb9 feet by 102. (p) lo- 
cates an upper room in the south-east angle of said barrack — (q) a breach in the north 
barrier, and (r) an intrenchment running from the south-east angle of the chapel to the 
gate. This work was not manned against the assault. According to Santa Anna's re- 



(370 TEXAS. 

port twentyono gu!i3 of various calibers were planted in different parts of the works. 
Yoakum in" liis description of the armament mentions but fourteen. Whichever number be 
correct, however, has but little bearing upon the merits of the final defense, in whiih the 
cannon had little to do. They were in the hands of men unslcilled in their use, and owing 
to ilie con^■t^uction of the fort each had a limited range, which the enemy in moving up 
seem in a measure to liave avoided. 

It was resolved by Santa Anna that the assault should take place at early dawn. Tlie 
order for the attack, which I have read, but have no copy of, was full and precise in its 
details, and was signed by Brig. Gen. Amador as head of the staff. The besieging force 
consisted of the battalions of Toluca, Jimenes, Matamoros, los Zapadores (or sappers), 
and another, which I think was that of Guerrero, and the dragoon regiment of Dolores. 
The infantry was directed at a certain hour, between midnight and dawn, to form at a con- 
venient distance froni the fort in four columns of attack and a reserve. This disposition 
was not made by battalions; for the light companies of all of them were incorporated with 
the Zapadores to form the reserve, and some other transpositions may have been made. A 
certain number of scaling ladders and axes were to be borne with particular columns. The 
cavalry were to be stationed at different points around the fortress to cut oft" fugitives. 
From what I have learned of men engaged in the action it seems that these disposition':! 
were changed on the eve of attack, so far as to combine the five bodies of infantry into 
three columns of attack. This included the troops designated in the order as the reserve; 
and the only actual reserve that remained was the cavalry. 

The immediate command of the assault was intrusted to Gen. Castrillon, a Spaniard by 
birth and a brilliant soldier. Santa Anna took his station with a part of his staff and all 
the regimental bands at a battery south of the Alamo and near the old bridge, from which 
the signal was to be given by a bugle note for the columns to mo^'e simultaneously, at 
double quick time, against different points of the fortress. One, composed mainly of the 
battalion of Toluca was to enter the north breach — the other two to move against the 
southern side: one to attack the gate of the large area — the other to storm the chapel. By 
tiie timing of the signal, it was calculated that the columns would reach the foot of the 
wall just as it became light enough to operate. 

When the hour came the batteries and tlie music were alike silent, and a single blast of 
the bugle was at first followed by no sound save tlie rushing tramp of soldia-s. The guns 
of the fortress soon opened upon them, and then the bands at the south battery struck up 
the assassin note of deguello — " no quarter! " But a few and not very effective discharges 
from the works could be made before the enemy were under them;* and it is thought that 
the worn and weary garrison was not till then fully mustered. The Toluca column ar- 
rived first at the foot of the wall, but was not the first to enter the area. A large piece 
of cannon at the north-west angle of the area probably commanded the breach. Either 
this or the deadly fire of the riflemen at that point, where Travis commanded in person, 
brought the column to a disordered halt, and its leader Col. Duque, fell dangerously 
wounded. But, while this was occurring, one of the other columns entered the area 
by the gate or by escalade near it. The defense of the outer walls had now to b' 
ai>andone<l; and the garrison took refuge in the buildings already described. It was prob' 
ablv while the enemy were pouring in through the breach that Travis fell at his post; foi 
his'body was found beside the gun just referred to. All this passed within a few minutes 
after the bugle sounded. The early loss of the outer barrier, so thinly manned, was inev- 
itable; and it was not until the garrison became more concentrated and covered in the inner 
works, that the main struggle commenced. They were more concentrated as to the space, 
not as to unity; for there was no communicating between the buiklTngs, nor in all cases 
between rooms. There was now no retreating from point to point; and each group of de- 
fenders had to fight and die in the deu where it was brought to bay. From the doors, win- 
dows and loopholes of the rooms around the area, the crack of the rifle and hiss of the bullet 
came fierce and fast: and the enemy fell and lecoiled in his first efforts to charge. The gun 
beside which Travis lay was now turned against the buildings, as were also some others; 
aad shot after shot in quick succession was sent crashing through the doors and barricades 
of the several rooms. Each ball was followed by a storm of musketry and a charge; and 
thus room after room was carried at the point of the bayonet, when all within them died 
fighting to the last. The struggle was made up of a number of separate and desperate 
conil)ats, often hand to liaiid, between squads of the garrison and bodies of tlie enemy. 
The bloodiest spot about the fortress was the long barrack and the ground in front of it, 
where the enemy fell in heaps. 

In the meantime the turning of Travis' gun had been imitated by the garrison. A small 

<'A sergeant of the Zapiulores told me that the column he belonged to encountered but one discharge of 
grijio in moving up, and that passed mostly over the men's heads. 



TEXAS. Qll 

piece on the roof of the chapel or one of the other buildings was turned against the area 
while the rooms were being stormed. It did more execution than anv other cannon of the 
fortress; but after a few effective discharges all who manned it fell under the enemy's fire. 
Crockett had taken refuge in a room of the low barrack near the gate. He either garri- 
soned it alone, or was left alone by the fall of his companions, when he sallied to meet his 
fate ii: the face of the foe, and was shot down. Bowie had been severely hurt by a fall 
from a platform, and when the attack came on, was confined to his bed in an upper room 
of the barrack marked (p.) He was there killed on his couch, but not without resistance; 
for he is said to have shot down with his pistols one or more of the enemy as they entered 
the chamber. 

The church was the last point taken. The column which moved against it, consisting of 
the battalion of Jimenes and other troops, was at first repulsed, and took refuge among 
some old houses outside of the barrier, near its south-west angle, till it was rallied and led 
on by Gen. Amador. It was soon joined by the rest of the force, and the church was car- 
ried hy a. coup de main. Its inmates, like the rest, fought till the last, and continued to 
fire from the upper platforms after the enemy occupied tlie floor of the building. A Mex- 
ican officer told of seeing a man shot in the crown of the head in this melee. During the 
closing struggle Lieut. Dickinson, with his child in his arms, or tied to his back, as some 
accounts say, leaped from an upper window (B),and both were killed in the act. Of those 
he left behind him the bayonet soon gleaned what the bullet missed; and in the upper part 
of the church the last defender must have fallen. The morning breeze which received his 
parting breath probably still fanned his flag above that fabric, ere it was pulled down by 
the victor.* 

The Alamo had fallen. 

The action, according to Santa Anna's report, lasted thirty minutes. It was certainly 
short, and possibly no longer space passed between the moment when the enemy fronted 
the breach and that when resistance died out. Some of the incidents which have to be re- 
lated separately no doubt occurred simultaneously, and occupied very little time. 

The account of the assault which Yoakum and others have adopted as authentic, is evi- 
dently one which popular tradition has based on conjecture. 

A negro boy, belonging to Travis, the wife of Lieut. Dickinson, Mrs. Alsbury a native 
of San Antonio, and another Mexican woman, and two children, were the only inmates of 
the fortress whose lives were spared. The children were those of the two females whose 
names are given. Lieut. Dickinson commanded a gun in the east upper window of the 
church. His fiimily was probably in one of the two small upper rooms of the front. This 
will account for his being able to take one of his children to the rear platform while tJio 
building was being stormed. A small irrigating canal runs below the window referred to; 
and his aim in the desperate attempt at fliglit, probably was to break his fall by leaping into 
the water; but the shower of bullets which greeted him rendered the precaution as need- 
less as it was hopeless. 

At the time the outer barriers were carried, a few men leaped from them and attempted 
to escape, but were all cut down by the cavalry. Half an hour or more after the action 
was over a few men were found concealed in one of the rooms under some mattresses — Gen. 
Houston, in a letter of the 11th, says as many as seven; but I have generally heard them 
spoken of as only three or four. The officer to whom they were first reported entreated 
Santa Anna to spare their lives; but he was sternly rebuked and the men ordered to bo 
shot, wliich was done. Owing to the hurried and confused manner in which the mandate 
was obeyed a Mexican ."^oldier was accidentally killed with them. 

Castrillon was the soul of the assault. Santa Anna remained at the south battery with 
the music of the whole army and a part of his staff, till he supposed the place was nearly 
mastered, when he moved up with that escort toward the Alamo; but returned again on 
being greeted by a few rifle balls from the upper windows of the church. He, however, 
entered the area toward the close of the scene, and directed some of the last details of th« 
butchery. 

The five infantry corps that formed the attacking force, according to the data already 
referred to, amounted to about twenty-five hundred men. The number of Mexican 
wounded according to various accounts, largely exceeded that of the killed; and the esti- 
mates mwde of both by intelligent men who were in the action, and whose candor I think 
could be relied on, rated their loss at from one hundred and fifty to two hundred killed, and 
from th:ee to four hundred wounded. The real loss of the assailants in killed and wounded 
probably did not differ much from five hundred men. Gen. Bradburn was of opinion that 

*It is a frtct not often remembered, that Travis and his men died under the Mexican Federal flaa: rf 
1824, instead of the "Lone Star," although the independence of Texas, unknown to them, had been ^'■ 
clarei four days before. They died for a Kepublic whose existence they never know. 



G72 TEXAS. 

tl\ree huiidred men in the action were lost to the service counting with the killed those who 
die<l of wounds or were permanently disabled. Tiiis ajii-ees witii the other most reliable 
estim.ites. Now, if five luindred men or more were bullet-stricken in half an hour by one 
luuuiie 1 and eij^hty or less, it was a rapidity of bloodshed almost unexampled, and needa 
no <'X.ij;j;eraliun. 

or the fiiregoinj^ details which do not refer to documentary authority, I obtained many 
from GtMi. Bratiburn, who arrived at San Antonio a few days after the action, and gatheieJ 
tlieni Irom olUcers who were in it. A few I had throuj^h a friend from General Amador. 
Others aj;ain 1 received from three intelligent sergeants, who were men of fair education 
and I think truthful. One of them, Serg. Becero, of the battalion of Matamoras, who 
was captured at San J icinto, was for several ye.irs my servant in Te.xas. From men of 
their class I could generally get more candid statements as to loss and other matters than 
from conunissioned ofiicers. I have also gathered some minor particulars from locil tra- 
dition preserved among theresidents of this town. When raostof the details thus learned 
were acquired I had not seen the locality; and hence I have to locate some of the occur- 
rences by inference; which I have done care'ully and I think correctly. 

Thestr.mger will naturally inquire, " Where lie the heroes of the Alamo? " and Texas 
can only reply by a silent b!usli. A few hours after the action, the bodies of the slaugh- 
tered garrison were gathered up by the victors, laid in three piles, mingled with fuel, and 
burned. On the 25th of February, near a year after, their bones and ashes were collected, 
placed in a coflin, and interred with due solemnity, and with military honors, by Colonel 
Seguin and his command. The place of burial was in what was then a peach orchard out- 
side the town a few hundred yards from the Alamo. It is now a large inclosed lot in the 
midst of the Alamo suburb. 

"It was on the night (Jen. Houston reached Cionzales," says Yoakum, "that two 
Me.vicans brought the first news of the fall of the Alamo, and the death of its de- 
fenders. The scene produced in the town by these sad tidings can not be doseribed. 
At least a dozen women with their children, in that place alone, had thus been lett 
widows and orphans. In fact, tliere was scarcely a family in the town but had to 
mourn the h)ss of one or more of its members. 'For four-and-twenty hours,' says 
Capt. Ilamly. ' after the news reached us, not a sound was heard, save the wild shrieks 
of the women, and the lieart-remlin:: screams of their fatherless children. Little 
groups of men might be seen in various corners of the town, brooding over the past, 
and speculating of the future; but they scarcely spoke above a whisper. The pub- 
lie and private grief was alike heavy. It sank deep into the heart of the rudest 
soldier.' To soften as much as possible the unhappy effect of the intelligence, 
Houston caused the two Mexicans to be arrested and kept under guard, as spies." 



In tlie Comanche war of 18-1-0, a severe fight occurred in the town of San 
Antonio, between a company of Texans and a party of Comanche cliiefs, who 
had come in to make a treaty, in which the latter were all killed. The event 
is thus given in Yoakum's History : 

The Comanches had made frequent forays into the Texan settlements, and among 
other outrages, had carried off several captives. In February, l<S4i), a few of these 
Indians came to San y\ntonio, for the purpose of making a treaty of peace with 
'J'e.xas. They were told by the commissioners to bring in the thirteen white captives 
they had, and peace would be granted; they promised that, at the next full moon, 
they wnuld do .so. The commissioners repaired to I'exar to meet them; and on tlie 
lUth wf March, a little after the appointed time, the Indians, sixty-five in all, ia- 
cludiuiT men, women and children, came in, bringing, however, but one of the cap- 
tives. Twelve chiefs met the commissioners in the treaty-house, and the question 
Avas put to them, " Where are the prisoners youpromisod to bring in to this talk?" 
Thev answered : "We brought the only one we had; the others are with other 
tribes." The little girl who had been brought in said this was utterly false, as she 
hal seen the otiu.rs at the Indian caiiip a few days before, and that they intended 
to brini: in only one or two at a time, in order to extort lor them the greater ran- 
Siiia A pause ensued for some time in the council, when the same cliief who had 
given the atifwer inquired how they liked it. No reply was made, but an order 
va.s dispatched to Capt. Howard to bring his company into the council-room. 



TEXAS. 



673 



When the men had taken their position, the terms upon which peace would have 
been made, had they brought in the captives as they promised, were cxphiined to 
the chiefs. They were also informed that they were prisoners, and would be de- 
tained until they sent the rest of their company for the captives, and brou;:^ht 
them in. 

As the commissioners were retiring from the room, one of the chiefs sprang to 
the door; and the sentinel there stationed, in attempting to prevent his escapi^, 
was stabbed by him with a knife. Captain Howard received a like wound. The 
remaining chiefs now rose, drew their knives, and prepared their bows and arrows, 
and the fight became general. The soldiers killed the whole of the chiefs engaged 
in the council. The warriors, not of the council, fought desperately in the yard ; 
but the company under Captain Redd advancing, forced them to take shelter in a 
stone house, whither they were pursued and cut down. A party of the savages at 
last made their way to the opposite side of the river, but were pursued, and all 
killed, except a renegade Mexican, who was permitted to escape. All the warriors, 
thirty-two in number, together with three women and two children, were killed. 
Twenty seven women and children were made prisoners. In this I'emarkable fight 
none escaped except the IMexican. The Texans had seven killed and eight 
wounded. 

The Comanehes hung about San Antonio in small parties, brooding over tlieir 
loss. The killing of so many of their chiefs was a severe stroke, and they were 
divided on the question of war. At length they retired to their homes, on the 
upper branches of the Texan rivers, to make serious preparations for a terrible 
visitation on the white settlements.* 




Eastern ricn- nf the Siediiiboat L'tiiiluu;, at Ilonston. 

Tlio view slmws tlio^ jipiiiai-.inLn of {\n' I.aiuliiig, etc., on tlie rijxht hank of tliB Bnffiilo Bayou, as it U 
npinoaclicii from tliccait. Some (if llie Cotton Waielionses apjear on t)ie left. In the distance, on the 
sjiposite bank of the stream, tlia Te.xan (!eutral Kailroail cumraeMCes. 

Houston, the county seat for Harris county, and formerly the state capi- 
t.,*i], is situated on the Buffalo Bayou, at the head of steamboat navigation, 50 



*Arfer this the Tjxans carried on a war of extermination. In an excursion against one 
»f the Coiuivnehe villat'cs in the ensuing full, under Col. John II. Moore, "the bodies of 
■len, women, and cbildrcQ, were seen on every band, dead, wounded and dying." 



43 



674 



TEXAS. 



luiles by railroad, and SO by water from Galveston, and about 160 from 
Austin, the capital. Most of the houses and stores at present are of wood, 
and of simple construction; the merchant shops are furnished with a rich 

variety of goods, 
and the place has 
- a large and lucra- 

tive trade with the 
interior of the state. 
Various railroads 
are now being con- 
structed, which cen- 
ter at this place and 
will add to its 
wealth and import- 
ance. The bayou 
at the landing is 
but about 100 ft. in 
breadth, although 
of sufficient depth 
to float large steam- 
boats. The elevat- 
ed banks, with their 
trees and foliage 
The town is surrounded by 
Population 




Ancient Capitol. 

The engraving is fi-um a drawing of the first State House in Texas. It is 
sitr.atud on the main street of Houston, and is now occupied as a pnt>lic 
honse, known as the "Old Capitol Hotel." The addition at the end was 
formerly of but one story, and was used as a committee room. 



gives this point quite a picturesque appearance 

a fertile country, and is the greatest cotton mart in the state. 

about 6,000. 

Houston was laid out by John K. and A. C. Allen, and the settlement was 
commenced in 1836. The first building was a log house belonging to Col. 
Beiij. Fort Smith, near the site of the present postoffice, about 200 yards 
from the bayou. The first framed building stood on the east side of Main- 
street; the upper story was used as a theater, the lower part for a drinking 
saloon. It has been moved to the west side of the street, and is now used 
by Mr. W. R. Wilson as a hardware store. Dr. J. L. Bryan was the first 
who passed a wagon over the bayou: this was accomplished by means of two 
canoes or "c7(/^-o?/Ys," the wheels on one side of the wagon were placed in 
one of the boats," and the opposite wheels in the other. The first clergymen 
in the place were Mr. Hall, Presbyterian; Mr. Fowler, Methodist; and Mr. 
Woodruff, Baptist. The first hotel was kept in Col. Smith's log house. 



Goliad, the capital of Goliad county, is on the right bank of the San 
Antonio, 100 miles below the town of San Antonio, and has about 600 in- 
habitants. It was anciently called La Bahia, and was the seat of a mission 
establishment. It is one of the oldest towns in Texas, and was formerly a 
point of much importance: its name implies a place of strength. Its fortifi- 
cations were immense, and considered by the Spaniards as impregnable: they 
are still in existence, though mostly in ruins. Amid these ruins stands the 
old chniv-h, on the brow of the hill, in tolerable preservation. In this church 
and fortifications, shown in the view, Fannin's men were confined previous 
to their massacre, and the wounded, who were killed apart from their com- 
panions, were executed within the works. 

Like all the old places in Texas, Goliad abounds in historical incidents. 



TEXAS. 



675 



The one by which it has become famous is that of "Fannin's Massacre," the 
most terrible event in the annals of the Texan war of independence. 

"In 1836, while Santa Anna was concentrating his forces at San Antonio de 

Bexar, another divis- 
ion of the forces un- 
der Gen. Urrea, pro- 
ceeded along the line 
of the coast. Col. 
Fannin, then at Go- 
liad, sent twenty- 
eight men about 
twenty-fivo miles dis- 
tant, under Captain 
King, to ivmove 
some families to a 

J)lace of safety. They 
ost their way in the 
prairie, and were 




Riisb Ai Goliad 
Old Church and Fortification, the scene of Fannin's Massacre. 



taken prisoners and shot by Urrea. Col. Fannin having received no tidings from 
King, sent out Col. Ward with a larger detachment, who falling in with the enemy, 
had two engagements with him; in the last, overwhelmed by numbers, he was 
obliged to surrender. On the 18th of March, F'annin's force being reduced to two 
hundred and seventy-five men, he left Goliad and commenced retreating toward 
Victoria; and on that afternoon was overtaken on a prairie and surrounded by the 
Mexican infantry, and some Indian allies. The Texans, arranging themselves in 
a hollow square, successfully repelled all charges. At dusk, the Indians, by com- 
mand of Urrea, threw themselves upon the ground, and under cover of the tall 
grass, crawled up and poured a destructive fire upon the Texans. As soon as it 
was sufficiently dark to discern the flashes of their guns, the Texans soon picked 
them oil' and drove them back. The Mexicans withdrew and encamped for the 
night, having lost a large number of men. The Texan loss was seven killed and 
about sixty wounded. The Texans threw up a breastwork during the night; but 
when morning dawned, discovered that their labor had been useless, for Urrea wa.3 
joined by five hundred fresh troops with tirtillery. Upon this, Fannin seeing the 
inutility of farther resistance against an army ten times his superior, surrendered 
on condition that they should be treated as prisoners of war." The terms, in sub- 
stance, were as follows, which, with the remainder of the narrative, we extract 
from Yoakum's History: 

"1. That the Texans should be received and treated as prisoners of war, accord- 
ing to the usages of the most civilized nations. 2. That private property should 
be respected and restored ; but that the side-arms of the oiBcers should be given 
up. .3. That the men should be sent to Copano, and thence, in eight days, to the 
United States, or so soon thereafter as vessels could be procured to take them. 4. 
That the officers should be paroled, and returned to the United States in like man- 
net. Gen. Urrea immediately sent Col. Holzinger and other officers to consummate 
the agreeinent. It was reduced to writing in both the English and Spanish lan- 
guages, read over two or three times, signed, and the writings exchanged in " the 
most formal and solemn manner." 

The Texans immediately piled their arms, and such of them as were able to 
march were hurried off to Goliad, where they arrived at sunset on the same day 
(the 20th). The wounded, among whom was Col. Fannin, did not reach the place 
till the 2-ld. At Goliad the prisoners were crowded into the old church, with no 
other food than a scanty pittance of beef, without bread or salt. 

On the 23d, Col. Fannin and Col. Holzinger proceeded to Copano, to ascertain 
if a vessel could be procured to convey the Texans to the United States; but the 
vessel they expected to obttiin had already left.that port. They did not return till 
the 26th. On the 23d, Maj. Miller, with eighty Texan volunteers, who had just 
landed at Copano, were taken prisoners and brought into Goliad by Col. Vara. 



676 TEXAS. 

Again, on the 25th, Col. "Ward and his men, captured by Urrea, as has already been 
stated, were brought in. 

The evening of the 2Gth passed off pleasantly enough. Col. Fannin was enter- 
taining his friends with the prospect of returning to the United States ; and some 
of the young men, who could perform well on the Ilute, were playing " Home, sweei 
HOME." How happy we are that the vail of the future is suspended before us! At 
seven o'clock that night, an order, brought by an extraordinary courier from Santa 
Anna, required the prisoners to he shot ! Detailed regulations were sent as to the 
mode of executing this cold-blooded and atrocious order. Col. Portilla, the com- 
mandant of the place, did not long hesitate in its execution. He had four hundred 
and forty-five prisoners under his charge. Eighty of these brought from Copano, 
having just landed, and who as yet had done no fighting, were considered as not 
within the scope of the order, arid for the time were excused. The services of four 
of the Texan physicians — that is, Drs. Joseph H. Bernard, Field, Hall, and Shackle- 
ford — being needed to take care of the ]\Iexiean wounded, their lives were spared. 
So likewise were four others, who were assistants in the hospital, Messrs. Bills, 
Griffin, Smith and Skei'lock. 

At dawn of day, on Palm Sunday, March 27th, the Texnns were awakened by a 
Mexican officer, v^ho said he wished them to form a line, that they might be counted. 
The men were marched out in separate divisions, under different pretexts. Some 
were told that they were to be taken to Copano, in order to be sent home ; others 
that they were going out to slaughter beeves; and others, again, that they were 
being removed to make room in the fort for Santa Anna. Dr. Shackleford, who 
had been invited by Col. Guerrier to his tent, about a hundred yards south-east- 
wardly from the fort, says: ' In about half an hour, we heard the report of a vol- 
ley of small-arms, toward the river, and to the east of the fort. I immediately in- 
quired the cause of the firing, and was assured by the officer that ' he did not know, 
but supposed it was the guard firing off their guns.' In about fifteen or twenty 
minutes thereafter, another such volley was fired, directly south of us, and in front. 
At the same time 1 could distinguish the heads of some of the men through the 
boughs of some peach trees, and could hear their screams. It was then, for the 
first time, the awful conviction seized upon our minds that treachery and mvrder 
had begun their work! Shortly afterward. Col. Guerrier appeared at the mouth 
of the tent. I asked him if it could be possible they were murdering our men. 
He replied that 'it was so; but he had not given the order, neither had he exe- 
cuted it' ' 

In about an hour more, the wounded left in the barracks, were dragcred out into 
the fort yard and butchered. Col. Fannin was the last to suffer. When informed 
of his fate, he met it like a soldier. He handed his watch to the officer whose bus- 
iness it was to murder him, and requested him to have him shot in the breast and 
not in the head, and likewise to see that his remains should he decently buried. 
These natural and proper requirements the officer promised should be fulfilled, but, 
with that perfidy which is so prominent a characteristic of the Mexican race, ho 
failed to do either! Fannin seated himself in a chair, tied the handkerchief over 
his eyes, and bared his bosom to receive the fire of the soldiers. 

As the different divisions were brought to the place of execution, they were 
ordered to sit down with their backs to the guard. In one instance, 'younix Fen- 
ner rose on his feet, and (xchiimed, '^Boys they are going to kill vs — die ivith ymir 
faces to them, like vicn!' At the same time, two other young men. flourishing 
their caps over their heads, shouted at the top of their voices, 'Hurrah for 
Texas !'^ 

Many attempted to escape; but the most of those who survived the first fire 
were cut down by the pursuing cavalry, or afterward shot. It is believed that, in 
all twenty-seven* of those who were marched out to be slaughtered made their 

*0f the twenty-seven who escaped, probably not six are, at this lapse of time, living. 
One of the survivors, Mr. Herman Ehrenberg, now (1861) of Arizonia, related to us his 
manner of escape. He was at the time a mere youth, and was at the end of his compa- 
ny when the order v/as given to fire. Unhurt by the discharge, he sprang and ran for the 
river bank, when he received a sabre cat from a Mexican officer — the evidence of the 



TEXAS. 677 

escape; leaving three hundred and thirty who suffered death on that Sunday 
morning. ' 

Mr. S. H. B., now a well known merchant of Cincinnati, was at the time 
a lad of 18 years of age. and the private secretary of Major Miller. From 
his lips we have gathered these details: 

Miller's command was not included in the massacre. We were saved by the in- 
terfence of the wife of Alvarez, the Mexican officer by whom we were taken: she 
was a most noble woman, who persuaded her husband to spare us. Santa Anna 
subsequently dispatched orders for our execution, but we had so happily won the 
esteem of the Mexican officers that they united in a petition in our behalf to Santa 
Anna. In the meantime occurred the victory of San Jacinto, and Santa Anna was 
himself a prisoner. Our men were soon released, but the major and myself were 
conducted to Matamoras, and after an imprisonment of tliree months escaped from 
them on horseback, in the disguise of Mexican officers, and in this way passed 
through the ranks of several of their corps nn their march thither. 

The morning of the massacre was slightly foggy. Without understanding where- 
fore, we, of Miller's command, were ordered to tie a white band around our left 
arms; some of us tore pieces from our shirts for that purpose. This was to dis- 
tinguish us from Fannin's men, who alone were doomed. We were conducted out 
to a peach and fig grove, in front of the church, and in sight of two of the three 
parties into which Fannin's men were divided : the third being out of view behind 
the church, near the river bank. When the firing began, boy as I was, I was im- 
pressed by the varied expressions in the faces of our men, thus made unexpected 
witnesses of the awful tragedy. Surprise, horror, grief and revenge were depicted 
in the m«st vivid lines. At first all were startled: some became at once horror 
stricken, others wept in silent airony, still others laughed in their passion, swore, 
clinched their teeth, and looked like demons. Now, at the lapse of more than a 
quarter of a century, I can never think or talk of that dreadful scene with any de- 
gree of composure. Some of the poor fellows attempted to escape, and of course 
outrun the Mexicans : but then the cavalry ! Just as one of these men of Fannin's 
had got fairly clear of his pursuers, a mounted Mexican from close by me at once 
started on the chase, and catching up with him, cut him down. Never did I eo 
want to hamstring a horse. Those not killed outright, were deliberately butchered 
by the Mexicans, men and women, and stripped. This over, some of them, even 
the women, as they passed by us on their return laden with plunder, insulted us 
by the grossest vulgarities, shook their fists in our faces, swearing in taunting tones 
and the vilest words — " Yonr turn — to-niorroic .'" 

The stripped bodies of the slain were collected and placed in piles. Those of 
the wounded who had been massacred at the fort, Fannin's among the rest, were 
chucked stark naked into carts, like so many dead hogs, carried out and dumped 
on top of the others. Brush was then piled over the whole and set on fire. It 
took several days' successive burnings to consume them. Nightly the prairie wolves 
gathered to feast on the half roasted bodies, and kept up their bowlings through 
all the long hours, and as the day dawned their execrable screams increased, in rage 
at being thus driven by the morning light from their horrid banquet! 

wound he carries to this day, and just where a brave man likes it, in the forehead. 
Ehrenberg thereupon grappled and wrested his sword from hira, and then continued his 
flight, dashed into the river, and swimming across, escaped. Some years since a narrative 
of his Texan eamp.iign adventures was published in Germany — at Leipsic, we thinic — Whither 
the MS. was sent, though the author never saw a copy of the printed book. In a private let- 
ter before us, he gives an outline which illustrates the life of adventure, of which our coun- 
try furnishes so many examples. " In Texas I belonged to the New Orleans Grays — was 
the third man (boy) w,ho signed his name for Texas as a volunteer, in the Arcade building. 
Was at the storming of San Antonio — Fannin's — and afterward twice prisoner with the 
Jlexieans. Went over the Rocky Mountains to Washington and Oregon in 1844 — '45 and 
'46 in the Sandwich Islands, and numerous groups in the southern hemisphere, and South 
America — returned to California — '46-'47 west coast of Mejfico — '48-'49, California — '50, 
discovored the mouth of Klamath River and the Gold Bluff, and the JirH gold on the sea- 
shore. Consequent great excitement in California, notwithstanding my reports against it 
—'54, went to Sonora and Arizona, and there ever since." 



678 



TEXAS. 




The Capitol of Texas, at Austin. 



Austin, named from the founder of Texas, is on the left bank of the 
Colorado, about 255 miles N.W. from Galveston, and 1,420 from Washing- 
ton. It is built on a plain, elevated some 30 or 40 feet above the level of 

the river. Popu- 

lation about 4,500. 

The capitol build- 
ing crowns an em- 
inence at the head 
of Congress Ave- 
nue, the main street 
of Austin. It is 
of the Ionic order 
of architecture, 90 
feet deep by 145 
feet in front: the 
entire hight, from 
the foundation to 
the top of the 
dome, is 101 feet. 
The building is 
constructed of an 
oolite f a soft 
■white 001(5^, at a 
cost of 8150,000. 

The governor's house is a brick edifice, and on an eminence about 300 yards 
from the capitol. The treasury department and the general land oflBce are 
fine buildings. Austin has been sometimes mistaken by strangers for San 
Felipe De Austin, and which of late years has simply been called San Felipe. 

" The old capitol in Austin was a rather rudely constructed frame building, and 
was for a j'earortwo the place of session for the congress of the Kepuhlic of Texas. 
Its walls have reverberated to the eloquent appeals of many of the most patriotic 
and gifted sons of Texas. The convention which formed our present state consti- 
tution met in it, July 4, 1845. There t!ie legislature continued to convene until 
the new capitol was Snished. Since then it has been used for various purposes. 
It is gone now — torn down. 

One by one the vestiges of our former nationality disappear. In the old Texan 
these things produce a sorrowful impression, despite the conviction that they are 
the results of time and progress, lie can not forget the day when this humble 
house was the capitol of a nation few in number, but rich in the elements of pa- 
triotism — blindly and ardently devoted to the country, and ever ready with stout 
hands and brave hearts to defend it. His mind will revert to old times — old scenes 
and old men — to the period when every citizen was, perforce, a soldier, and all felt 
and acted as a band of brothers. And in no instance was the feeling more evident 
tluin on the 19th of February, 1846. Wlien President Anson Jones, on the steps 
of that same old house, in an impressive and touching address, announced the 
change of "government — the annexation of Texas to the Union ; and concluded by 
saying, '^The Republic of Texas is no more!' there was a smothering of sensations 
which all felt, yet few desired to display in public. Broad chests heaved — strong 
hands were clinched, and tears were flowing down cheeks where they had been 
strangers for long, long years. It was a moment of deep, intense emotion. Had 
any one doubted the affection of Texans for the beautiful land of their adoption, 
this scene would have removed all skepticism. 

The old house is gone — it has disappeared before the resistless wave of progress 
— it is numbered with the things that were; yet there are loyal hearts which will 
beat faster when they think of the bygone days when it was the capitol of a fear- 



TEXAS. 



679 



less people, who loved their own sunny land for itself alone, and Avere always in 
readiness to sacriiice property and life to sustain its honor and preserve its integ- 
rity. Linked as it is with our past history — with the brief, glorious, and brilliant 
career of the " Lone Star IJepublic," they can not think of it without indorsing the 
sentiment of the immortal Burns: 

'Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes 
And fondly broods with miser-care ; 
Time but the impression deeper makes, 
As streams their channels deeper wear.' " — [_Tiiiies. 



The monument erected to the memory of the heroes of the Alamo at the 
capital, is ten feet high, and is constructed of stones taken from the ruins 
of the Alamo. The following are the inscriptions: 

North front — To the God of the fearless and free is dedicated this Altar, made from tho 
ruins of the Alamo. March 6, 1836, A.D. — Ckockett. West front — Blood of Heroes hath 
stained me. Let tho stones of the Alamo speak that their iuiuiolatiou be not forgotten, 
Miirch 6, 183(5, A.D. — Bonham. South front — Bo they enrolled with Leonidas in the host 
of the MIGHTY DEAD. March 6, 1836, A.D. — Teavis. Eaut front — Thkrmopyl.e had her 
messenger of defeat, but the Alamo had none. March 6, 1836, A.D. — Bowie. 

The following names of those who fell are inscribed on the north and south 
sides of the monument. The list comprises nearly all of the slain: 



M. Autrv, 

K. Alien. 

M. Aiidress, 

Ayre-s, 

J. Baker, 

Burns, 

Bailuy, 

J. Beard, 

Bailess, 

Bourn, 

B. CuDningham, 

J. Clark, 

J. Caue, 

Clouii, 

S. Crawford, 

Cary, 

W. Cummings, 

K. Crossan, 

Cockran, 

G. W. Cottle, 

J. Dust, 

J. Dillard, 

A. Dickinson, 
0. Despalier, 
L. Lavall, 

J. C. Day, 
J. Dickens, 
Devault, 
AV. Dearduff, 
J. Ewing, 
T. K. Evans, 

D. Floyd, 

J. Flanders, 

W. Fishbaugh, 

Forsytli, 

G. Kuga, 

J. C. Goodrich, 

J. George, 

J. Giistun, 

J. C. Garrett, 

W. Mills, 

Micheson, 

E. T. Mitchell, 

B. Melton, 
McGregor, 
T. Miller, 
J. McCoy, 
E. Morton, 

B. Mussolman, 

Millsop, 

B. B. Moore, 

W. Marshall, 

Moore, 



Anderson, 
W. Blazeby, 
J. B. Bowman, 
Baker, 



S. C. Blair, 
Blair, 
Brown, 
Bowin, 




Alamo Monument. 



K. McKenny, 

JlcCafferty, 

J. McGee, 

6. W. Main, 

M. Querry, 

C. Nelson, 

J. Noland, 

Nelson, 

Wm. G. Nelson, 

C. Ostiner, 

Pelone C. Parker, 

N. PuUard, 

G. Paggan, 



S. Robinson, 

Reddeuson, 

N. Rough, 

Busk, 

Bobbins, 

W. Smith, 

Sears, 

C. Smith, 

Stockton, 

Stewart, 

A. Smith, 

J. C. Smith, 

Sewall, 



Balentine, 

J. J. Baugh, 

Burnell, 

Butler, 

C. Grimes, 

Gwin, 

J. E. Gar win, 

GiUmore, 

Hiitchason, 

S. HoUoway, 

Harrison, 

Hieskell, 

J. Hayes, 

Horrell, 

Harris, 

Hawkins, 

J. Holland, 

\V. Hersie, 

Ingram, 

John, 

J. Jones, 

L. Johnson, 

C. B. Jamison, 

W. Jtjhnsou, 

T. Jackson, 

X). Jackson, 

Jackson, 

G. Kemble, 

A. Kent, 

W. King, 

Kenney, 

J. Kenny, 

Lewis, 

W. Linn, 

Wm. Lightfoot, 

J. Louly 

Lanio, 

W. LigUtfoot, 

G. W. Linn, 

Lewis, 

A. Smith, 

Simpson, 

R. Star, 

Starn, 

N. Sutherland, 

W. Summers, 

J. SummerKne, 

Thompson, 

Tomlinson, 

E. Taylor, 

G. Taylor, 

J. Taylor, 

W. Taylor. 



"■' \ i 

r, ) ."■ 



680 TEXAS. 

Thornton, I>. Wilson, R. WTiito, T>. Wilson, 

TliomiiK, Walsh, J. 'Waxliington, J. Wilson, 

J JI. Thurston, Washington, T. Waters, A. Wolf, 

Takntino, W. Wella, Warnell, L. J. Wilson, 

Williamson, C Wright, J. White, Warner. 



Neio Braunfeh is the largest town of the German settlers in Texas. It is 
on the Gaudaloupe in the south-western part of the state, 32 miles north-east 
from San Antonio, and is the capital of Gaudaloupe county. Population 
about 2,000. 

It is in this section of Texas that the business of cattle raisin^;, horse and sheep 
breeding is extensively carried on. The widely known sheep farm or ranche of 
Geo. Wr Kendall, Esq., is just in the outskirts of New Braunfels, under the care 
of a Scotch head shepherd, bred to the business on the Cheviot Hills, on the banks 
of the Tweed: all extra labor is done by Germans from the town. Mr. Kendall, 
after years of experience, says that this industry " in Texas promises to be as profit- 
able as any followed by man since the days of Abraham." 

A recent traveler gives this description of New Braunfels, or as the Ger- 
mans spell it, Neu-Braimfeh: 

The main street of the town, which we soon entered upon, was very wide — three 
times as wide, in effect, as Broadway in New York. The houses, Avith which it 
was thickly lined on each side for a mile, were small, low cottages, of no pretens- 
ions to elegance, yet generally looking neat and comfortable. Many were furnished 
with verandahs and gardens, and the greater part were either stuccoed or painted. 
There wore many workshops of mechanics and small stores, with signs oftener in 
English than in German; and bare-headed women, and men in caps and short 
jackets, with pendent pipes, were everywhere seen at work. 

The citizens are, however, nearly all men of very small capital. Of the original 
settlers scarcely any now remain, and their houses and lands are occupied by more 
recent emigrants. Those who have left have made enough money during their 
residence t(> enable them to buy farms or cattle-ranches in the mountains, to Avhich 
they have removed. Half the men now residing in Neu-Braunfels and its vicinity, 
are probably agricultural laborers, or farmers, who themselves follow the plow. 
The majority of the latter do not, I think, own more than ten acres of land each. 
Within the'town itself, there are a large number of master-mechanics, most of 
whom employ several workmen. Among them are seven wagon-makers, and their 
wagons are better made than the American. 

A weekly newspaper is published — the Nen-Bravvfeh Zcituvg. It is a paper 
of much higher character than most of the German American papers, edited by 
the naturalist Lindheimer. There are ten or twelve stoi-es and small tradesmen's 
shops, two or three apothecaries, and as many physicians, lawyers and clergymen. 

There are several organizations among the people which indicate an excellent 
spirit of social improvement: an Agricultural Society, a Mechanics' Institute, a 
Harmonic Society, a Society for Political Debates, and a ''Turners' " Society. A 
horticultural club has expended $1,2U0 in one year in introducing trees and plants. 
These associations are the evidence of an active intellectual life, and desire for 
knowledge and improvement among the masses of the people. 

In Neu-Braunfels and the surrounding German hamlets, there are five free 
schools for elementary education, one exclusive Koman Catholic school, a town 
free school of higher grade, and a private classical school. In all of these schools 
English is taught with German. 

Sunday wasobserved more thoroughly as a day of rest from labor than we had 
seen in any town of Texas. The stores, except one kept by a New Englander, 
were ('lose<l during the day. The people who appeared in the streets were well 
dres.sed, quiet and orderly. We saw no drunkenness. In the evening there were 
amusements, among them a bnll, which the Lutheran pastor was expected to attend. 
The liciilth of the town is good. For several years there has been no epidemic ill- 
ness. The greater part of those of whom I made inquiry assured me their health 



TEXAS. ggX 

had been better liere than in Germany. The Lutheran clergyman informed us that 
he had registered but seven deaths, during the year, among his congregation. 

In the town, each house lias its garden-plot, and over the neighborhood are scat- 
tered hundreds of small farms. Ovring to the low price of corn, most of these had 
been cultivated, partly, in cotton during the year before our visit. The result was 
a total crop of eight hundred bales, which, at Galveston, brought from one to two 
cents a pound more than that produced by slaves, owing to the more careful 
handling of white and personally interested labor; but the expense of hauling cot- 
ton to the coast prevents any large profits at this distance. A railroad or a local 
manufactory must precede any extensive cultivation of cotton, while corn, which 
requires much less labor, can find a market at a fair price. With water-power and 
hands upon the spot, it certainly seems an unnatural waste of labor to carry the 
staple to Massachusetts to be spun, but such, for want of local capital is now the 
course of trade. 

In spite of the common assertion, that only blacks can endure the heat of south- 
ern labor, the production of cotton, by whites alone, is by no means rare. There 
are very many, both of those who work their own small cotton farms and of those 
who work with their few negroes, day after day in the field. But there is hardly 
in the south another as striking an instance of pure free-labor upon cotton-fields, as 
this of the Germans. Their cotton goes in one body to market, entirely separate 
from the great mass exported, and from their peculiar style of settlement, it may 
be even considered as the product of one large plantation, worked by white hands, 
and divided into well marked annual tasks. 

The number of Germans in Texas is about 45,000, mostly in the south- 
western section, -where they are generally in communities by themselves, 
apart from the Americans, managing "after republican forms their own little 
affairs." The writer whose description of New Braunfels we have presented 
is Mr. Fred. L. Olmsted. In his book, "A Journey through Texas, or a 
Saddle Trip on the South-western Frontier," he has this history of the Ger- 
man settlements in Texas: 

The most accurate and full published account of these German settlements is the 
report of a lecture, by Frederick Kapp, upon the Germans in Texas. From this, 
and from our notes of oral statements on the spot, 1 will concisely give the story. 
The experiment was a most interesting one; that of using associated capital for 
the transportation and settlement of emigrants on a large scale ; in fact, the re- 
moval, in organized bodies, of the poor of an old country to the virgin soil of a 
new. 

In the year 1842, among many schemes evolved in Germany by the social stir of 
the time, and patronized by certain princes, from motives of policy, was one of real 
promise. It was an association, of which Count Castel was the head, for the di- 
minution of pauperism by the organized assistance and protection of emigrants. 
At this time, annexation being already almost a certainty, speculators, who re- 
presented the owners of large tracts of Texas land, appeared in Germany, with 
glowing accounts of their cheapness and richness. They succeeded in gaining the 
attention of this association, whose leaders were pleased with the isolated situa- 
tion, as offering a more tangible and durable connection with their emigrants, and 
opening a new source of wealth and possible power. A German dependency or 
new Teutonic nation might result. Pahnerston. it is said, encouraged the idea,* 
the Texan political leaders then coquetting with an English Protectorate, to induce 
more rapid advances on the part of the United States. 

^According to the work of Mr. Siemering upon the Germans in Te-xas, this encourage- 
ment went so far as to take the form of a contract between the Verein and the British gov- 
ernment. By it the former agreed to place 10,000 families in Te.xas ; the latter to furnish 
armed protection to the colony. A new market with indefinite capacities ; a new source of 
cotton; opposition to slavery and to the extension of the area of the United States; such 
were the sufficient motives for England. Prince Leiningen was the half-brother of the 
Queen of England. Prince Solms was an intimate friend of Prince Albert, with whom ho 
was educated at Bonn. Copies of the correspondence still e.xist. 



682 TEXAS. 

In 1S43, an af!;ent of the association, Count Waldeck, visited Texas, but effected 
nothini;; else than to secure for himself a slave plantation, not for from the coast 
He was dismissed. The fdllowinij; j-ear the association commenced active opera- 
tions. It olitained, under the title of the Mainzer Adels Verein, a charter from 
the Duke of Nassau, who assumed the protectorate. It iiad the Prince Leinin^en 
as president; Count Castel as director; Prince Frederick of Prussia, the Duke of 
Cobur^-CJlotiia, and some thirty other princes and nobles as associated members. A 
plan, invitiuj; emiii-rants, was published, oflering each adult, subscribini!; $120, a 
iive passage and forty acres of land ; a family, subscribing §240, a free passage 
and eighty acres. Tlie association undertook to provide log houses, stock and 
tools at fair prices, and to construct puldic buildings and roads for the settlements. 

Prince Solms, of Drauiifels, was appointed (ieneral Commissioner and proceeded 
to Texas. Had he procured from the state legislature a direct grant of land for 
the colony, as he might have done, all would have been well. Put, most unfortu- 
nately, the association was induced, without sufficient examination, to buy a grant 
of the previous year. It was held by Fisher and Miller, and the tract was de- 
scribed by them as a second paradise. In reality, it lay in the heart of a savage 
country, hundreds of miles beyond the ren)otest settlement, between the Upper 
Cohtrado and the great desert plains, a region, to this day, almost uninhabited. 
This wretched mistake was the ruin of the wh(de enterprise. The association lost 
its money and its character, and carried many emigrants only to beggary and a 
miserable death. 

In the course of the year, 180 subscribers were obtained, who landed with their 
families in the autumn upon the coast of Texas, and marched toward their promised 
lands, wilh Prince yolms at their head. Finding the whole country a wilderness, 
and being harassed by the attacks of Indians, on reaching the union of the Comal 
with the Guadaloupe, they became disheartened, and there Prince Solms, following 
the good advice of a naturalist of the company, Mr. Lindheimer, encamped, and 
laid out the present town of NeuBraunfels. 

This settlement, receiving aid from home while it was needed, was a success, in 
spite of the prince, who appears to have been an amiable fool, aping, among the 
log cabins, the nonsense of mediaeval courts, in the course of a year he was 
laughed out of the country. He was succeeded by C. Von Meusebach, wdio proved 
at least much better adapted to the work. Had he not been reduced to inaction 
by home routine, and a want of funds, the misery that followed might, perhaps, 
have been prevented. 

In the course of the next year, 1845, more than 2,000 families joined the associa- 
tion. The capital which had been sufficient for its first effort was totally inade- 
quate to an undertaking of this magnitude. These poor people sailed from Ger- 
many, in the fall of this year, and were landed in the winter and early spring, on 
the tlat coast of the gulf, to the number of 5,200. Annexation had now taken 
place, and the war with Mexico was beginning. The country had been stripped 
of provisions, and of the means of transportation, by the army. Neither food nor 
shelter had been provided by the association. The consequences may be imagined. 
The detail is too horrible. The mass remained for months encamped in sand-holes, 
huts, or tents : the only food procurable was beef The summer heata bred pesti- 
lence. 

The world has hardly record of such suffering. Unprovided with food or shel- 
ter they perished like sheep. Human nature could not endure it. Human beings 
became brutes. "Your child is dying." "What do I care?" Old parents were 
hurried into the ground before the breath of life had left them. The Americana 
who saw the stragglers thought a new race of savages was come. Haggard and 
desperate, they roved inland by twos and threes, beyond all law or religion. Many 
of tiie survivors reached the German settlements; many settled as laborers in 
American towns. With some of them, Meusebach founded another town — Fred- 
ericksburg — higher up than Braunfels. He also explored the Fisher grant, and 
converted the surrounding Indians, from enemies, into good-natured associates. 

"It is but justice," says Mr. Kapp, "to throw the light of truth upon all thig 
misery. The members of the association, although well-meaning, did not under- 
stand what they were about to do. They fancied that their high protection, alone, 



TEXAS. 683 

was sufficient to make all right. They had not the remotest idea of the toil and 
hardship of settling a new country. They permitted themselves to hehumljuggcd 
by speculators and adventurers; they entered into ruinous bargains, and had not 
even funds enough to take the smallest number of those whom they had induced 
to join them to the place of settlement. When money was most wanted, they 
failed lo send it, either from mistrust or neglect. To perform the obligation im- 
posed by the agreement with Fisher, they induced the emigration to Texas by the 
most enchanting and exaggerated statements. The least that even the less san- 
guine ones expected, was, to find parrots rocking on the boughs, and monkeys play- 
ing on the palmti'ees." 

' 'I'his condemnation seems to fall justly. Such was the unhappy beginning. 
But the wretchedness is already forgotten. Things soon mended. The soil, cli- 
mate, and other realities found, were genial and good, if not Elysian. Now, after 
seven years, I do not know a prettier picture of contented prosperity than we wit- 
nessed at Neu-Braunfels. A satisfied smile, in fact, beamed on almost every Ger- 
man face we saw in Texas. 

Mr. Olmsted visited other German colonies besides Neu-Braunfels. Among 
thes^e was Castroville, on the Medina, a stream that is " the very ideal of pu- 
rity, running over a white limestone rock, that gives a peculiar brilliancy to 
its emerald waters." We farther quote: 

Upon its bank st.inds Castroville — a village containing a colony of Alsatians, wlio are 
pmud here to call lliemselves Germans, but who speak French, or a mi.xture of French and 
German. The cottages are scattered prettily, and there are two churches — the whole aspect 
being as far from Texus as possible. It mi^ht sit for the portrait of one of the poorer vil- 
lages of the upper Rhone valley. Perhaps the most remarkable thing is the hotel, by M. 
Tarde, a two story house, with double galleries, and the best inn we saw in the state. How 
delighted and astonished many a traveler must have been, on orriving from the plains at 
this first village, to find not only his dreams of white bread, sweetmeats and potatoes real- 
ized, but napkins, silver forks, and raddishes, French servants, French neatness, French fur- 
niture, delicious French beds, and the Courrier des Elats Unis; and more, the lively and en- 
tertaining bourgeoise. 

Castroville was founded by Mr. Henry Castro, a gentleman of Portuguese origin, still 
re.'^ident in the town, under a colony-contract with the republic, which passed the legisla- 
ture the 15th of February, 1842. The enterprise seems to have been under the special 
patronage of the Roman Church. Every colonist was a Catholic, and the first concern 
was the founding of the church edifice, the corner-stone of which was laid ten days after 
their arrival, with imposing ceremonies, by Bishop Odin, of Galveston. By the contract 
with the colonists, each person was to receive a town lot, and a piece of outlying land, as 
a farm. By the contract with the state, two thousand persons were to be introduced with- 
in two years. An extension of two years was granted in January, 1845. Mr. Castro was 
to receive a quantity of land equal to one half the whole taken by the colonists, to be lo- 
cated in alternate sections, with the state's reserve. 

Seven hundred persons came first in seven ships. Assembling at San Antonio, the ad- 
vance party started, in a body, for the Medina, on the 1st of September, 1844. One board 
building was carried in carts, and in it were housed the temporary provisions. The set- 
tlers built themselves huts of boughs and leaves, then set to work to make adobes for the 
constructiou of more permanent dwellings. Besides their bacon and meal, paid hunters 
provided abundant supplies of game, and within a fortnight a common garden, a church, 
and civil officers, chosen by ballot, were in being, and the colony was fully inaugurated. 
After struggling with some difficulties, it is now a decided success. The village itself 
contains about six hundred inhabitants, and the farms of the neighborhood several bun- 
dled more. 

Leaving it, we ascended a high hill, and rode for fifteen miles through a more elevated 
and broken country, whose beauty is greatly increased by frequent groves of live-oak, elm, 
and hackberry. I have never seen more charming landscapes than some of the openings 
here presented. In the elements of turf and foliage, and their disposition, no English 
park scenery could surpass them. Beyond Castroville, there are two small villages, set- 
tlements of German colonists, mostly from the w^est bank of the Rhine; one, Quihi, upon 
the Quihi Creek, a branch of the Seco; the other, Dhanis, upon the Seco itself. 

We stopped a night at Quihi. It is a scattering village of ten or twelve habitations, one 
of them a substantial stone farm house, the others very picturesque, high-gabled, thatch- 
roofed, dormer-windowed, whitewashed cottages, usually artistically placed in the shade 



684 TEXAS. 

of Inrgo dark livc-oaka. The people seem to have been very successful in their venture, 
to judge by various little improvements they are making and the comforts they have accu- 
mulated. 

Tlie road beyond follows a low ridge which skirts the foot of the mountains, at a dis- 
tance of two or three miles. The live-oaks become more stunted and rare, and the mes- 
quit begins to predominate. Dhanis, which is distant some twenty-five miles from Castro- 
ville, presents, certainly, a most singular spectacle, upon tlie verge of the great American 
wilderness. It is like one of the smallest and meanest of European pe.Tsant hamlets. 
There are about twenty cottages and hovels, all built in much the same style, the walls 
being made of poles and logs placed together vertically, and made tight with clay mortar, 
the Hoors of beaten earth, the windows without glass, the roofs built so as to overhang the 
four sides, and deeply shade them, and covered with tluvtch of tine brown grass, laid in a 
peculiar manner, the ridge-line and apexes being ornamented with knots, tufts, crosses or 
weathercocks. There is an odd little church, and the people are rigid Catholics, the 
priest instructing the children. VVe spent the night at one of the cottages, and, though 
we slept on the floor, we were delighted with the table, which was spread with venison, 
wheat-bread, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, and crisp salad. 

Tills was a second colony of Mr. Castro, established in 1846, but he here appears to 
have done little else than point out the spot and assign the lands to the colonists. During 
their first year, they told us, they suffered great hardships, the people being all very poor, 
and having no means of purclnising food except by the proceeds of their labor. Fortunately, 
there was then a military station in the vicinity, and the quartermaster gave them some 
employment in collecting forage. They arrived too late to plant corn to advantage, and 
not having had time to make sufficient fences, the deer eat the most of what did grow. 
The second year their crop was destroyed by a hail-storm. They lived on game and weeds 
for the most part during two yeirs. Rattlesnakes were then common about the settle- 
ment, and were regularly hunted for as game. In some of the families, where there were 
many small children wliose parents were unable to leave them to labor for wages, they 
formed a chief article of subsistence. Since their second year they had been remarkably 
prosperous in all respects. On tlieir arrival here it was believed that the richest of the 
colonists was not worth twenty dollars; now the average wealtli of each was estimated at 
eight hundred dollars. It consists mainly in cattle. They liave been every year some- 
what annoyed by Indians. The colonists had enjoyed better health than in Germany, 
doubtless, because, since their first struggles, they had a better supply of wholesome food. 
Cows were milked, I observed, at every house, night and morning; and a variety of vege- 
tables was cultivated in their gardens. 

The women of the settlement, by the absolute necessity of out-door work, had been 
rendered, it seemed to us, very coarse and masculine in character. All the ordinary labors 
of men, such as digging and herding cattle, were performed by them. We saw one of 
them lasso a wild looking mustang on the prairie, and vaulting on his back, canter away 
in search of her cows, without saddle or bridle. The condition of the children must be 
yet, for many years, barbarous and deplorable. 

Tliis is the last of the organized colonies of Texas that we had occasion to examine. 
We were strongly impressed with the actual results of these enterprises. Not one of thera 
could be pronounced a failure, in spite of the most bungling and cruel mismanagement, 
and the severest reverses in execution. In the hands of men of sound sense and ability, 
backed by completely adequate capital, there is every reason, from their present condition, 
to believe that the general plan would have been found not only remunerative to every 
party concerned, but would have ranked as, in the highest degree, a beneficent acquisition 
of experience, inaugurating almost a new era for humanity. 1 am convinced that some 
similar plan is destined to be adopted for settling, at the least cost, and in the best manner, 
the vast territorial regions that still are awaiting the pioneer's fences, and that by its in- 
strumentality, emigration may be elevated from a barbarizing scramble, to a civilized and 
worthy institution. For the trial, Texas yet offers the fairest and most attractive field in 
the Republic. She is accessible with the greatest ease and the least expense, from the 
crowded centers of the world, and has every natural quality that can attract population 
in greater measure than her northern rivals. 



At the time of the declaration of Texan independence, March 2, 1836, war 
wa.s raping on the frontiers of the country : Gen. Houston, the commander- 
in-chief of the Texan forces, was oblijjed to retire before the overwhelming 
Mexican army, under Santa Anna. The Mexicans arrived at Richmond, on 
the Brazos, on the 11th of April, and the 16th, having crossed the river, 



TEXAS. 



685 



Santa Anna reached Harrisburg, on Buffalo Bayou, six miles below the 
site of Houston. Houston with his men retired down the right bank of the 
Buffalo Bayou, and took a position about half a mile from the Biver San 
Jacinto. Santa Anna, having come in sight of the Texans, took up his po- 
sition near the bank of the Bay of San Jacinto, about three fourths of a 




Western vieic of the San Jacinto Battle Grouvd. 

The Mexicans, previous to tlie b.attlc, encamped in a line with the oak trees, which, with their wagons, 
Cirmed a harricadu. On tlie I'.'ft, bcj'oiul tlie trees, is seen San .laciiito Buy. In tlie central part, beyond 
the trees, is a bayou, where many of the Mexicans were killed. In the direction of the open space, on th» 
right, at the distance of eight or ten miles, is Col. Morgan's residence, at New Washington. 

mile from the Texan camp, where he secured his left by a fortification about 
five feet high, constructed of packs and baggage, while his right extended to 
a skirt of timber near the banks of the bay. On the 20th some skirmishing 
took place, by an advance under Col. Sherman, but both parties retired to 
their encampments. 

On the afternoon of the 21st of April, 1836, as the Mexicans showed no disposi- 
tion to move from behind their breastworks, the Texans advanced to attack them. 
Col. Sherman formed the left wing, Gen. Houston and CoK Burleson, the center, 
and four companies of inrantr^', under Col. Millard, sustained the artillery, under 
Col. Hockley, on the right; the cavalry, under Col. M. H. Lamar, on the extreme 
right, completed the Texan line. The two armies were now drawn up in complete 
order, ^ouie accounts state the Mexican force to have been eighteen hundred men, 
while that of the Texans was but seven hundred. 

Tlie Texans, being somewhat masked by the timber, marched alonjr a sHsht de- 
pression or valley in front of the Mexican camp. The decisive moment had now 
arrived. The charge was ordered, and the war cry sounded — ^^Nemetidier the 
Alamo !" When these words reached the ears of the soldiers, a wild shout went 
up from the entire army, "the Al.\mo!" "the Ai.amo!" as they moved forward 
on the foe. When within about 600 yards the Mexicans opened their fire, and 
discharged some five rounds befoi*e a single shot was returned: but firing too high, 



686 TEXAS. 

only a single Texan was injured until the first line of the Mexicans had been 
passed. 

The Texans reserved their fire until they had reached a point some 70 yards 
from the line, and then some 300 Mexicans fell at the first discharge. Most of the 
Texans were armed with double barreled guns, and many of them had five or six 
pistols, with knives and tomahawks. They did not stop to reload, but converted 
their rifles into war clubs and struck at the heads of their foes. Along the breast- 
work there was but little firing — it Avas a desperate struggle, hand to hand. 'J'he 
Texans, when they had broken their rifles at the breech, threw them down and 
drew their pistols : they fired them .once, and having no time to reload, hurled them 
against the head of tlieir foes, and then, drawing their bowie-knives, literally cut 
their way throu,<i;h their ranks. The Mexican artillery was taken already loaded 
and primed, and turned and fired upon the Mexicans as they retreated. 

When the Mexicans saw that the dreadful onset of their foe could not be resisted, 
they cither attempted to fly and were stabbed in the back, or fell on their knees to 
p\ii;u\ for mercy, crying "J/e no Alaivo !" "3/e iio Alamo V At one time about 
400 Mexicans were inclosed by the army; they threw down their arms, knelt, and 
begged for tlieir lives. The Texans who first arrived were disposed to spare them 
— stopping to cleanse their rifles; but the main body soon came up, and at once 
rushed upon them — beating their brains out with their rifles and tomahawks. The 
olUccrs could not control their men, and when the cries, "Remember the Alamo ! " 
and " liemcmber Fannin! "were heai'd, the fury of the Texans was beyond re- 
straint. J\[any of the Mexicans sought to escnpe hy rushing into the river, but 
they were iired upon and nearly all of them killed. According to Gen. Houston's 
report, 630 .Mexicans were left dead upon the field; multitudes had perished iu the 
morass and bayous; 280' were wounded, and there were nearly 800 prisoners, 
among whom Avas Santa Anna, the commander. Only seven are known to have 
escaped. The Texan loss was two killed and twenty-three wounded, six of Avhom 
afttM-ward died. 

The battle ground of San Jacinto is situated about a mile westward of the 
Lvnchburg Hotel, at the steamboat landini:;, on the opposite or left bank of the 
Itiver tian Jacinto, at its junction with the iluli'alo Bayou. The river here is about 
200 yards wide, and the ferry across to the hotel is the one by which Santa Anna 
intended to cross in order to accomplish the feat of ^'■washing his hands in the 
Sabine," by the first of May, as he gave out that he should do in his expedition 
against the Texans. The hotel here, kept by Mv. Frazer, is 20 miles from Hous- 
ton, 15 from Harrisburg, and 50 from Galveston. 

After Santa Anna had burnt Harrisburg, just before the battle of San Jacinto, 
he proceeded on toward the Sabine. Previous to his reaching the San Jacinto ferry, 
at Lynchburg, he learnt from his spies that the president and his cabinet were at. 
New Washington, at Col. ]\[organ's residence, about ten miles below. He, there- 
fore, left the ferry a mile or two to the left. His cavalry came so suddenly upon 
this place, that President Burnet, his fiimily and cabinet had l^arely time to escape. 
As it was, he captured all Col. Morgan's servants, together with several citizens. 
The colonel himself was absent, being in command of the fort at Boliver Point, 
near (jlalveston. He had several stores at New Washington, in charge of his 
agents, in which there was a large quantity of provisions beside other merchan- 
dise. Finding such superior accommodations at Col. Morgan's expense, Santa 
Anna and his men tarried here several days, feasting themselves Avith the luxuries 
which the colonel's stores afforded. This diversion, as Santa Anna afterward 
acknowledged to Col. Morgan, AA'as the cause of the ruin of the Mexicans. Had 
they crossed the ferry, at Lynchburg, at the time contemplated, Santa Anna would 
have found friends among the Avhites and Indians, and probably swept the Avhole 
country with fire and sword. While Santa Anna AA^as feasting his armj' at New 
Washington, Gen. Houston crossed the Buflalo Bayou, and arranged his troops in 
battle array across his path to the ferry. 

Santa Anna AA'as taken the next day after the battli\ about eight miles aboA-e the 
battle ground by Lieut. Sylvester, a volunteer from Cincinnati, who Avas hunting 
to obtain venison for his breakfast. Santa Anna hnd concealed himself in the 
high grass of the prairie, and on being discovered endeaA'ored to escape, but waa 



TEXAS. 



587 



ordered to stop. He was disguised as a countryman, and surrendered himself as 
8 common soldier. Sylvester, however, suspected him to be an officer from the 
diamond breastpin on the fine linen shirt which he wore under his rustic dress. He 
ordered him to get behind him on his horse, and then rode with his prisoner to 
Houston's camp. He knew not his rank till he was passing the Mexican prisoners, 




Soldier's Grave near San Jacinto Battle Ground. 

The ground in front, at the eastern extremity of Houston's camp ground, is now used as a Cemetery. 
The battle field is seen in the distance descending on the left. Gen. Houston, on liis advance, passed 
through the small thicket on the extreme left. The thicket on the extreme right, is the place where Col. 
'Sherman had a skirmish with the enemy before the main battle. 

when they exclaimed, as they lifted their caps, '^El PresMcvie!" Santa Anna, 
being thus discovered, begged to be taken immediately to Gen. Houston. On 
coming into his presence, he found Houston wounded, sitting on the ground and 
reclining against a tree. Dropping on his knee, he kissed Houston's hand, and ex- 
claimed, thiit he was born to no common destiny, for he had conquered " the Na- 
poleon of the South!" 

The 21st of April is celebrated annually, on Houston's camp ground, by milita- 
ry companies from Galveston, Houston, and other places : orations are delivered and 
the day honored somewhat in 4th of July style. Across the bayou from the camp 
ground is the residence of Gen. Lorenzo de Zevalla, who espoused the Texan cause 
durinir their struggles for independence. At the time of the battle, the persons 
friendly to the ^lexicans, or "iories," as they were called, assembled on an eleva- 
tion a short distance east of the Lynchburg Hjtel, and from this spot, since called 
^^\>ry Hill" the conflict between the contending parties was easily seen. The 
rodics of the ^Mexican soldiers were left unburied, and the eflSuvia from their re- 
mains tainted the atmosphere for some time afterward. The hogs, it is said, fed 
on the bones of the slain. The house of Ex-President Burnet is about one and a 
half miles from the hotel. The Methodists have commenced holding their camp 
meetings in the grove on Houston's camp ground, being very convenient of acces.s. 
Part of the ground is used as a cemetery, and some fifty interments have been 
made. Seven of the Texans, who were killed or died of their wounds, are interred 
here side by side. The first of the following inscriptions is in memory of a youq^ 
man who fell in the battle : 

Sacred to Uie memory of Benjamin Ricr Brigham, son of Major A. and Eliza S. Brig- 
ham, who departed this life April 21, 1836, aged 21 years. 



688 TEXAS. 

In laomory of Rev. Williamson Williams, of Texas Conference, a native of Virginia, 
died nour Lynchburg, Sept. 18, 1855, in his 33d year. Erected by the Moth.dist Preachers. 



Tho follov.iiij^ list, of officers, noncommissioneJ officers and privates, en- 
friiiicd in the battle of San Jacinto, is from the Texas Almanac for 1859: 

Mnjor-Oeneral Sam Houston, Corownnder-in-Chief of the Texan force?. 

S(ii[f — John A. Wharton, adjt. g«n.; Geo. W. lloukley, insp. gen.; John Forbe?, com. gen.; 
Williuui G. Cooke, asst. insp. gen.; A. Hurtnn, Wni. H. Patton, Jas. Collinsworth, aid.-i-de- 
caiiip; Jas. II. Perry, R. Eden Handy, R. M. Coleman, vol. aids; Hon. Thos. J. Rusk, sec- 
retary of war; Wui. Motley, M.D. 

Meiliail StiiJ/' — Ale.x. Ewing, surg. 1st regt. artillery, acting surg. gen.; David.^on, surg. 
Isl rcgt. vol.; Kitzhuch, a?st. surg. 1st regt. vol.; A. Jones, surg. 2d regt. vol.; Booker, .surg. 
2d regt. voU: Labadie, surg. 

Arti/lcrij Corps — J. C. Neil, licut. col., wounded on the 20th; J. N. Moreland, caj)t.; W. 
Stillwell.'lst lieut. 

rrira((» — T. 0. Harris, John JI. Wade, Hugh M. Swift, Wm. A. Park, wounded on the 
21st, Thos. Green, Clark M. Harmon, T. J. Robinson, M. Ba.\ter, Thos. Plaster, 2d sergt., 
Willis Collins, Benj. M'Culloch, Richardson Scurry, 1st eergt., Jos. White, Thomas N. B. 
Green, John Ferril'l, J"s. Floyd, Alfred Benton, D. T. Dunham, T. C. Edwards, S. B. Bard- 
well, assisted bj' the following regulars from the comp.anies of Captains Teal iind Turner: 
Campbell, Millerman, Gainer, Cumberland, of Teal's company ; Benson, Clayton, Merwin, 
Legg, of Turner's company. 

Cavalrif Corps — Mirabeau B. Lamar, commander; Henry Games, captain ; J. R. Cook, 1st 
lieut., Wm. Harness, 2d lieut.; W. H. Smith, eapt.; Lem. Gustine, M.D.; W. Secretts, F. 
Rocretts, A. Allsbury, W. B. Sweeney, Benj. F. Smith, Thos. Bobbins, S. C. Tunnage, H. 



Johnson, J. W. Williamson, Wilson C. Brown, J. Thompson, John Kobbins, Wm. i . Young, 
Jas. Donthalt, John Carpenter, Wm. Taylor, Anthony Foster, Z. Y. Beauford, Spenser 
Townsend, Jas. Shaw, Wm. D. Redd, Clopper, P. H. Bell, J. W. Robinson. 

RKGULARS. 

liieut. Col Henry Millard, oommanding ; Capt. John M. Allen, acting major. 

CoMPAXV A— Andrew Briscoe, ci.pt.; Martin K. Snell, 1st lieuf.; Robert McCloskey, 2d 
lieut.: Lyman F. Rounds, 1st sergt.; David G. Nelson, 2d sergt.; Dan. O'Driscoll, 3d sergt.; 
Cbas. A. Ford, 4th sergt.; Richardson, 1st eorp.; Harry C. Craig, 2d Corp.; Bear, 3d Corp.; 
Flores, musician. 

J'rivntcs—BniS, Bebce, Benton, H. P. Brewster, Cassady, Duteher, Darrl, Elliott, Flyn, 
Farley, (Jrieves, Warner, Henderson, Lang, Larbartare, Limski, Mason, Montgomery, 
Marsh, Morton, O'Neil, Pierce, Patton, Rheinhart, Kainer, Richardson, Smith, Ist, Smith, 
2d, Sullivan, Saunders, Swain, Tindall, 1st, Taylor, Van Winkle, Wilkinson, Webb. 

VOLUNTEKF.S. 

Company B— A. Turner, capt.; W. Millen, 1st lieut.; W. W. Summers, 2d lieut.; Chas. 
Stewart, Swearingcr, sergts.; Robert Moore, Thos. Wilson, and M. Snyder, corp'ls. 

Privates — Bernard, Browning, Bissett, Belden, Colton, Harper, Hogan, Harvej^ Johnson, 
Keeland, Nirlas, Paschal, Phillips, Smith, 1st, Smith, 2d, Callahan, Christie, Clarkson, Dal- 
rymple, Eldridge, Edson, Ludus, Lind, Minuett, MordorlT, .Massie, Moore, 2d, Scheston, 
Sigman, Tyler, Wood, Wardrj'ski. 

CoJii'ANY B — A. R. Romans, eapt.; Nicholas Dawson, 2d lieut.; Jas. AVbarton, A. Mitch- 
ell, S. L. Wheeler, sergeants ; A. Taylor, J. D. Egbert, Charles A. Clarke, W. P. Moore, 
c-orporals. 

Priviites — Angcll, G. Brown, Jos. Barstow, J. B. Bradley, B. Coles, J. S. Conn, J. AV. T. 
Di.xon, V/tn. Dunbar, H. Homan, J. M. Jett, Stev. Jett, A. S. Jordan, S. W. Lamar, Edw. 
Lewis, J. B. W. M'Farlane, A. M'Stea, II. Miller, W. G. Newman, W. Richardson, I). Tin- 
dale, J. Vinater, C. W. Waldron, F. F. Williams, James Wilder, W. S. Walker, Ja^s 
Owenby. 

CoMi'ANV T— W. S. Fisher, capt.; R. W. Carter, 2d lieut.; Jones, sergt. 

i'ric'ttis — Geo. W. Leek, N. Rudders, J. AV. Strode, Jos. Sovereign, W. Sargeant, R. J. 
L. Reel, Rutus Wright, Jos. McAlister, B. F. Starkley, Day, John Morgan, W. S. Arnot. 
M. W. Brigham, P. Burt, Tewister, Slack, B. Banks, Jac. Maybce, (Jraves, B. F. Fry, E. 
(}. Mayrio, M'Neil, J. M. Shreve, W. Pace, Ch. Stibbins, H. Bond, Geo. Fciinell, AV. Gill, 
R. Criitenden, Ad:im .Mosier, J. S. Patterson, Jos. Douane, G. AV. Mason. Thomas Pratt, 
K. Knoland, A. H. Miles, Jno. Llewelyn, James Joslyn, Jo. Gillespie, A. J. Harris, D. 
James. 

STAFI-' OF TUF. COMMAND. 

Nicholas Lynch, adjutant; AV. M. Carper, surgeon; John Smith, sergeant m:ijor; Vinkey 
Caldwell, quartermaster. 



TEXAS. ggg 

FIRST REGIMENT TEXAN VOLUNTEERS. 

Edward Burleson, colonel ; Alex. Soinerville, lieut. colonel ; Jas. W. Tinsley, adjutant; 
Cleveland, sergt. major. 

Company A— Wm. AVood, capt.; S. B. Raymond, 2d lieut.; J. C. Allison, Jas. A. Sylves- 
ter, 0. T. Brown, Nathaniel Peck, sergeants. 

Privates— lr\Yin Armstrong, W. H. Berryhill, Uriah Blue, Seym Bottsford, Luke W. 
Bust, James Cumbo, Elijah V. Dale, Abner C. Davis, Jacob Eiler, Simon P. Ford, (Jarner 
G. A. Giddings, Jas. Greenwood, Wm. Griffin, W. C. Hays, T. A. Haskin, Robert' Howell,' 
Wm. Lockridge, J. D. Loderback, Edward Miles, Benj. Osborne, J. R. Pinchback, Joseph' 
Rhodes, John W. Rial, Ralph E. Sevey, Manasseh bevey, Ed. W. Taylor, John Viven, Geo 
Waters, Jas. AVelsh, Ez. Westgate, Walker Winn. 

Company C — Jesse Billingsly, capt.; Micah Andrews, 1st lieut.; Jas. A. Craft, 2d lieut.; 
Russel B. Craft, Wm. H. Magill, Campbell Taylor, sergeants. 

Privntet — L. S. Cunningham, John Herron, Preston Conly, Jackson Berry, Jefferson Ear- 
ton, Demry Pace, John W. Bunton, Wm. Criswell, Sam. M'ClelJand, Lemuel Blakely, Geo. 
Self, Thos. Davy, Jacob Standerford, Wayne Barton, Sampson Connell, Calvin Gage, Mar- 
tin Walker, Gern E. Brown, Log. Vanderveer, Wash. Anderson, Wm. Standerford, Wm. 
Simmons, Geo. Green, Geo. P. Erath, T. M. Dennis, Jas. R. Pace, John Hobson, Lewis 
Goodwin, Jos. Garwood, Willis Avery, Jesse Halderman, Chas. Williams, Aaron Burleson, 
R. M. Cravens, Walker Wilson, Prior Holden, Thos. A. Mays, A. M. H. Smith, Jas. Curtis, 
V. M. Rain, Robert Hood, Dugald M'Lean, Thos. A. Graves. 

Company D— Mosely Baker, capt.; J. P. Borden, 1st lieut.; John Pettus, 2d lieut.; Jos. 
Baker, E. C. Pettus, M. A. Bryan, sergeants ; Jas. Bell, Jas. Friel, J. L. Hill, corporals. 

Privates — 0. D. Anderson, J. B. Alexander, John Beachom, T. H. Bell, S. R. Bostick, P. 
P. Borden, J. Carter, Samuel Davis, G. W. Davis, J. R. Foster, A. Greenlaw, Fowler, lluch 
Frazier, Wm. Isbell, R. Kleburg, Mat. Kuykendall, Rob. Moore, Jos. McCrabb, Louis Rur- 
der, V. W. Swearengen, Jos. Vermiiinn, I. E. Watkins, A. W. Wolsey, W. R. Williams, 
Ellison York, Patrick Usher, J. S. Menifee, Paul Scarborough, John Flick, J. H. Money, 
Weppler, John Marshall, Wm. Bernbeck, Millett, Philip Stroth, Andreas Voyel, Nicholas 
Peck, Wm. Hawkins, J. Duncan, Geo. Sutherland, Thos. Gay, Jos. Miller, G. W. Gardner 
Wm. Mock, S. H. Isbel, Jas. Tarlton, Allen Ingraham ; McHenry Winburn, W. R. Jack- 
son, D. D. D. Baker, officers belonging to the regular service. 

Company K — B. J. Calder, capt.; J. Sharper, 1st lieut.; M. A. Bingham, 1st sergt. 
Pricutes — B. Brigham, J. Conner, F. S. Cooke, T. Cooke, S. Conner, G. J. Johnstone 
Granville Mills, Elias Baker, U. Dibble, T. M. Fowler, H. Fields, B. C. Franklin, J. Green' 
W. C. Hogg, J. Hall, E. B. Halstead, J. W. Hassell, W. Lambert, B. Mims, W. Muir, P.' 
D. M'Neil, C. .Malone, J. Plunkett, W. P. Reese, C. K. Reese, J. A. Spicer, H. Stonfer' J 
Threndgil, W. P. Scott, R. Crawford, S. B. Mitchell, B. F. Fitch, W. W. Grant, J. S. Ed- 
gar, J. Smith, T. D. Owen, W. Hale, A. G. Butts, D. Dedrick, C. Forrister, W. K. D«a- 
hain. 

Company F — Wm. J. E. Heard, capt.: William Eastland, 1st lieut.; Eli Mercer. Wilsoft 
Lightfoot, sergts.; Alfred Kelso, Elijah Mercer, corporals. 

Privates — Rob. M'Laughlin, Leroy Wilkinson, Wm. Lightfoot, Dan. Miller, Jesse Rob- 
inson, Josiah Ilagans, John M'Crab, Maxwell Steel, John Bigley, Hugh M'Kenzie, Joseph 
Elinger, John Halliet, J. Robinson, D. Dunham, Wm. Passe, Jas. S. Lester, Phillilla Brad- 
ing. Christian Winner, Jas. Nelson, John Tumlinson, V. Brockfield, Chas. M. Henry, Jas. 
Byrd, Nalh'l Reid, Andrew Sennatt, P. B. O'Conner, Thos. Ryons, John Lewi*, Jos. High- 
land, Leander Reason, S. T. .Foley, Allen Jones, Thos. Adams, Mitchell Putnam, T. M. 
Hftrdiman, Chtis. Thompson, Wm. Waters. 

Company H — Wm. W. Hill, capt. (sick), commanded by R. Stephenson ; H. H. Swisher, 1st 
lieut.; C. Pi.aney. A. R. Stevens, W. H. Miller, sergeants. 

Privates — E. Whitesides, J. S. Stump, J. M. Swisher, Moses Davis, John Lyford, John 
Tom, Nicholas Crunk, Lewis Clemins, Wm. Hawkins, J. W. Cannon, James Farmer, R. 
Bowen, A. Lesassiem, W. K. Dallas, M. B. Gray, Jas. Gray, B. Doolittle, John Graham, 
Jas. M. Hill, J. Ingraham, John Gafford, N. Mitchell, David Korneky, Geo. Petty, James 
Everett, Prosper Hope, J. Powell, Matthew Dunn, J. D. Jennijigs, John C. Hunt, Jacob 
Groce, F. B. Gentry, J. G. Wilkinson, A. Dillard, F. K. HendeMon„Uriah. Saunders, John 
Oraddick, J. Lawrence, A. Caruthers, Daniel McKay. 

SECOND REGIMENT TEXAN T0LUNTBBR3. 

Sidney Sherman, colonel ; Jos. L. Bennett, lieut. col.j Lysander Wells,. major ; Edw. B. 
Wood, adjutant; Bennett McNelly, sergeant major. 

FiR.sT Company— Hay den Arnold, capt.; R. W. Smith, 1st lieut.; Isaac Edwards, 2d 
lieut. 

Privates — Sam. Leiper, Peter W. Holmes, W. P. Ktncannon, Dan. Doubt, John Moss, E, 
E. Hamilton. David Rusk, W. F. Williams, J. W. McHorse, H. Malena. Alexin, John Har- 
vey, M. G. Whitaker, John Yancy. S. Yarbrough, Thos. G. Box, Nelson Box, G. R. Mer- 
9er, Wru. Nabors, Wm. T. Saddler, Jas. Mitchell, Jas. E. Box, Sam. Phillips, John B. Tre- 
aay, Levy Perch, Crawf Grigsby, John McCoy, Dickins Parker, Jesse Waliiag, J. W. Gar- 

44 



690 TEXAS. 

renter, John Box, W. E. Hallmask, Thos. D. Brooks, S. F. Spanks, Howard Bailey, H. M. 
brewer, Stephen McLin. 

Skcond Company — Wm. Ware, cnpt.; Job S. Collard, ]st lieut.; Geo. A. Lamb, 2d lient.j 
Albert Gallitin, Wm. C. AVinters, sergeants. 

Privates— 3. — Winters, J. W. Winters, C. Edenburg, Lewis Cox, Q. W. Robinson, G. W. 
Lawrence, W. Cartwright, John Sadler, James Wilson, James Derritt, Matthew Moss, Jesse 
Thomson. 

Third Company — Wm. M. Logan, capt.; Franklin Harden, 1st lieut.; B. J. Harper, 2d 
lieut.; B. F. Branch, 1st sergt. 

I'rivniex — John Biddle, J. M. Maxwell, M. Charencan, E. Bulliner, P. BuUiner, J. Steighs- 
ton, Piitrick Carnel, Wm. M. Smith, David Choat, David Cole, Q. Dykes, David M'Fadden, 
Thomas Orr, Luke Bryant, W. Kibbe, E. M. Tanner, H. R. Williams, Michael Poveto, Le- 
fray Gedrie, Joseph Farewell, C. W. Thompson, Cornelius Devois, M. J. Brakcy, Thomas 
Belnop, Wm. Duffee, Joseph Ellender, William Smith, Wm. Robertson, W. A. Smyth, Jas. 
Call. 

Fourth Company — Wm. H. Patton, capt. (before entered as aid to Gen. H.) ; David Mur- 
phy, 1st lieut.; Peter Harper, 2d lieut.; John Smith, Pendleton Rector, A. W. Breedlove, 
sergeants ; G. L. Bledsoe, corporal. 

Privates — Jas. Bradley, J. C. Boyd, Robt. Carr, A. J. Beard, Alex. Bailey, J. J. Childs, 
St. Clair -Patton, Claiborn Rector, Phineas Ripley, Thos. Leveney, J. B. Taylor, L. Wil- 
loughby, G. Wright, M. B. Atkison, Holden Denmon, Ed. D;iist, R. B. Daist, J. K. Davis, 
E. Gallaher, Jas. Hall, S. Phillips, Thos. McGay, J. A. Barkley, Francis Walneet, Hinson 
Curtis, J. B. Grice, Nat. Hager, B. F. Cage, J. M. McCormack, Jas. Haye, Chas. Hick, A. 
D. Kenyon, G. W. Lewis, J. Pickering, Jas. Harris, Wm. Brennan, Wm. H. Jack, Dr. Bay- 
lor, Thos. F. Coney, A. Lewis, W. P. Lane, E. G. Rector. 



Thos. H. M'Intire, capt.; John P. Gill, 1st lieut.; Bazil G. Gians, 2d lieut.; Robt. D. Ty- 
ler, John Wilkinson, sergts.; E. G. Coffman, corp. 

Privates — Wm. Boyle, I3enj. Bcncroft, Geo. Barker, Wm. Bennett, John Clarke, J. B. Col- 
iant, J. Campbell, Cooper, T. Davis, Oscar Parish, Thos. Hopkins, Jack Lowrie, Placido 
M'Curdy, David Oden, G. W. Penticost, S. W. Peebles, Samuel Sharp, Isaac Jacques, John 
Chevis, 1st, John Chevis, 2d, Thos. Cox, Cyrus Cepton, Ambrose Mayer, Moses Allison, 
Isaac Maiden, F. Wilkinson. 

James Galsaspy, capt.; Wm. Finch, 1st lieut.; A. L. Harrison, 2d lieut.; R. T. Choderick, 
1st sergt. 

Privates — John Sayres, F. B. Lasiter, M. K. Gohoen, T. H. Webb, John Peterson, J. 
Montgomery, T. F. Johnson, Hez. Harris, W. F. Ferrill, Samuel Wyley, Wm. Fertilan, A. 
Montgomery, A. Lolison, E. M'Millan, S. Baling, J. W. Scolling, J. Richardson, Obanion, 
Willis L. Ellis, Jas. Walker, Alphonzo Steel, Benj. Johnson, F. M. Woodward, Wm. Peter- 
son, J. C. White, Rob. Henry, Elijah Votan, G. Crosby, Joel Dederick, L. Raney. 

B. Bryant, capt.; .John C. Hales, 1st lieut.; A. S. Lewis, 2d lieut. 

Privates— yVm. Earle, J. S. P. Irven, Sim. Roberts, Jos. P. Parks, C. Rockwell, R. B. 
Russell, L. H. White. A. M'Kenzie, A. Cobble, John F. Gilbert, D. Roberts, Wm. B. Scales, 
J. R. Johnson, Wm. Pate, B. Lindsay, Jas. Clarke, Robt. Love. 

Wm. Kimbo, capt.; James Rowe, 1st lieut.; John Harman, William Fisher, Henry Reed, 
sergeants. 

Privates — D. Brown, Wm. Bateman, J. A. ChaflSn, H. Corsine, Joel Crane, R. T. Crane, 
Joshua Clelens, W. H. Davis, S. Holeman, H. Hill, G. D. Hancock, E. 0. Legrand, D. Love, 
D. H. M'Gary, Thos. Maxwell, A. G. M'Gowan, J. W. Proctor, Benj. Thomas, D. AVatson, 
Lewis Wilworth, R. Stevenson, G. W. Jones, W. B. Rrown, B. Green, J. Kent, Caddell, R. 
Hotchkiss, Thos. M. Hughes, A. Buffington, Jas. Burch, R. Burch, A. E. Manuel. 

Juan N. Seguin, capt.; Manuel Flores, Antonio Menchasen, sergeants; Nep Florcs, Am- 
bro Rodridge, corporals. 

Privates — Antonio Cruz, Jose Maria Mocha, Eudnado Samirer, Lucin Ennques, Maticio 
Curvis, Antonio Cueves, Simon Ancola, Manuel Tarin, Pedro Henern, Thos. Maldonart, 
Cecario Cormana, Jacinto, Pena, N. Navarro, A. Vareinas, Manuel Avoca. 



BuiFalo Bayou is perhaps the smallest navigable stream in Texas, but at 
present it is one of the most important means of communication with the in- 
terior. From Galveston Bay to Houston, the ancient capital of Texas, a dis- 
tance of about 20 miles, this small stream is navigable for steamboats of a 
large size, although in some places it is not of sufficient -width to allow 
one to turn lengthwise across the stream. The elevated banks which slope 



TEXA* 



691 



to the water's edge, are thickly set with forest trees, havitig their branches 
Eovered with pendant moss. A striking scene is presented at night, when 
the steamboat steers her way, as it were, through the forest, with torchlights 
on both sides. 




Night Scene on Buffalo Bayou. 

Brownsville^ the county seat of Cameron county, is situated on the N. bank 
of the Rio Gi'ande, about 50 miles by the course of the river from the Gulf 
of Mexico, and 326 S. from Austin. It is a flourishing place and has con- 
siderable commerce with the river towns. It lies opposite Mataraoras, in 
Mexico. Brazos Santiago is the shipping point. The place received its 
name from IMaj. Brown, who was mortally wounded in the defense of the 
fort here, during the Mexican war, in 1846. 

After the terms of annexation were accepted (July 4, 1845), Gen. Taylor 
iv;is ordered to western Texas. At the head of a considerable force he estab- 
iished his camp at Corpus Christi, then the furthest point west to which the 
Texan population had extended. In Jan., 1846, he was ordered to march 
through the uninhabited region between the Nueces and Rio Grande, and 
take possession of Point Isabel and the points opposite Matamoras and Mie<r. 
This Was accomplished, some skirmishes ensued, and several being killed 
soon brought on open and avowed hostilities between the two nations. The 
following narrative of the battles which ensued, Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma, is from " Howe's Achievements of Americans," and is especially val- 
■\iable from giving the first experience of a soldier in the business of war : 

Throwing a garrison into Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, Gen. Taylor, on the 
1st of May, broke up the camp and started with the whole army for Point Isabel, 
to bring up a large depot of provisions to the fort; we arrived there the succeeding 
forenoon, and were set to work building intrenchments. 

On the 7th,* the army set out on its return to Fort Brown, and aftpr proceeding 
nhout seven miles, we encamped beside a pond, where the miisquitoes were so 
plenty that we could not slt^ep. The next morninrc we resumed our march, calcu- 
lating to get throu'2;h if nothing prevented; but about noon, the dragoons brought 
iateliigence that the enemy wer-o in force in froat. ''Now we'll have it, boys!' 



692 TEXAS. 

said the men ; and, I must confess, I felt a sudden thrill at this intelligence. Gen. 
Taylor in a few minutes ordered a halt beside a pond of water, for the men to fill 
their canteens. 

Here we ;i;ot our first view of the enemy. " Look! look ! Oh ! look at them! " 
cried several at once. " I\Iy stars! what a host! " exclaimed others. We now ad- 
vanced slowly in order of battle, occasionally halting, until we were within a little 
over half a mile distant from them. Their appearance was exceedingly grand; 
directly in front stood their infantry, with hei*e and there an interval of artillery — 
their bright brass guns reflecting the raj's of the sun. On each side, stretching 
over the prairie, was their cavalry, with a host of sharp-pointed, bright-shining 
lances, with their pendants of red and blue. Vast masses of infantry, in rear of 
their front line were moving into difi"erent positions for the coming fray, and their 
field officers were galloping up and down, giving out their respective orders. When 
all was completed, their army stood perfectly still; their right resting on a dense 
thicket of chapparal, and their left stretching across the road, and protected at the 
end by a swamp. Their whole line was about one mile in length; they had eleven 
field pieces and about six thousand men. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle — those 
Mexicans on the field of Palo Alto. 

Now let us look at our little army. Our regiments, from sickness and other 
causes, had not over one half of the usual number of men, and here we were on 
the day of battle in a miserably weak condition. The company to which 1 be- 
longed, '' IJ," had only sixteen bayonets. We had nine regiments, and they num- 
bered, officers and all, but a little over twenty-two hundred men ; but there was a 
self-reliance among them that seemed to augur success. 

Gen. Taylor, for simple hard fighting, was an excellent officer, but he knew little 
of tactics, rarely put any military evolution in practice, and had not the confidence 
of the army like Worth and Scott. In this battle we had two light batteries — 
Ringgold's and Duncan's — of four pieces each, and two eighteen pound iron guns, 
under the command of Lieut. Churchill, and the battle was mainly fought with 
artillery. The eighteen pounders were on the right of our regiment, which was 
near the center of our line ; 1 was on the extreme left of the regiment. Churchill's 
guns were each drawn by two yoke of oxen. A 'i'exan boy drove one of tlie teams; 
as we were coming into position his coolness was remarkable, and bis talk to his 
oxen amusing. " Go along, buck ! " he said, " if you're killed, you are fat and will 
make good beef." When all was ready, both armies stood still for about twenty 
minutes, each waiting for the other to begin the work of death, and during this 
time, 1 did not see a single man of the enemy move; they stood like statues. 

We remained quiet with two exceptions; Gen. Taylor, followed by his staff, rode 
from left to right at a slow pace, with his right leg thrown over like a woman, and 
as he passed each regiment, he spoke words of encoui-agement. I know not what 
he said to the others, but when he came up to where we stood, he looked steadily 
at us; I suppose, to see what efi'ect the circumstances in which we were placed had 
upon us, and, as he gazed, he said: "2'Afl bayonet, my hardy cocks ! the bayonet ia 
the thing I" The other occasion was that of Lieut. Blake, of the engineers, who 
volunteered to gallop along the enemy's line, in front of both armies, and count 
their guns; and so close did he go that he might have been shot a hundred times. 
One of" the officers of the enemy, doubtless thinking he had some communication 
to make, rode out to meet him ; Blake, however, paid no attention to him, but rode 
on, and then returned and reported to Taylor. 

Thus stood those two belligerent armies, face to face. What were the feelings 
of those thousands ! How many thoughts and fears were crowded into tlutse few 
moments ! Look at our men ! a clammy' sweat is settled all over faces sliglitly pale, 
not from cowardly fear, but from an awful sense of peril combined with a deter- 
mination not to liinch from duty. These are the moments in which true soldiers 
resign themselves to their fate, and console themselves with the reflection that 
whatever may befall them they will act with honor ; these are the moments when 
the absolute coward suffers more than death — when, if not certain he would bo 
shot in his tracks, he would turn and flee. Fighting is very hard work; the man 
who has passed through a two hours' fight, has lived through a great amount of 
mental and physical labor. At the end of a battle I always found that I had per- 



TEXAS. 693 

spired so profusely as to wet through all ray thick woolen clothing, and when I had 
got cool, I was as sore as if 1 had been beaten all over with a club. When the 
battle commences, the feelings undergo a change. Keader, did vou ever see 
your house on fire ? if so, it was then you rushed into great danger; it was then 
you went over places, climbed up walls, lifted heavy loads, which you never could 
have done in your cooler moments; you then have experienced some of the excite- 
ment of a soldier in battle. 1 always knew my danger — that at any moment I was 
liable to be killed, yet such was my excitement that 1 never fully realized it. All 
men are not alike ; some are cool ; some are perfectly wild or crazy ; others are so 
prostrated by fear that they are completely unnerved — an awful sinking and re- 
laxation of all their energies takes place, pitiable to behold ; they tremble like an 
aspen, slink into ditches and covert places, cry like children, and are totally in- 
sensible to shamc' — dead to every emotion but the overwhelming fear of instant 
death. We had a few, and but a few, of such in our army. 

As the two armies were facing e.aeh other, it was remarkable to ?ee the coolness of our 
men ; there they stood, chewing bits of biscuit, and talking about the Mexicans — some 
wondering if they would fight; others allowing that they would, and like demons, etc. I 
kept my eye on the artillery of the enemy, and happened to be looking toward their right- 
wing when suddenly a white curl of smoke sprang up there from one of their guns, and 
then I saw the dust fly some distance in front where the ball struck. Instantly another, 
and then another rich curl of smoke arose, succeeded by a booming sound, and the shot 
came crashing toward us. The enemy fired very rapidly, and their balls knocked the dust 
about us in all directions — some went over our heads, others struck the ground in front and 
bounded away. 

Our batteries now went to work, and poured in upon them .a perfect storm of iron ; Lieut. 
Churchill and his men began with their eighteen-pounders, and when the first was fired, it 
made such a loud report that our men gave a spontaneous shout, which seemed to inspire 
us with renewed confidence. I could hoarevery word the lieutenant said to his men. When 
the first shot was fired, he watched the ball, saying, " Too high, men ; try another ! " — " too 
low, men; try again — the third time is the charm I " The third shot was fired, and I saw 
with my own eyes the dre.adful effect of that and the following shots. " That's it, my 
boys ! " shouted Churchill, jumping up about two feet ; " you have them now ! keep her at 
that!" and so they did, and everj'shot tore complete lanes right through the enemy's lines ; 
but they stood it manfully. The full chorus of battle now raged ; twenty-three pieces of 
artillery belched forth their iron hail. 

We were ordered to lie down in the grass to avoid the shot; this puzzled the enemy, and 
they could not bring their guns to bear upon us, making our loss very small. Many wera 
the narrow escapes; one ball came within six inches of my left side. The force of the 
shot was tremendous; a horse's body was no obstacle at all ; a man's leg was a mere pipe 
stem. I watched the shot as it struck the roots of the grass, and it was astonishing how 
the dust flew. In about an hour, the grass caught on fire, and the clouds of smoke shut 
out the opposing armies from view. We had not as yet lost a man from our regiment. Jn 
the obscurity, the enemy changed their line, and the eighteen-pounders, supported by our 
regiment, took a new position on a little rise of ground. As we moved on to the spot, a 
six-pound shot carried away the lower jaw of Capt. Page, and then took off a man's head 
on the right, as clean as if with a knife. The blood of poor Page was the first blood I 
saw; ho was knocked down in the grass, and as he endeavored to raise himself, he pre- 
sented such a ghastly spectacle that a sickly, fainting sensation came over me, and the 
"ncmory of that sight I shall carry with me to my dying day. A little later. Major Ring- 
gold was mortally wounded at his battery; I saw him just after it. The shot had torn 
away a portion of the flesh of his thighs: its force was tremendous, cutting ofi" both his 
pistols at the locks, and also the withers of his horse — a splendid steed which was killed tc 
relieve him of his misery. The enemy tried hard, but without avail, to hit our eighteen- 
pounders. The battle continued until night put an end to the scene. We bivouacked where 
we were, and laid on our arms ; we slept, however, but little, thinking we might be attacked 
in our sleep. 

The enemy had been very severely handled, owing to the superiority of our artillery. The 
gunners went into it more like butchers than military men ; each stripped off his coat, rolled 
up his sleeves, and tied his suspenders around his waist ; they all wore red flannel shirts, and, 
therefore, were in uniform. To sec them limbering and unlimbering, firing a few shots, 
then dashing through the smoke, and then to fire again with lightning-like rapidity, partly 
hid from view by dense clouds of dust and smoke, with their dark-red shirts and naked arms, 
yelling at every shot they made, reminded me of a band of demon|«rather than of men. 

On the morning ot the ninth, the sun rose in splendor. The enemy having retired into 
the ehapparal.we resumed our march toward the fort. On arriving at the position the 
enemy had occupied the day befo e, the scene was shocking; here lay a beautiful black 



G9i 



TEXAS. 



horse and rider, both dead ; a little beyond was a heap of artillery-men horribly mangled, 
some entirely headless, others with their bowels torn out, and again others with an arm or 
a leg, sometimes both, shot away. One man, I noticed, had been shot in a singular man- 
ner ; the ball must have bounded, and, as it was rising, struck its victim about the right 
hautich, then passing up diagonally through his body, came out under his left arm. The 
positions of the dead were in many instances peculiar; some in their death-agonies had 
caught with their hands in the grass, and thus died : some others were in a kind of sitting 
posture ; the countenances of some were horribly distorted, others had a smile — an absolute 
laugli. The enemy had left behind a part of their wounded ; one poor fellow who appeared 
to be quite intelligent, was badly wounded in the ankle ; when we came near him, he called . 
oni X)ileo\ii\y, "Biicno Ainerkaiw I Agua, Senor I agiia, Senor !" — Good American! Water, 
sir ! water, sir I We ran and offered him our canteens, and gave him biscuit, for which he 
appeared grateful. 

Our advance guard had been through, and ascertained that the enemy were posted at 
Resaea de la Palma, a few miles off. A ravine here crossed the road, and on each side it 
was skirted with dense chapparal; the ravine was occupied by their artillery. AVe marched 
on the narrow road through the chapparal toward their position. The battle commenced 
with those in advance. The balls began to crash through the woods over our heads, when 
our regiment deployed to the left and then to the right of the road, and advanced through 
the chapparal toward the enemy, whom we could not then see. Lieut. Haller called out, 
" Fourth and Fifth Infantry, charge 1 " Both regiments responded with a cheer, and rushed 
on. In a few paces we came to a small pond, and here I had my first chance for a shot at 
the Mexicans, who were in lino on the opposite bank, and were pouring their balls right 
into our faces. The bushes screened all below their waists. I kneeled down on my right 
knee, cocked my musket, and brought it to an aim on the mass in front of me, making my 
first shot at the human family. I fired four shots in this manner, the branches in the 
meanwhile dropping off and the dust springing up all around me from the shot of my 
friends across the little wiiter. The word was then given to charge, and we dashed into the 
water which took me about half-thigh deep; when in the middle, a ball just grazed my 
rio-ht ear, and another struck a lieutenant by me in the right arm. The Mexicans broke 
and ran, and we continued charging along the pond until we came to where their guns were 
stationed. Here our troops, of different regiments, got mixed up. The Mexicans fought 
desperately, and many were slain. 

W.iun our infantry closed upon their artillery, some of our men were killed by a shot 
from Duncan's battery, which remained on the east side of the ravine. The fight- was now 
confsiied to this central position ; their guns on the right and left of it having been taken. 
Here stood Gen. La Vega almost alone, his men having been shot down around him fron. 
the combined effects of our infantry on the right and left, and Duncan's battery in front. 
Just at this moment, when the infantry of all the regiments there engaged rushed in upon 
La Vegi's position, Capt. May charged with the dragoons who received the last gun that 
the enemy fired ; but before the dragoons had got up. La Vega was captured with a large 
number of the officers and men of the enemy. The dragoons charged clear past this point, 
and having received a heavy volley from the enemy's infantry and cavalry who were rally- 
in" beyond, May ordered a retreat. As he was returning, La Vega, already a prisoner and 
hold as such by the infantry, judging that May was a superior officer, gave up his sword to 
him. 

After those guns were captured, about thirty of us went in pursuit of the retreating 
enemy until we came upon an open space of, perhaps, two acres ; here we found a large pack 
of mules and the abandoned tent of Gen. Arista ; we stopped a moment, and then con- 
tinued on the road until we were charged by the lancers. Lieut. Hays sang out, " They 
are too strong for us, boys! — retreat! retreat!" which we did for a short pace, and 
then faced the enemy. The lancers came down upon us, when we poured in a volley which 
sent them back. Lieut. Cochrane, instead of coming on with us, ran behind a small clump 
of bushes on the opposite side of the road, when a lancer rode up and deliberately lanced 
him. We reloaded, and on they came again, headed by an officer mounted on a splendid 
white horse. Some one sang out, " Shoot that man on the white horse I " We poured in 
another volley, and down went both horse and rider, beside numerous others; among them 
was the man that had killed Lieut. Cochrane. I went out and picked up his lance ; it was 
covered with the blood of the poor lieutenant. At this moment came up our light artillery 
and the dragoons, who pursued the enemy to the river where many were drowned in cross- 
\v\-r and thus ended the battle of Resaea de la Palma. Then I never heard such shouting 
as ca'ne from our men ; they seemed nearly crazy with joy. I can not describe my feel- 
ings when I saw what a victory we had won ! 



Nacogdoclies is tO miles W. of the Sabine, and 210 E. from Austin, on an 
elevated triangular plain, at the head of several small streams which enter 
the River Angelina. It contains a fine court house, several churches, and 



TEXAS. 695 

about 1,000 inhabitants. This place was one of the first settled by the 
Spanish in Texas, being occupied as a military post. Its improvement did 
not commence till 1788, when many persons moved there from New Orleans, 
and Capt. Gil. y Barbo, the first commandant, established an arsenal and 
barracks, and built the "old stone house," which still remains. The county 
of Nacoiz'doches was created in 1836, from the municipality of the same 
name. The white population of the county is about 8,000, mostly Ameri- 
cans. Churches and schools are liberally supplied, and the state of society 
generally good. Previous to and during the American Revolution, an active 
trade was carried on by the Spanish settlement at Natchez, through Nacog- 
doches to the interior of Texas, and it was through those engaged in this 
trade that the great beauty and fertility of country became known to the 
Americans, and attracted many adventurers. 

San Augustine is situated in a rich cotton growing region, on a branch of the 
Neches River, 27 miles from the Sabine, and 360 from Austin. It was laid off 
in 1833, and contains a court house, several churches, and about 1,500 inhabit- 
ants. It is very healthy, being built on the high rolling lands, and is one 
of the most beautiful towns in Texas. The University of San Augustine 
was incorporated in 1837. ' 

Port Lavacca is the capital of Calhoun county. It is on the W. side of 
Lavacea Bay, about 160 miles S.E. of Austin, and is the principal shipping 
port of that part of Texas. Population about 600. 

Matagorda, on Matagorda Bay, at the mouth of Colorado River, 250 miles 
S.E. from Austin, is a place of considerable commerce, being the depot for 
the produce of the fertile Colorado valley. Population about 600. 

There are many towns in Texas beside those mentioned, that have 1,000 
inhabitants. Marshall, Gonzales, Victoria and Paris have each of them over 
that number, and though neither of them reach 2,000, they are important 
business centers for their respective districts. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC. 

Moses Austin was born in Durham, Connecticut, about the year 1764, and of a 
highly respectable family. He was well educated, and was bred a merchant, and 
possessed uncommon energy and enterprise. He engaged in merchandising in 
Philadelphia, then in Richmond, and later bought lead mines in Wythe county, Va., 
where he engaged in mining, introduced artisans from England, and established 
the first shot and sheet lead manufactory in the United States, In 1799, he re- 
moved to the Mine-a-Burton lead mine in Missouri, and there established the bus- 
iness of lead mining in the wilderness, surrounded by savages: his ore was con- 
veyed on horseback to St. Genevieve, 40 miles distant. Until 1817, he conducted 
a prosperous business, his house became the abode of elegant hospitality, and the 
wilderness around was made to smile under his enterprise. Then the failure of 
the Missouri bank so embarrassed his circumstances that he then, at the age of 55 
years, voluntarily gave up all his property to his creditors, and with invincible 
firmness prepared to found an American colony in Texas. In the execution of hig 
plans he had the aid of his son Stephen. He did not live to see them consummated, 
as he died on the eve of their accomplishment, June lO, 1821, leaving on his death 
bed the message to his son to carry forward his enterprise. 

Gen. Stephen F. Austin, sometimes called " the Father of Texas, was born in 
Wythe county, Va., in 1793. He began his education at Colchester, Conn., and 
finished it at Transylvania University, in Kentucky. At the time of his father's 
death he was 28 years of age. He resolved to accept his father's dying trust, and 
after much toil and with great address, he succeeded in the enterprise, fixing his 



696 TEXAS. 

colonial capital on the Brazos — San Felipe de Austin. Gov. Austin died Dec. 25, 
1836, in the 45th year of his age. His qualities of head and heart made him loved 
by all. " Every loji; cabin in the land was open to him. Every child of every col- 
onist knew him, and was permitted to play upon his knee. When he first entered 
the province of Texas, in 1821, there was but one settlement from the Sabine to 
Han Antonio — Nacogdoches, and in it was only one family and three unmarried 
men. The ring of the axe had never been heard on the Brazos and Colorado. The 
settlers followed in the wake of their j'oung and adventurous leader, with the rifle, 
the ax, the plow and the seed corn. Soon the green blades of corn waved over 
the luxuriant virgin fields, and the smoke arose from 300 cabins, and 300 good 
rifles were ready to follow him to battle for the right." In 1823-4, Austin's colo- 
ny was infested by robbers and fugitives from justice from the United States. At 
first mild measures were tried to put a stop to their depredations. This only em- 
boldened to greater crimes, they adding murder to Jobbery. At length a band of 
these desperadoes were attacked and all but one killed, who escaped. The head 
of one of them was cut off and set on a pole as a warning to like oflenders. 

David S. Burnet was born in Newark, New Jersey, April 4, 1789. His father. 
Dr. William Burnet, was a medical officer during the Revolutionary war, and was 
also a member of the continental congress. His brother, Maj. Ichabod Burnet, 
was aid to iMaj. Gen. Greene. Judge Burnet was educated at a highly respectable 
academy in his native town. He had a predileotion for the navy, but was per- 
.suaded to give it up, and to place himself in a counting house in New ^'ork in 
1805. Early in 1806, with the consent of his friends, he joined the celebrated ex- 
pedition under Gen. Miranda, which was organized in New York. Miranda sailed 
from New York in Feb., 1806, and made the first aggressive demonstration toward 
the emancipation from Spanish domination at La Yilla de Coro, on the Gulf of 
Venezuela. A landing was eSected in front of a battery, and the enemy were forced 
to retire. Lieut. Burnet commanded in the launch from the frigate, and conse- 
quently was one of those who tired the first gun in favor of Spanish American in- 
dependence. 

The expedition was finally abandoned, and most of the survivors of the original 
party returned to New York. In 1817, Mr. Burnet was a merchant in Natchitoches, 
La. Being threatened with pulmonary consumption, he was advised by his physi- 
cian to adopt the Indian life and manner of living; he accordingly went among 
the Coraanches on the Colorado, and remained more than a year, during which 
time he subsisted on buflalo and other wild meat, without bread or vegetables of 
any kind, and by this means his health was restored. He afterward removed to 
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied law. In 1826, Air. Burnet emigrated to Texas. 
In 1833, he was elected to the convention at San Felipe, for the purpose of obtain- 
ing a separate state organization from the Federal Government at Mexico. In 
1834, he was appointed by the state government judge of the municipality of Aus- 
tin, comprehending about one half the population of Texas. AVhen the spirit of 
war began to be exhibited against the Alexicans, Judge Burnet was in the opposi- 
tion, and continued quiet on his little farm. But when the news arrived that Santa 
Anna had assumed dictatorial powers, and abolished the state governments, he took 
a decided stand in favor of resistance. In 1836, he was elected by the convention 
that declared independence, president ad interim of the incipient republic. He 
was afterward chosen vice president. Since this period he has lived in retirement 
on his farm, near and in sight of the battle field of San Jacinto. 

Mirabeau B. Lamar^ the third president of Texas, was born in Jefferson county, 
Georgia, in 1798, His ancestors were French Huguenots, who fled from persecu- 
tion in their native land, and settled in the southern states. He came to Texas in 
li^35, to aid the people in their resistance against the arbitrary power of Santa 
Anna. He opposed all timid counsels, and boldly advocated a declaration of inde- 
pendence, like that of "luly 4, 1776, and it is stated that his speech, delivered in 
the town of Washington, was the first open advocacy of that policy. He first dis- 
tinguished himself as a soldier in the cavalry action previous to the battle of San 
Jacinto. After this victory he was placed by President Burnet at the head of the 
war department. He was subsequently elected the first vice president under the 



TEXAS. 697 

Constitutional Republic, and two years afterward to the presidency. When he 
came into this office the republic had but very little credit or money, but by his 
wise and judicious administration, he secured all the advanta^^es of a good govern- 
ment. Gen. Lamar retired from office in 1841, but on the breaking out of the war 
between Mexico and the United States, he accompanied the Texan forces to the 
theater of conflict, and acquired fresh laurels at the battle of Monterey. 



THE FREEBOOTER LAFITTE. 

Jean Lajitte was born in Bordeaux, France, and in youth ran away from home 
and sliipped on board an English man-of-war. Eventually he found his way to 
South America and the West Indies, and engaged in privateering and smuggling. 
In 180S, Avhen the United States laid an embargo on foreign commerce, he engaged 
in illicit trade to New Orleans. About the year 1810 or ISll, the island of Grand 
Terre, afterward known as Barrataria, about 60 miles from the delta of the Mis- 
sissippi, became a notorious resort of privateers. Among the chieftains there La- 
fitte became in power almost absolute. He had two brothers in New Orleans, and 
through them interested many of the principal merchants and traders in that city 
in his smuggling and privateering schemes, much to the damage of the honest 
traders there, and to the disgrace of the state and corruption of public morals. In 
March, 1813, Gov. Claiborne issued a proclamation ordering the Barratarians to 
disperse; failing in which, he offered a reward of $500 for the head of Lafitte. 
The latter in turn offered $15,000 for the head of his excellency I Next the gov- 
ernor sent a company of militia to break up Barrataria. Its commander happened 
to have been one of Lafitte's old captains. Lafitte surrounded them, took them 
prisoners, and then sent them home loaded Avith presents. 

Early in 1814, President Madison sent Commodore Patterson, of the United 
States navy, to destroy the establishment : 

"Accordingly on tbe 11th of June, 1814, the commodore left iNTew Orleans, accompanied 
by Col. Ross and seventy-one picked men of the 44th regiment United States infantry. He 
took with him the schooner Caroline and the United States gunboats at the Balize. On the 
morning of the 16th he reached Barrataria. The town consisted of about forty houses, of 
different sizes, badly constructed, and thatched with palmetto. The vessels of the free- 
booters consisted of six tine schooners and one felucca, as cruisers, and one armed schooner 
under Carthagenian colors. T%e rovers came out to meet the commodore, and formed their 
vessels into line of battle, having mounted on them twenty pieces of cannon, and exhibit- 
ing a force of eight hundred or a thousand men. But when they saw the commodore de- 
termined, and still advancing, they abandoned the place and fled, concealing themselves in 
the numerous morasses of the surrounding country. The commodore returned to New Or- 
leans on the 23d of June, bearing with him the vessels and spoil of Barrataria. 

This expedition so crippled the freebooters, that they could only operate afterward with 
great secrecj". The war between tbe United States and Great Britain prevented further at- 
tempts against them. They were, however, approached by the British in a different man- 
ner. On the .Sd of September, 1814, Capt. Lockyer, commander of his majesty's man-of- 
war Sophia, put in to the shore at Barrataria, and offered Lafitte the rank of post-captain 
in the British navy, the command of a frigate, and thirty thousand pounds sterling, to join 
his majesty's forces. Lafitte asked two weeks' time to consider the proposal, giving the 
captain some hope, however, that he would accept it. 

The next day, Lafitte inclosed the written propositions to Gov. Claiborne, writing him 
also a polite letter, tendering his services to the United States, on condition that he and 
his adherents should be protected from further interruption. The offer was accepted; and 
Lafitte and his men, stationed at the guns near the ipvee, on 8th of January, 1815, did such 
service as to call forth a general pardon from the president of the United States." 

Lafitte was unable, from the vigilance of the United States authorities, to again 
establish himself at Barrataria. "He finally occupied the island of Galveston, as 
related in the preceding pages, and for years became closely identified with the 
history of Texas. 



Eon. J. Pinchner/ Henderson was born in Lincoln Co., North Carolina, March 31, 
1808. He received a liberal education, and adopted the law as a profession. He 
emigrated to Texas in 1836, and his first civil office was that of attorney -general 



698 TEXAS. 

of the T\ppu1jlic of Texas, having been appointed, by President Houston, in 1836; 
in 1837, he was appointed secretary of state of the Kepublio ; soon afterward min- 
ister plenipotentiary to Enj^land and France, clothed with the additional powers 
of commissioner to solicit the recognition of the independence of Texas; in 1838, 
he made a commercial arrangement with England, and in 1839 a commercial treaty 
with France; in 1844, he was appointed a special minister to the United States, 
which mission resulted in the annexation of Texas; in 1845, he was a member of 
the convention which framed the constitution of the state of Texas ; in Nov., of 
the same year, Avas elected governor of the state ; and when the ]\Icxican war 
broke out, in 1846. as governor of the state, and by permission of the legislature, 
he took command, in person, of the volunteer troops called for by General Taylor, 
served six mouths as major-general, and distinguished himself at the battle of 
ISIonterej', subsequently receiving from congress, for his services, a vote of thanks 
and a sword valued at fifteen hundred dollars. He was elected a senator, in con- 
gress, in 1857, but owing to ill-health, did not take an active part in its proceed- 
ings, and he died in Washington City, June 4, 1858, deeply lamented by all who 
knew liim. — Dictionary of Congress. 

^^Gen. Samuel Iloiisfon was boi'n," says the Dictionary of Congress, "in Rock- 
bridge county, Virginia, March 2, 1793. He lost his father when quite young, and 
liis mother removed with her family to the banks of the Tennessee, at that time 
the limit of civilization. Here he received but a scanty education ; lie -passed sev- 
eral years among the Cherokee Indians, and in fact, through all his life he seema 
to have held opinions with IJousseau, and retained a predilection for life in the wil- 
derness. After having served for a time as clerk to a country trader, and kept a 
school, in 1813 he enlisted in the army, and served under Gen. Jackson in th^ war 
with the Creek Indians. He distinguished himself on several occasions, and at 
the conclusion of the war he had risen to the rank of lieutenant, but snon resigned 
bis commission and commenced the study of law at Nashville. It was about this 
time that he began his political life. After holding several minor oilices in Ten- 
nessee, he was, in 1823, elected to Congress, and continued a member of that body 
until, in 1827, he became governor of the state of Tennessee. In 1829, before the 
expiration of his gubernatorial term, he resigned his office, and went to take up 
his abode among the Cherokees in Arkansas. During his residence among the In- 
dians, he became acquainted with the frauds practiced^ upon them by the govern- 
ment agents, and undertook a mission to Washington lor the purpose of exposing 
them. In the execution of this project, he met with but little success; he became 
involved in lawsuits, and returned to his Indian friends. During a visit to Texas, 
he was requested to allow his name to be used in the canvass for a convention which 
was to meet to form a constitution for Texas, prior to its admission into the .Mexi- 
can union. He consented, and was unanimously elected. The constitution drawn 
up liy the convention was rejected by Santa Anna, at that time in power, and the 
disaffection of the Texans caused thereby was still further hightened by a demand 
upon them to give up their arms. They determined upon a resistance; a militia 
was organized, and Austin, the founder of the colony, was elected commander-in- 
chief, in which office he was shortly after succeeded by-Gen. Houston. He con- 
ducted the war with vigor, and finally brought it to a successful termination by the 
battle of San Jacinto, which was fought in April, 1836. In May, 1836, he signed 
a treaty, acknowledging the independence of Texas, and in October of the same 
year he was inaugurated the first president of the Republic. At the end of his 
teriu of office, as the same person could not constitutionally be elected president 
twice in succession, he became a member of the Texan congress. In 1841, how- 
ever, he was again elevated to the presidential chair. During the whole time that 
he held that office it was his favorite policy to effect the annexation of Texas to the 
United States, but he retired from office before he saw the consummation of his 
wishes. In 1844, Texas became one of the states of the Union, and Gen. Hous- 
ton was elected to the senate. He has since been governor of the stale." 

Ho7i. Thomas Jefferson Rusk "was born in South Carolina; studied law, and 
practiced with success in Geor.gia. In the early part of 1835, he removed to Texas, 
and was a prominent actor in all the important events in the history of the repub- 



TEXAS. 699 



lie and state of Texas. He wag a member of the convention that declared Texas 
an independent republic, in March, 1836; was the first secretary of war; partici- 
pated in the battle of San -hicinto, and took command of the army after General 
Houston was wounded. He continued in command of the army until the organi- 
zation of the constitutional government, in October, 1836, when he was again ap- 
pointed secretary of war, and resigned after a few months. He afterward com- 
manded several expeditions against the Indians; served as a member of the house 
of representatives, and as chief justice of the supreme court, which last office he 
resigned early in 1842. In 1845, he was prnsident of the convention that consum- 
mated the annexation of Texas to the United States. Upon the admission of Texas 
into the Union he was elected one of the senators in the congress of the United 
States, in which office he served two terms, and was elected for the third term. 
He was chairman of the committee on the post-office. He took a deep interest in 
tlie wagon-road to the Pacific, and the overland mail. At the time of his death, 
which occurred in Nacogdoches, Texas, July 29, 1856, he was president, jsro tern., 
of the senate. In a moment of insanity, caused by overwhelming grief at the 
death of his wife, he took his own life, aged fifty-four. — Dictionary of Congress. 

Gen. Siditei/ Sherman was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts, in 1805. In the 
midst of a snow storm, December, 1835, he embarked on a steamer at Cincinnati, 
at the head of a volunteer company of Kentuckians he had raised, to battle for the 
independence of Texas. He was a colonel at San Jacinto, where he greatly dis- 
tinguished himself He there first sounded the war cry — Remember the Alamo ! 
Goliad and the Alamo I In 1846, he conceived the idea of rebuilding the town of 
Harrisburg, which had been destroyed. From thence he built a railroad westward, 
tha^irst in Texas, and the locomotive the "Gen. Sherman," was the first that ap- 
peared west of the Sabine. 

Col. Benj. R. Milam, " the hero of Bexar," was born in Kentucky, and bred to 
the hatter's business in Lexington in that state. In 1826 he was one of the heroic 
band of three hundred Americans who went to Mexico, and joined the republican 
Btandai'd of Victoria, and in diiferent actions routed three and four times their own 
number. His military life there Avas full of vicissitude. After the taking of Go- 
liad, in Sept., 1835, by a mere handful of Texans, Milam thus told the story of his 
experience there, in a spirited address of five lines. Said he — " I assisted*i\lexico 
to gain her independence. I have spent more than twenty years of my life in that 
country. I have endured heat and cold, hunger and thirst,' but the events of this 
night have fully compensated me for all my losses and all my sufferings." In less 
than two months after " old Ben Milam " met a soldier's death at the storming of 
Bexar. 

Col. James Bowie, the inventor of the howie Jcni.fe, was a son of Rezin Bowie, and 
was born in Burke county, Georgia. " Of his parents, it is said they were from 
Maryland. The father was a man of strong mind and sound judgment. The 
mother was a pious and excellent lady, and from her it was thought that the children 
inherited their remarkable energy of character. They had five children, viz : 
David, James, Rezin P., John J., and Stephen, who were all large, muscular men. 
In 1802, the family removed to Chatahoula parish, Louisiana. On the 19th of Sep- 
tember, 1827, James Bowie was engaged, on a bar of the Mississippi, in a duel 
with Xorris Wright and others — one of the bloodiest renconters of this class on 
record — in which he was wounded, and two men were killed. Shortly after this 
he came to Texas, as did also his brother Rezin P. Bowie. James Bowie was about 
six feet high, of fair complexion, with small blue eyes, not fleshy, but well pro- 
portioned; he stood quite erect, and had a rather fierce look; was not quarrelsome, 
but mild and quiet, even at the moment of action. He was quite sociable, and 
somewhat disposed to intemperance, but never drunk. He had a wonderful art in 
winning people ts him, and was extremely prodigal of his money. His muscular 
power was as great as his daring; his brother says he has been known to rope and 
ride alligators ! His great speculation was in purchasing negroes from Lafitte, and 
smuggling them into Louisiana. This is the most unpleasant feature in his his- 
tory. He fell at the A\c\mo." ^-Yoakuni s Texas. 



700 TEXAS. 

STOCK RAISING IN TEXAS. 

In south-western Texas, the chief occupation of the rural population is stocli- 
raising. As late as the year 1838, and for years after the prairies of this region 
were covered with immense herds of wild cattle, the offspring of those belonging 
to the inhabitants prior to the border wars. Expeditions were, at that period, 
formed in Texas to hunt up and collect these animals, and when they were ex- 
hausted, the "Coio Boys" as they were called, pushed their expeditions to the Rio 
Grande, and drove off the gentle cattle of the Mexicans. On these forays severe 
conflicts often took place between the hostile parties, in which the " Cow Boys " 
were almost sure to be successful. 

For a few years after "annexation," the price of cattle was low; but with the 
improved means of transportation, prices have gone up, and now immense droves 
arc taken to the north-west and to the eastern market. A writer in the Texas 
Almanac,* for 1861, gives interesting details upon this business, from which we 
make some extracts: 

From the natural increase, and the largo droves of cattle driven to the west from middle 
and eastern Texas and the western part of Louisiana, on account of the superior pasturage 
in tliis section, stocks have become large and numerous, and many think this part of the 
country is becoming overstocked. Be that as it may, the number of cattle is very great, 
and it has become a much more laborious task to attend to a stock of cattle than when they 
were less numerous. 

As the cattle are permitted to range indiscriminately over a large surface of country, 
thirty, forty, and even fifty miles in extent from north to south and east to west, and cattle 
from 'several hundred stocks get mixed together, it is no easy task to hunt up and mark and 
brand the calves of a large stock ; still it is done, and with tolerable accuracy. 

The principal brandings take place twice in the year — in the spring and fall. F^thig 
purpose the men of each neighborhood form themselves into companies, called, in^ocal 
phrase, a "crowd," to the number of ten, twelve, or fifteen men, each man having one, two, 
or three spare horses, according to circumstances, with pack-horses to carry provisions, 
blankets, etc., for the "crowd" (company.) Thus provided fora"hunt" of several weeks, 
they sally forth, each man with lasso at saddle-bow, and armed with an excellent six- 
shooter and formidable bowie-knife. They traverse a wide extent of country, driving into 
close herds large numbers of cattle at places most convenient to a pen. They then "cut 
out" (select from the herd) such cattle as belong to the men who compose the " crowd," and 
those for whom they brand; drive them into the pen, and mark, brand, and alter the calves. 
Persons not acquainted with this mode of managing stock will naturally ask how each man 
can tell his own calves. This is easily told by observing what cow the calf follows and 
sucks. But some few calves amongst so large a number of cattle escape the " branding." 
These calves, when afterward discovered, if they have ceased to suck their mothers, and 
can not be identified, are accounted common property, and are divided, pro rata, amongst 
the stock-owners of the neighborhood. 

"Cattle-hunting" is quite a laborious business; and especially is it so in a crowded pen 
in warm weather: to " rope," throw down and tie the strong and active calves of six, eight 
or twelve months old, and often grown cattle; in dry weather in a cloud of dust, and in 
wet, in mud, sometimes ankle-deep. This is both disagreeable and fatiguing, in addition 
to which there is considerable risk from vicious cattle, which keeps the hands constantly on 
the alert to avoid being " hooked." There is also much exj)osui-e to the heat of the noon- 
day sun, and the damp, chilly midnight winds that blow fresh over the extensive prairies. 
But the proper time to do this is late in the fall, when the men are frequently exposed to 
cold rains and northers. 

But this wild life has also its attractions and exciting pleasures, especially for the young 
and adventurous ; as it is not devoid of risk, and affords to the aspiring mind of youth an 
opjiortunity of a display of courage and prowess that is not found in any other department 
of rural life. The young men that follow this " Cow Boy" life, notwithstanding its hard- 
ships and exposures, generally become attached to it. For a camp lifcj they live well, car- 
rying out with thrm plenty of coffee and sugar, hard bread (pilot bread), bacon, etc., and 
when on a " hunt," never want for fresh meat, as the unbranded yearlings afford a plenty 
oC the most delicious, and are pretty freely used, as they belong to no particular person. 
]^oer, prairie-hens or grouse, and other game being also plenty, they fare sumptuously; at 
least, so it appears to men blessed with excellent appetites. Whisky is pretty generally ex- 
cluded, as it is found rather dangerous in companionship with six-shooters. 



APPENDIX. 

CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES AT DIFFERENT PERIODS. 

OFFICIAL CENSUS TABLE, 

SHOWING THE POPULATION OP THE UNITED STATES AND TERRITORrES, ACCORDINQ TO THS 
SEVENTH CENSUS (1850), AND THE EIGHTH CENSUS (1860), RESPECTIVELY. 



CENSUS OF 1850. 

states. Free. 

Alabama, 428,779 

Arkansas, 162,797 

California, 92,597 

Connecticut, - - - • - - - - 370,792 

Delaware, 89,242 

Florida, 48,135 

Georgia, 524,503 

Illinois, 851,470 

Indiana, 988,416 

Iowa, - - 192,214 

Kansas, -.--.-.. — 

Kentucky, 771,424 

Louisiana, 272,953 

Maine, 583,169 

Maryland, 492,666 

Massachusetts, ...... 994,514 

Mississippi, 296,648 

Missouri, 594,622 

Michigan, 397,654 

Minnesota, 6,077 

New Hampshire, 317,976 

New Jersey, --..... 489,319 

New York, 3,097,394 

North Carolina, 580,491 

Ohio, 1,980,329 

Oregon, 13,294 

Pennsylvania, 2,311,786 

Rhode Island, 147,545 

South Carolina, 283.523 

Tennessee, 763,258 

Texas, 154,431 

Virginia, 949,133 

Vermont, 314.120 

Wisconsin, 305,391 

19,866,662 



Slave. 


Total. 


342,844 


771,623 


47,100 


209,897 


— 


92,597 


— 


370,792 


2,290 


91,532 


39,310 


87,445 


381,682 


906,185 


— 


851,470 


— 


988,416 


— 


192,214 


210,981 


982,405 


244,809 


517,762 


— 


583,169 


90,368 


583,034 


— 


994,514 


309,878 


606,.526 


87,422 


682,044 


— 


397,654 


— 


6,077 


— 


317.976 


236 


489,555 


— 


3,097,394 


288,548 


869,039 


— 


1,980,329 


— 


13,294 


— 


2,311,786 


— 


147,545 


384,984 


668,507 


239,459 


1,002,717 


58,161 


212,592 


472,528 


1,421,661 


— 


314,120 


— 


305,391 


3,200,600 23,067,262 


701 





702 



APPENDIX 



Territories. 

New Mexico, 

Utah, - - _ - 

District of Columbia, - 



Free. 
61,547 

11,354 

48,000 



Slave. 

26 

3,687 



Total. 

61,547 
11,380 
51,687 



19,987,563 3,204,313 23,191,876 



CENSUS OF 1860. 

Statea. Free. 

Alabama, 529,164 

Arkansas, 324,323 

Calilbrnia, 380,015 

Connecticut, ------- 460,151 

Delaware, 110,420 

Florida, 78,686 

Georgia, 595,097 

Illinois, 1,711,753 

Indiana, 1,350,479 

Iowa, 674,948 

Kansas, 107,110 

Kentucky, 930,223 

Louisiana, -------- 376,913 

IMaine, 628,276 

Maryland, 599,846 

^lassachusetts, 1,231,065 

Mississippi, 354,699 

Missouri, 1,058,352 

Michii^an, 749,112 

Minnesota, 162,022 

New Hampshire, ------ 326,072 

New Jersey, 672,031 

New York, 3,887,542 

North Carolina, 661,586 

Ohio, 2,339,599 

Oregon, 52,466 

Pennsylvania, 2,906,370 

Rhode" Island, 174,631 

South Carolina, ------- 301,271 

Tennessee, ------- 834,063 

Texas, 420,651 

Virginia, 1,105,196 

Vermont, - ^i^'U^ 

Wisconsin, -.-..-- 775,873 



27,185,109 

Territories. Free. 

Colorado, 34,197 

Dakotah, 4,839 

Nebraska, 28,832 

Nevada, 6,857 

New Mexico, 93,517 

Utah, 40,266 

Washington, 11,578 

District of Columbia, ----- 71,895 



Slave. 


Total. 


435,132 


964,296 


111,104 


435,427 


— 


380.015 


— 


460,151 


1,798 


112,218 


61,753 


140,439 


462,230 


1,057,327 


— 


1,711,753 


— 


1,350,479 


— 


674,948 


— 


107,110 


225,490 


1,155,713 


332,520 


709.433 


— 


628,276 


87,188 


687,034 


— 


1,231,065 


436,696 


791,395 


114,965 


1,173,317 


— 


749.112 


— 


162,022 


— 


326,072 


— 


672,031 


— 


3,887,542 


331,081 


992,667 


— 


2,339,599 


— 


52,466 


— 


2,906,370 


— 


174,631 


402,541 


703,812 


275,784 


1,109,847 


180,388 


601,039 


490,887 


1,596,083 


— 


315,116' 


— 


775,873 


3,949,557 


31,134,666 


Slave. 


Total. 





34,197 





4,839 


10 


28.842 


— 


6,857 


24 


93,541 


29 


40,295 


— 


11,578 


3,181 


75,076 



27,477,000 3,952,801 31,429,891 



APPEKDK. 



703 



The followincf table shows the number of members of Congress apportioned to 
each State in 1850 and in 1860. In 1860, the ratio of representation was 127,216. 





1850. 


I860. 




Maine, - - - - 


6 


5 


Mississippi, 


New Hampshire, 


3 


3 


Louisiana, 


Vermont, - - - 


3 


3 


Arkansas, - 


Massachusetts, - 


il 


10 


Texas, - 


Rhode Ishind, 


- 2 


1 


Tennessee, 


Connecticut, 


4 


4 


Kentucky, 


New York, . - - 


- 33 


30 


Ohio, 


New Jersey, 


5 


5 


Indiana, 


Pennsylvania, 


- 25 


23 


Illinois, 


Delaware, 


1 


1 


Missouri, - 


Maryland, - - - 


6 


6 


Michigan, 


Vii'ginia, - - - 


13 


11 


Wisconsin, 


North Carolina, - 


8 


.7 


Iowa, - 


South Carolina, 


6 


4 


Minnesota, 


Georgia, ... 


8 


7 


Oregon, 


Florida, - 


1 


1 


California, 


Alabama, - - 


7 


6 




Total, - 


- 


- 


For 18S 



1850. 


1860. 


5 


5 


4 


4 


2 


3 


2 


4 


10 


8 


10 


8 


21 


19 


11 


11 


9 


13 


7 


9 


4 


6 


3 


6 


2 


5 


2 


1 


1 


1 


2 


3 



For 1850, 237. For 1860, 233. 

The following tables show the increase of population in 1860, in the diflferent 
States, over the population of 1850 : 

FREE STATES. SLAVE STATES. 

Increase. Increase. 



Maine, 


- 36,780 


New Hampshire, - 


8,096 


Vermont, - 


- 1,707 


Massachusetts, - 


236,980 


Rhode Island, - 


- 27,079 


Connecticut, - - - 


89,098 


New York, 


- 754,169 


Pennsvlvania, 


- 604,232 


New Jersey, 


- 186,479 


Ohio, - . . - 


- 397,588 


Indiana, - - - 


- 362,386 


Illinois, . . - 


- 839,768 


Michigan, 


- 356,737 


Wisconsin, - - - 


- 458,094 


Iowa, 


- 489,788 


Minnesota, - - - 


- 166,719 


Oregon, ... 


- 39,272 


California, - - - 


- 292,173 



Delaware, 


- 20,821 


Maryland, - 


- 148,531 


Virginia, - - - 


- 171,538 


North Carolina, - 


- 139,303 


South Carolina, 


- 46,864 


Georgia, 


- 176,642 


Florida, - . - 


- 58,249 


Alabama, 


- 184,294 


Mississippi, 


- 280,132 


Louisiana, 


- 148,669 


Arkansas. - - - 


- 230,878 


Texas, - 


- 438,363 


Tennessee, 


- 1.33,973 


Kentucky, 


- 168,152 


Missouri, - - - 


- 519,170 



Total, 



2,820,539 



Total, - - - 5,347,651 

The following tables show the Free and the Slave population at each decennial 
period since the first census was taken : 

SLAVE POPULATION OP THE UNITED STATES. « 



1790, 697,897 

1800, 893,041 

1810, 1,191,364 

1820, 1,538,064 

1830, 2,009,031 

1840, 2,487,355 

1850, 3,204,313 

1860, 3 999,353 



Increase. 

195,144, or 29 per cent 

298.323, or 33 " 
347.700, or 30 " 
470,967, or 30 " 

478.324, or 24 
716,958, or 29 " 
795,040, or 25 " 



704 APPENDIX. 

FEES POPULATION OF THE UNITKD STATES 

1790, 3,231,075 Increase. 

1800, 4,412,911 1,180,036, or 36 per cent 

1810, 6,04S,450 1,635,.530, or 37 " 

1820, 8,100,067 2,051,517, or 33 « 

1830, 10,357,880 2,757,822, or 33 " 

1840, 14,575,998 3,718,109, or 33 « 

1850, 19,991,645 5,415,616, or 37 " 

1860, - 27,642,624 7,550,680, or 38 

The following table shows the total population of the United States at each de- 
cennial period: 

1790, 3,929,827 I 1830, 12,886,020 

1800, .... 5,305,925 1840, .... 17,069,453 

1810, 7,239,814 1850, 23,191,876 

1820, .... 9,638,131 I 1860, .... 31,429,891 



The increase of the free population of the United States has averaged, at each 
decade, for the last half century, about 35 per cent.; the increase of the slave popu- 
lation about 27 per cent. Estimating the increase of each kind of population at 
these figures for the half century to come, the results at each decade in round 
numbers, are as follows: 

Free. Slave. Total. 

1870, 37,000,000 5,000,000 42,000,000 

1880, 50,000,000 6,500,000 56,500,000 

1890, 68,000,000 8,000,000 76,000,000 

1900, 92,000,000 10,000,000 102,000,000 

1910, 123,000,000 12,500,000 135,500,000 



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